The men and women’s cross country teams will toe the starting line for the first time this year on September 16th in Cary at the Adidas Cross Country Challenge. The men and women’s teams are ranked 13th and 21st, respectively, in the USTFCCCA’s preseason Division I polls. Senior Ryan Hill was showed his dissatisfaction with the team’s performance at the end of last season.
“Last year we came in second at the ACC’s and then we were 20th at Nationals,” Hill said. “We were a little disappointed when we came up short on both of those goals.”
Hill, a two-time All-American, is one of many experienced returners for the men’s team this year. Other returners include Greg Dame, Bobby Moldovan , Patrick Campbell, and All-ACC runner, Andrew Colley ; the team is nearly identical to last year’s. The men only lost one runner over the past year, Sandy Roberts, but gained an All-SEC transfer Adam Henken .
“We only lost one guy, Sandy Roberts, and we also added Adam Henken , who redshirted last year because he transferred from Kentucky,” Hill said. “So we haven’t really lost anyone, we’ve gained a better asset, so we are a better team than last year.”
The men’s team has the depth and the experience to compete amongst the nation’s top teams, but do the runner’s have the confidence? A lack of focus and confidence last year on race day plagued the men’s team.
“Last year during cross country and even track, we sometimes would lose focus during a race,” Hill said. “Workouts and training have never been a problem. It’s always been running the way we need to on race day and that can’t happen anymore.”
Experience and leadership will be key factors in the team’s ability to overcome this lack of confidence. The team has plenty of race experience among its top seven, including three fifth year seniors, a two-time All-American, and a few previous All-Southeast Regional athletes. Men’s Coach Rollie Geiger believes the experience of this team is its strongest asset.
The team’s first test will come September 16th at the Adidas Cross Country Challenge. This race, which is only a 5,000-meters, will judge where the team stands. The rest of the races during the season are either 8,000-meters or 10,000 meters. The Challenge will serve as a pre-tune up to the bigger meets later on in the season including the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota, one week after the Adidas Challenge.
“What it is [The Adidas Challenge] is preparation for a week later at Minnesota,” Geiger said. “So it is only, almost to a degree, a scrimmage-type competition where we are trying to get ready for Minnesota and Minnesota is a big meet. Three weeks later, we have a huge meet at Wisconsin.”
Adidas Wisconsin Invitational in Madison will showcase many of the nation’s top teams, who will compete against one another for the first time. Last year’s field of teams included eight of the top 30 ranked teams in this year’s USTFCCCA’s preseason Division I polls. Other notable races include the ACC Championships on Oct. 29, NCAA Southeast Regionals on Nov. 12, and NCAA National Championships on Nov. 21.
This year the ACC Championship will be held in Clemson and the Pack looks to take back the ACC Championship after losing to Florida State last year by 38 points. Hill is confident in himself and his teammates that this year’s outcome will be different.
“We want to win every year,” Hill said. “There is a strong sense of confidence we will win this year, everyone just feels good about it, but Florida State is the team to beat, they are very good.”
The women’s team also kicks off its season on at the Adidas Cross Country Challenge. The women’s team is ranked 21st in the USTFCCCA’s preseason Division I polls. The race for the ACC championships will be much tighter for the women’s team. There are five other ACC teams ranked ahead of the women including Florida State (6th overall), Duke (9th), UNC (12th), UVA (17th), and Boston College (tied for 18th). The women also have a strong mix of experienced runners returning this year.
The women’s team will be led by Laura Hoer, 2010 All-American and Individual ACC-Champion, as well as All-ACC runner Andie Cozzarelli , who had a spectacular outdoor track season earning All-American honors in the 10,000 meters. The women’s team does not have as much race experience as the men’s but the supporting runners will prove key to how successful the team will be.
