Cross Country
Cross Country
CROSS COUNTRY: Husky Runners Ready For 2009 Stint
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
2009 SCSU Women's Cross Country Team. |
St. Cloud, Minn. -- The 2009 edition of St. Cloud State University men’s and women’s cross country will hit the trails running hard, as the Huskies return 20 athletes to the rosters and welcome nine new faces to the men’s squad and three new faces to the women’s team.
"We are excited about the start of the new season," said SCSU’s 11th-year head coach Seth Mischke. "Both the men’s and women’s teams had strong seasons last year and we expect big things from the Huskies this year."
SCSU Men’s Cross Country
For the first time under head coach Seth Mischke, the 2008 Husky men’s team broke in to the top-10 poll in the region, being ranked ninth in the Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 Division II Men’s Central Regional Cross Country Rankings. The Huskies completed last season at the NCAA North Central Regionals, finishing in 13th lace with 375 points.
"We ran well last year at the NSIC Championships and we want to build on that," said Mischke of the men’s team which finished fourth at the NSIC Championships in 2008. "We have high hopes to finish in the top two of the NSIC and continue on to regionals with some confidence and emotion."
Leading the helm this year for the men will be juniors Hady Cherif (Minnapolis) and Dan Allen (Waite Park).
Cherif became the first Husky to gain All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference First Team honors last season, finishing 10th at the NSIC Championships.
"Hady (Cherif) just runs and runs and runs," said Mischke. "He ended the season as our lead runner last year and he continues to improve. He has put in his miles this summer and is expecting good things."
Allen had a break through season last year, charting a personal best time of 26:55.10 at the NSIC Championships and making the regional squad. "We foresee Dan (Allen) as one of our top three runners this year," said Mischke. "He has worked really hard and has matured as a runner. Starting as a mid-distance runner, he has gained a lot of confidence and is looking to be a leader."
Kevin Andresen (Crystal), Luke Jordan (Maple Plain), Kyle Neumann (Andover), Shamus O’Grady (Coon Rapids), David Pieper (Plover, Wis.), Lucas Windholz (St. Paul) and Sean Gaskell (Esko) round out the sophomore class.
Andresen ran his personal best last year at the NSIC Championships and had an outstanding outdoor season in track as a rookie. "We used last year as a break in season for Kevin (Andresen)," said Mischke. "He is very competitive and will only get better."
Jordan ran in four races last season for the Huskies and also PR’ed at the NSIC Championships. "Luke (Jordan) worked very hard last season," said Mischke. "He has great ability and needs to stay patient."
A transfer from Iowa State University, Neumann saw action in all but one race last year as a rookie and posted his personal best time of 26:52 at the NSIC Championships. "We have high hopes for Kyle (Neumann) in 2009," said Mischke. "He had a great summer working out and we believe he will be a huge key to our success this season."
Shamus O’Grady, who also wrestles for the Huskies in the winter, ran his best race of the season at the NSIC Championships (27:07.60) and was the second Husky to cross the finish line at the 2008 North Central Regional Championships. "Shamus (O’Grady) is another tough kid that enjoys running," said Mischke. "He ended up being a big part of our team last year and we expect him to continue the same this year."
Pieper also made the regional squad for the Huskies last season and ran in every race as a rookie. "David (Pieper) flat out works his tail off," said Mischke. "He’s working on transitioning from the 800 to distance and it takes time, but he is an everyday guy, and that’s what it takes to make yourself better."
Windholz tallied his personal best time of 29:28 last season at the South Dakota State Classic. "Lucas (Windholz) had a solid first year," said Mischke. "He had a great summer and is in awesome shape and we need him to be fighting for those top 5 spots on the team."
Sean Gaskell rounds out the sophomore class. New to the team this year, Mischke said, "Sean (Gaskell) will be a great addition to our team. We are excited to see him run."
Jon Marks (Buffalo) is back for his second season after taking a red-shirt season last year.
Six true first year runners join the Husky family in 2009. Those runners include; Abasher Abasher (Rosemount), Brandon Heddens (Sauk Rapids), Jared Hicks (Spearfish, S.D.), Blake Macalus (White Bear Lake), Liban Musse (St. Cloud) and Billy Struntz (White Bear Lake).
"Our rookie class had strong prep careers and have high potential," said Mischke. "They all have great frames to work with and we are looking forward to seeing what they can do."
Also new to the squad in 2009 are junior transfers Diego Lucar (Skyler, Neb.), Matt Main (Webster, Wis.) and David Townsel (Guam). Lucar and Townsel come to SCSU from Iowa Western Community College, while Main stems from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
2009 Husky Women
Back for another season with the Huskies on the trails are 12 runners. At the top of the list is sophomore Keely Rubash (New Lisbon, Wis.), who led the Huskies in five-of-the-six meets in 2008 as a rookie.
"We expect Keely (Rubash) to have a great season and begin right where she left off," said Mischke of K. Rubash, who ran the best race of her young career at the 2008 North Central Regionals (23:27.8).
