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Sept. 12, 2003
The Virginia women’s cross country team recently celebrated the twenty-year anniversary of the NCAA championship won by the 1982 team, who went undefeated over a two-year span and captured two NCAA titles. With this legacy behind them, it’s no wonder the 2003 version of the Cavalier cross country team has high goals. The women are looking to return to the NCAA meet for an unprecedented third consecutive season, and the men are set on joining them. Both squads finished third at the ACC meet and the women took third at the regional meet, advancing to the NCAA championships while the men just missed a berth with a fourth-place finish. Both squads are intent on moving up in 2003.
Virginia’s women, who are ranked #20 in the preseason poll, are led by Jane Maxwell and Kara Scanlin, both of whom earned both All-Regional and All-ACC honors last season. Maxwell, the ACC Champion in the 10K on the track, has been a part of the two NCAA trips and is hungry to close out her collegiate career with a third trip. Scanlin, one of the top freshmen in the conference and in the region in 2002, has a year of collegiate running experience and will be counted on to help lead the incoming talent.
These two will be joined by veterans Jolene Hampson and Meg McGarvey, both of whom have experience in the Virginia top seven. Hampson was a member of the team that took ninth in 2001 before redshirting last year, and her experience will be an integral part of the team in 2003. McGarvey, who earned All-Region honors in 2001, also has NCAA experience and will be a part of a solid core for a foundation for success.
These four will help lead a talented group of incoming harriers, including Pennsylvanians Angie Saterstad and Janine Ricci and Virginia prepster Kelly Swain. Saterstad, who is a two-time alternate to the National Footlocker Cross County Championships, had a stellar cross country and track prep career in Pennsylvania. Ricci led her cross country team to the Pennsylvania state championships and won an individual title in the indoor mile. Swain was one ot the top runners in the Commonwealth throughout her high school career, eanring Honorable Mention All-American honors and helping her Lake Braddock Bruins to the state title three times. Another incoming runner is Nadia Baadj, a transfer from William and Mary who was among the Tribe’s top runners as a freshman.
On the men’s side, Virginia returns three All-Regional peformers in Andy Filachek and Will Christian and 2001 NCAA participant Walton Kingsbery, giving the Cavailers a solid 1-2-3 lineup for a team that just missed qualifying for NCAAs in 2002 with a fourth-place finish in the Regional meet. Filachek and Christian both finished in the top 25 at both ACCs and Regionals and will be counted on for veteran leadership on the men’s side. Kingsbery looks to return to the NCAA meet after scoring for the men’s team in each of his previous three seasons.
These three will be joined by outstanding incoming talent, including a pair of Virginia state champions in Alex Tatu and Ryan Foster. Tatu, who won the Virginia State Cross Country meet on two occasions, also won state titles on the track. Foster is also a multiple-time state champion who was a two-time team captain at Sherando HIgh School.
Two other incoming freshman who could make an impact are Dan Kane and Grady Sullivan. Kane was a very successful prep harrier in Virginia and Sullivan won the Kansas State XC Championship last year.
“Our goal for both teams is to win the conference meet and get to NCAAs,” said head cross country coach Jason Dunn. “With the nice balance of experience we already have and the influx of talent coming in, these goals are very much in reach for us.”
The Cavaliers open up the road to these goals with a home meet, the Lou Onesty Invitational, on Saturday, September 13.