WOMEN

The top six finishers at the 2013 CAC women’s cross country championship were all underclassmen and hope to challenge for the title at the 2014 championship meet. 

Maybe even more impressive, however, is that 15 of the 16 members of the 2013 All-CAC team were underclassmen and hope to battle for all conference honors again this year.  Only 10 seconds seperated 2013 individual champion Caroline Delany of York from the ninth-place finisher in last year’s championship – certainly one of the closest finishes in CAC history.

Christopher Newport won the team title in its first year of CAC membership, and the coaches picked the Captains to defend their crown this year.  CNU was the top pick of four of the coaches and compiled 75 points in the preseason poll.  2013 CAC Rookie of the Year Briana Stewart finished fourth to rank among the leaders for CNU last year.

However, York (74 points, four first-place votes) and Mary Washington (70 points, two first-place votes) were close challengers to CNU in the preseason poll – just like they were in last year’s championship.  

The second-place Spartans boasted the top two finishers in the 2013 championship race – Delany, who was named the CAC Athlete of the Year, and classmate Jessica Miller.  Teammates Jenna Roberts, Alicia Dillman and Kathleen Cannon all earned second-team All-CAC honors for YCP.  The Spartans and CNU both had five All-CAC award winners in 2013.

Mary Washington, which will host the 2014 championship at Rappahannock Academy near Fredericksburg, Va., was led in 2013 by first-team all-star Tara Landy and second-team honorees Lauren Braney and Victoria Parent.

Marymount and Salisbury each collected 49 points to tie for fourth place and edge St. Mary’s (46) in the coaches preseason poll, followed by Wesley (27), Frostburg State (25), Southern Virginia (22) and Penn State Harrisburg (13). 

MU newcomer Melissa Teeple also returns from the first-team All-CAC squad while classmate Elizabeth Long was a second-team honoree.  Wesley’s Dieunise Desir completes the list of returning all-stars after gaining a second-team award in 2013.

Here is a look at each team heading into the regular season, which begins at various invitationals on Labor Day Weekend for most teams:

The CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT women’s cross country team won the Capital Athletic Conference Championship during its first year in the league last season and welcomes back several returning standouts in 2014. Matthew Barreau’s squad will be headlined by Briana Stewart, who was named the 2013 CAC Rookie of the Year. Fellow sophomore Emmie Schmitt also secured first-team All-CAC nods last season, while junior Alexa Tabackman returns after collecting second-team accolades in 2013. 

Fifth year head coach Dale Luy is optimistic about his 2014 FROSTBURG STATE women’s cross country team as it returns its top three finishers from last year’s CAC Championships. Sophomore Casey Columbus was the Bobcats’ highest finisher (31st), but she is also joined by senior Bryn Allston (32^nd) and sophomore Lexi Foreman (69^th). Junior Gabbi Maher also returns to the roster with valuable experience.

Senior All-CAC runners Tara Landy and Lauren Braney, both of whom have been named CAC Runner of the Year, lead MARY WASHINGTON for 2014. The Eagles will be looking for their 15th conference title, and will look to returnees in juniors Caroline Cerand, Nicole Bethune, Colleen Boyle and Rachel Cote, seniors Claudia Autore and Trinity Smyth, and sophomore Victoria Parent.

The MARYMOUNT women’s cross country squad looks to continue its rise in the league standings after posting its best finish at the CAC Championships in program history in 2013.  Sophomore Melissa Teeple headlines the Saints’ returners for the 2014 season after a stellar rookie campaign.  Teeple collected four top-5 finishes last fall, which ultimately earned her three CAC Player of the Week nods and All-CAC accolades to close out 2013.

PENN STATE HARRISBURG’s women’s cross country program enters just its tenth season of existence this fall and second year head coach Danielle Lynch hopes to build on one of the brightest seasons since the program launched a decade ago. The Lions return their two top runners from a year ago in sophomore Rachel Sechrist and senior Alisha House. The duo will be relied upon to lead the way while the a promising group of freshman gain valuable experience this fall.

ST. MARY’S boasts a good core of returners in Julia Gardner, senior Michelle DiMenna, a 2011 All-CAC performer, and juniors Megan Gerdes and Emily Plum while newcomers Lydia Marzot and Alex Schoen are expected to make an immediate impact for the Seahawks. The program is looking forward to hosting the program's first-ever home meet on September 6th.

