This weekend, the Stony Brook (SB) Women’s Cross Country team will get into the heart of their fall season competition with the Pre-National Meet at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana. Ninety of the top 100 woman’s runners will compete and expectations are high for Stony Brook. The Women’s team is ranked 33rd in the nation, but behind Providence and Boston College. The meet will bring 40-odd Division I schools in New York and around the nation together prior to the Nationals later this year. Last season, SB’s Women finished 3rd in the America East behind Boston University and New Hampshire.
Leading the way for the club are Sophomores Jessica Hampson and Laurie Huet. Rising stars are freshmen sisters Holly and Lucy Van Dalen and sophomore Jacquie Kehoe. Senior captains Dana Hastie, Liz Carlson and Kerry Salzano have the drive and leadership to bring the team home with medals. Head coach Andrew Ronan is tremendously proud of his hard-working group. ‘We feel we have the experience and depth to win the conference championship for the first time and challenge for a spot in the National Championships.’ The women compete in the 5,000 and 6,000 meter distances.
The expectations for the Men’s Team are no lower, and their national stage is a fiercely competitive arena. Next weekend, the America East 16th-ranked Seawolves will travel to New Britain to face the highly-regarded Central Connecticut State (CCSU) Blue Devils in a match that may have implications on first place later on. CCSU and SB are expected to compete for the title. Last season, the Seawolves finished 2nd in the conference behind the University of New Hampshire Wildcats by three points.
Coach Ronan says, ‘I feel we’re good enough to reverse last year’s finish and finish in the top ten in the regional championships for 2007.’ Coach Ronan is very high on Sophomores Tim Hodge, Daire Birmingham and rising star Alex Felce. Senior captain Shaun Krawitz joins Seniors Zack Tyerman and Kevin McCarthy, who Coach Ronan calls the ‘Nucleus of the Team’. The men compete in the 8,000 meter distance.
Stony Brook University steps into the regional spotlight October 27th when the America East Conference Championships will be held here at Stony Brook University. This is a huge event, hosted at a site adjacent to the campus off Stony Brook Road. The runners will compete on grass, running trails and combo surfaces, both hilly and flat, in all kinds of weather. Come on down and be a part of the excitement and cheer on the wolves to victory!
