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Sept. 4, 2006
After a record-setting year in which the Virginia men and women both qualified for the NCAA Championships in the same season for the first time in school history, the 2006 Cavalier cross country squads are excited about the prospects for the upcoming season. The 2005 ACC Champion men’s team welcomes back six of the eight runners from that brought home the conference title, while the women return all seven runners who competed at the NCAA championships in 2005.
“Both teams have the same goals,” said head coach Jason Dunn. “We want to contend for ACC titles and return to the NCAA championships.”
For a program that had a phenomenal breakthrough year (men) and overcame significant challenges due to a pair of key injuries (women), these goals are simply an affirmation of the resurgence of the cross country program at the University of Virginia. For the first time in school history, the men earned an automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Championships, while the women, spurred on by the success of their male counterparts, raced a gutsy regional meet to upset two top-15 teams and earn an at-large bid to the 2005 NCAA championships. It marked the first time in Virginia history that both teams qualified for the same NCAA championships, and there is every indication that history can repeat itself this fall.
The women return all seven runners who competed at NCAAs and welcome back athletes whose injuries cut short their seasons last year. The Cavaliers will be led in 2006 by front-runners Emily Harrison and Kara Scanlin, both of whom earned All-Regional accolades last season. Harrison also earned her second-consecutive All-ACC honor and just missed All-American honors by a scant 1.2 seconds. These two went 1-2 in every race for Virginia in 2005 and both finished in the top-10 at the NCAA Southeast Regional last year, setting the stage for an exciting 2006.
“Emily and Kara are strong front runners,” said Dunn. “Their success on the course last year and their veteran leadership will be a key component of our team this fall.”
Joining Harrison and Scanlin in providing veteran leadership is fifth-year Laura Hodges, who is coming off a phenomenal run on the track during the spring. Hodges scored in the 10K at the ACC meet in April, and her experience as well as her improvement this summer will help give the Hoos a deep lineup. Veteran Katie Read is also back after running all six races for the Cavaliers in 2005, following up her performance on the cross country course with an incredible track season, running 16:59 in the 5K . Fellow third year Kristen Milot also saw time in the top seven last year, and after a strong summer, will be expexcted to work her way into thescoring mix for 2006.
“A number of our veterans really stepped it up over the summer,” said Dunn. “They have made great progress and we will look to them to provide not only leadership but also strong results.”
Second-year Lauretta Dezubay is also back for the Cavaliers, a year after running in the top-seven all season long in her debut campaign as a collegiate harrier. Her experience will be valuable to Virginia, as well as the veteran savvy of Jen Dolson and Janine Ricci, two other members of Virginia’s ACC and NCAA teams from 2005.
Virginia also welcomes back Suzanne Ginnow and Jen Beury, both of whom suffered season-ending injuries in 2005. These two third-years are healthy again and will be able to make an impact right away, giving Virginia ten veterans, all of whom have post-season experience.
The Cavalier lineup is also much deeper with the addition of two redshirt freshmen in Danielle Light and Sara Casscells, two middle distance runners who had strong debut seasons on the track and are ready to move into the top group on the cross country course. Joining them are true freshmen Sam Stafford, Erin Klein, and Steph Garcia, a trio of in-state harriers who distinguished themselves at the prep level and are very capable of making an impact at the collegiate level.
Virginia races in the ultra-competitive ACC, which last year saw six teams ranked in the top-20 nationally and sent a total of six teams to the NCAA championships. Mix in meets like the Roy Griak Invitational and the NCAA Pre-Nationals meet, and the Cavaliers will face some of the top competition in the nation this season.
“Our goal is to return to the NCAA meet and place in the top 15 with both teams,” said Dunn. “We expect to be better than last fall and with the combination of the talent and experience we have, it is a very attainable goal.”
The 2005 ACC Champion men’s team returns six of its top eight runners, and with all of those men following up their fall seasons with outstanding runs in the spring, the men are excited about their prospects for 2006.
Back for the Cavaliers are five All-Conference performers, three All-Regional performers, and five of the top seven from the NCAA meet. Five of the men also qualified for the NCAA Regional meet on the track this past spring, including ACC Champions Andrew Dumm (5K) and Ryan Foster (10K). ACC Freshman of the Year Andy Biladeau and front-runner Jan Foerster, who finished fourth at the Southeast Regional last year, are also both back, giving the Cavaliers a very strong top four. Biladeau (5K) and Foerster (Steeplechase) were also each national qualifiers on the track this past spring season.
“The men’s side is phenomenally talented and experienced,” said Dunn. “They translated their success in cross country to the track, and then built on that all summer long to prepare for the 2006 season.”
Also back for the Cavaliers are two other ACC Championship team members in Taylor Smith and Alex Tatu, boh of whom ran well on the track in the spring. Smith scored at the ACC meet in the 10K, while Tatu was the runner-up in the indoor mile and also brings national championships experience on the track back to the cross country course.
Virginia is also much deeper with the return of senior Kevin McHale and red-shirt freshman Andrew Jesien to the squad after both men redshirted in the fall of 2005. McHale had a breakthrough year on the track earning three All-ACC citations in 2006 (800, 1500 and mile) while Jesien had a remarkable debut campaign, scoring in both the mile and 1500 at the ACC meets.
Adding to the men’s depth are four veterans, all of whom have collegiate cross country experience and will be counted on to help the Cavaliers return to the NCAA meet. James Erickson, Matt Gutridge, Will Williams and Alec Lorenzoni have all worn the orange and blue and will help mentor a talented class of first years. Included in the rookie class are four state champions: Steve Finley (IL), Trey Miller (NC), Alex Bowman (VA), and Graham Tribble (SC). Finley, a Footlocker finalist in 2005 and the Illinois state champ in cross country, brings valuable national experience to Charlottesville. Miller ran 14:48 in the 5K on the track the past spring, and Bowman, an in-state harrier, won a number of state championships on the track last spring in Virginia. Rounding out the first-year class is Tribble, who won multiple private school state championships during his career in South Carolina.
“Our goal is to win another ACC title,” said Dunn. “The team is different, so it’s not about defending the title as much as it is winning the 2006 race with this team.”
The Cavaliers will host the 2006 ACC Championships, giving the Hoos a home-course advantage. With the core group returning, and with the strides they have taken since last year’s phenomenal season, the Cavaliers are in contention not only to win more ACC titles, but also become fixtures at the top of the national polls.