SALISBURY women’s cross country will be led by senior Olivia Cloud, who returns after recording three of SU’s top six finishes in 2013, including a team-leading time of 23:52.20 seconds for 22nd place in the Capital Athletic Conference championships.

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA will see a lot of new faces in the program as the squad lost a number of girls to graduation or church missions. Leading the way this season will be sophomore Rebecca Lords, who placed 27^th in the USCAA championship race last year and 50^th in the CAC championship. Also returning this season following an 18-month church mission is Elle Dryden, who helped the 2012 Knight squad to a USCAA championship.  Southern Virginia loses a bevy of graduated seniors and freshmen, namely Kera Macfarlane Nielson who placed 18^th in the USCAA race last season. Stephanie Peabody, Hayden Larman and Sadie Taylor decided to serve church missions in the fall and will return in time for the 2016 cross country season.

WESLEY returns its entire team from a year ago and will be led once again by sophomore Dieunise Desir, who set the school-record in the 6K and became the first Wolverine to earn All-CAC honors.  Also returning are sophomores Shannon Moody, and the Reese twins, Alexus and Miata, who all ran top ten times a year ago.  New to the squad this year are another Desir and Reese, Milaine Desir and Kenya Reese, as well as promising freshman Mercedes Myrick and Alyson Davis.

The YORK women's cross country squad returns a strong lineup that should enable to the Spartans to challenge for the elusive Capital Athletic Conference team championship. The Spartans finished ten points back of Christopher Newport but the Spartans had the top two finishers in the championship with Caroline Delany winning the event followed by Jess Miller. Miller advanced to the NCAA Championships last year, will be joined by fellow All-CAC performers Jenna Roberts, Alicia Dillman and Kathleen Cannon also posted top 15 finishes at last year's championships.

2014 CAC Women’s Cross Country Pre-Season Coaches Poll

MEN

Riding the success of the best individual distance runners in CAC history for for the past three years, York College has won three-straight conference men’s cross country championships.

With the graduation of two-time Athlete of the Year Tim Hartung, York finds itself as one of four teams expected to battle for the 2014 CAC crown – and not the leading pick to win the title.

Second-year CAC member Christopher Newport, which finished second in the team standings at the 2013 championship meet, gained a conference-best 77 points in the coaches pre-season poll, including five first-place votes.  York (70 points, 3 first-place votes), Salisbury (65 points, 2 first-place votes) and Mary Washington (64 points) were picked by the coaches as the top challengers for the Captains.

Individually, CNU senior Samuel Martin placed second behind Hartung in the 2013 championship race and will be one of the favorites when the runners toe the starting line at Rappahannock Academy in Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014.  John LaPointe, the 2013 CAC Rookie of the Year, was a second-team All-CAC honoree last year.

Despite the graduation of Hartung and classmate Craig Eppler, both first-team all-stars in 2013, the defending champion Spartans return four all-CAC honorees from the 2013 championship race – including rising seniors Wil Murray and Connor Simpson, who placed sixth and eighth, respectively, in the title run.  Classmate Michael Stetson and sophomore Matthew Hayes, earned second-team All-CAC honors in 2013.

Mary Washington returnees Julien Menk and Nick Eghtessad finished third and fourth, respectively, last year, and also hope to challenge for top individual honors.  Salisbury is looking for returnees Thomas Burke and Jeremy Skarda to lead the way and earn all-conference recognition for a second-straight year.

Frostburg State and St. Mary’s, both with 43 points, tied for fifth place in the CAC coaches pre-season poll, followed by Marymount (27), Southern Virginia (25), Penn State Harrisburg (18) and Wesley (18).

Here is a look at each team heading into the regular season, which begins at various invitationals on Labor Day Weekend for most teams:

Following a second-place showing at last year’s Capital Athletic Conference Championship meet, the CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT men’s cross country team will look to continue its progression during the program’s second season in the conference.  Matthew Barreau’s team features several returning standouts, including first-team All-CAC member Samuel Martin.  J.J. LaPointe, who was named the league’s 2013 Rookie of the Year, and fellow sophomore Billy Rabil, who netted second-team All-Conference nods last season, will also help solidify the veteran portion of the roster.