Paula Marozas (Andover) and Rebecca Reinsma (Mt. San Antonio C.C.) make up the junior class for the Huskies. Marozas competed in all but one race last season and was a member of the Huskies regional squad last year. "Paula (Marozas) has the most experience on our team, next to Rebecca," said Mischke. "Last year was a good stepping stone season for her. She has worked hard, is in great shape and we are very excited to see her compete."
Reinsma is no stranger to the sport of cross country, but is new to the Husky team. "Rebecca (Reinsma) has experience and an attitude we really like," said Mischke. "She is a hard worker and is a great addition to our squad."
The sophomore class is the majority of the team, consisting of nine runners. Those student-athletes include; Emily Doty (Minneapolis), Brittney Moffatt (Coon Rapids), Andrea Neugebauer (Mitchell, S.D.), Jana Prow (Sauk Rapids), Jackie Rich (Rogers), Keely Rubash (New Lisbon, Wis.), Keely Rubash (New Lisbon, Wis.), Nichelle Rubash (New Lisbon, Wis.) and Amanda Schilling (White Bear Lake).
Doty appeared in five races for the Huskies last season. "Once we can get Emily (Doty) healthy, she will be a great asset to this team," said Mischke.
Moffatt was a bright spot last year on the team as she placed 31st at the NSIC Championships, running a personal best time of 24:29.30. "Brittney (Moffatt) had a break out season in both outdoor and indoor track last year and we are anxious to see how she has improved in cross country over the past year," said Mischke.
Neugubauer is coming off an injury and had a strong season last year as a rookie, running in four races. "Andrea (Neugubauer) continues to improve daily," said Mischke. "She is a solid runner and has a wealth of potential."
Back for her second season, Jana Prow ran in four races last year for the Huskies and PR’ed at the Minnesota Duluth Pine Hill Invite (25:01.7). "Jana (Prow) is a tough runner and was able to PR in the mile during the indoor track season last year," said Mischke. She is coming off an injury from outdoor track, but looks very solid right now.
Jackie Rich was an important part of last year’s squad, appearing in all six races and running the best race of her career at the North Central Regionals (25:19.7) to cap off her rookie stint. "Jackie (Rich) has improved immensely from last year to now," said Mischke.
Nichelle Rubash, is also back for another season with St. Cloud State. Nichelle had a solid rookie year, running in all six races in 2008 with her best time of the year coming at regionals (25:03.8). "Nichelle is a very solid runner," said Mischke. "She has improved since last year and is working harder in different parts of the race."
Amanda Schilling rounds out the sophomore class. Schilling charted her personal best race last season at the Minnesota Duluth Pine Hill Invite (25:43.5). "Amanda (Schilling) has made the most improvements of all our runners," said Mischke. "She has a year of collegiate experience under her belt and has made great strides from last season."
The Huskies are happy to welcome first year runners Stacey Kern (Osakis) and Hannah Sanborn (Maple Grove) to the 2009 squad.
The 2009 Minnesota Class A State Champion in the mile, Kern brings great track and field credentials to St. Cloud State. "Stacey (Kern) is a strong runner and a competitor," said Mischke. "Cross country is a new sport to her because it was not offered at her high school. She can hold her own at these longer distances, but as with anything new there will be a learning curve she has to overcome, but I don’t see that holding her back at all."
Sanborn also had a successful high school career and plans to participate on the Husky Nordic ski team during the winter months. "Hannah (Sanborn) loves to run and has trained hard over the summer," said Mischke. "She has put her time in and runs hard."
After finishing ninth at the 2008 NSIC Championships with 219 points, the Husky women have high expectations to place in the top four or five in the NSIC this season, and move on to the regional championships with high hopes", said Mischke. "We have a lot of work to do to achieve those goals, but we are more experienced this season and we expect a better year than last year."
The Staff
Seth Mischke is back for his 11th season as head coach of the Husky men's and women's cross country program. He is assisted by Mohamed Aden and Travis Hoover in 2009.
NSIC Preseason Polls
The St. Cloud State University men's cross country team was recently picked to finish third in the 2009 Preseason NSIC Men's Cross Country Coaches' Poll, while the SCSU women's team landed in eighth place in the 2009 Preseason NSIC Women's Cross Country Coaches' Poll.
The Schedule
St. Cloud State will open its 2009 season at the Saint John’s University Open on September 11, 2009, in Collegeville. The starting time of the race has not yet been determined. The Huskies will then travel to Minneapolis for the Roy Griak Invite on Sept. 26. On Oct 10, the Huskies have yet to fill that date with a race.
Both the SCSU men’s and women’s squads will head to the NSIC Championships on Oct. 24, and then take a week off to prepare for the NCAA Division II North Central Regionals on Nov. 7 at Wayne, Neb. The 2009 NCAA Division II National Championships are slated for Nov. 21 at Evansville, Ind.
To view the complete 2009 schedule, click here.
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