Under the direction of fifth year head coach Dale Luy, the 2014 FROSTBURG STATE men’s cross country team has a robust 20-man roster heading into preseason that is loaded with talent and plenty of depth. The Bobcats return three of their top-five finishers from last year’s CAC Championships in senior Jon Stewart, junior Daniel Repchenko and sophomore Stanton Higham. Higham returns as the squad’s highest finisher at the CACs, taking 48^th place.

MARY WASHINGTON enters the men’s cross country season with high hopes after ranking regionally all season and a third place finish at the CAC Championship a year ago. Returning for this fall are All-CAC selections in senior Julian Menk and junior Nick Eghtessad, as well as a group of veterans that include Phil Devine, Tom Hudson, James King, Kevin Speray, and Chris Markham. The Eagles will be seeking their 12th CAC crown.

MARYMOUNT head coach Marco Castro returns several of his dominant men’s runners from the 2013 campaign.  Paving the way for the Saints will be sophomores Colin Chartier and Carlos Elizondo, both of whom posted top-15 finishes at least once last season, though Chartier missed several events while competing for Marymount’s triathlon program last season.

PENN STATE HARRISBURG is coming off the most successful season in the program’s nine year history. During her first season at the helm, head coach Danielle Lynch led the Lions to a pair of top two finishes in 2013 including the program’s first-ever team championship at the school’s home invitational in October. The Blue & White will look to returners such as 2013 top finishers in sophomores Nicholas Sturm and Joey Phifer to lead the way once again this fall.

ST. MARY’S is holding a strong position as the Seahawks enter the 2014 campaign with two of their Top-3 scorers - seniors Tim Carey and David Kersey - returning from last season. Coach Tom Fisher will look to senior Collin Hickey and juniors Aidan Hennessey and Greg Mainolfi as well to round out the scoring for SMCM while newcomers T.J. McPhaul and Sam Coomes will push the veterans. The Seahawks are looking forward to hosting the program's first-ever home meet on September 6th.

The SALISBURY men’s cross country team comes into 2014 looking to build off of its third-place finish in the Capital Athletic Conference championships last season. The Sea Gulls bring back second-team All-CAC athletes senior Jeremy Skarda and junior Thomas Burke to lead the team this season, as the Gulls will compete for their 10th CAC title.

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA will be led by seniors Patrick Gonzalez and Kevin Prince, who led the team in the majority of races last season.  Gonzalez placed third in the 2012 USCAA national championship race and followed up with a seventh-place finish last season, while Prince came in 35^th place at the meet.  Both Gonzalez and Prince were disappointed in last year’s CAC race as Gonzalez placed 23^rd and Prince in 61^st, but the duo looks to bounce back with strong performances in the 2014 league championship.  Southern Virginia will be without the services of sophomores Aaron Barraclaugh, Michael Ward and Ciaran Giroux, freshmen from a season ago that showed great potential. The trio left the program for two years to serve church service missions and will return for the 2016 season.

Sophomore Dominic McAnulty and junior Carlton Sheppard lead the WESLEY men’s cross country team in 2014 after both cracked the top ten in school-history in their first seasons with the Navy & White.  McAnulty closed out the year with a 28:48 at the CAC Championships to lead the squad as a freshman while Sheppard, the reigning 800m Champion, battled illness to finish just behind.  Head Coach Stephen Kimes also brought in a talented freshman class headlined by Luis Arteaga, Ja’mier Bailey and Jeff Koletsky, who should battle for scoring spots.

The YORK men's cross country squad must replace the greatest runner in school history as four-time CAC champion Tim Hartung has graduated but head coach Stephen LoBianco isn't worried. The Spartans will look to garner their fourth straight CAC championship with a deep roster of talented runners who will offset Hartung's loss. York returns All-CAC finishers Wil Murray, Connor Simpson, Michael Stetson and Matt Hayes. Andrew Ward and Aaron Robertson also earned top 20 finishes at last year's championships and will return to the Spartan lineup.

2014 CAC Men’s Cross Country Pre-Season Coaches Poll