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(10/29/08 4:00pm)
Freshman runner Alex Yersak has been turning heads each time the Lions compete this season, speeding past more experienced harriers and making a name for himself at the College and in the Division III cross country community.
Yersak kicked off his running career in middle school, attacking local tracks and trails in his hometown of Marlton, N.J., while many of his classmates were zoned in on basketball and football. The freshman phenom, who cites his older brother as his inspiration to start running, said he was part of a strong and competitive program at Cherokee High School in Marlton.
"My coach, Steve Shaklee, had me running high mileage where I peaked in the upper '90s on doubles as a junior," Yersak said.
The heavy-duty foot-work paid off. Yersak was part of his high school's 2007 State Group IV championship team. Individually, he was a three-time South Jersey Group IV sectional winner in cross country.
While Yersak makes the transition between high school and college running look easy, he admits it can sometimes be a challenge.
"The main difference with running on the college level is that racing becomes more of a team strategy," he said.
The spike in distance (from 5 kilometers to 8 kilometers), which tends to stun less-seasoned runners, does not faze Yersak.
"The longer distance allows teams to work together and help each other in running down other teams," he said.
The freshman says the large fields he lined up beside in high school helped when he took to running at the College. Because of his preparation, Yersak said he is not nervous as he awaits the starter's gun - he's excited.
The confidence Yersak gained on the high-school level has carried over into his Lions' career. He enjoys being part of the team and continuing his passion for the sport.
Not even thoughts of the upcoming championship meets can rattle Yersak's nerves.
"I am really excited for the championship season," Yersak said. "I (will) get the opportunity to taper back and find out how fast I can run."
As for his running experience so far with the College, Yersak has nothing but positive things to say.
"My teammates are all very animated people, and I enjoy being on a team with them," he said. "(Head coach Phil Jennings) is very knowledgeable, and I trust him to make me run to my potential in college."
(10/29/08 4:00pm)
The Lions competed at the Haverford Invitational held at Haverford College in Pennsylvania on Friday afternoon, where the men's and women's cross country teams dominated the non-team scoring event.
The meet showcased the College's sub-varsity runners and saw six male Lions finish among the top 25 runners. Freshman Andrew Herschman was the first to cross the finish line for the College, completing the four-mile course in 21:20.
"Most of the guys had run at the same course in September," Herschman said. "It was good to see improvements in times and form a close pack among the freshmen."
Freshman Kevin Schickling placed next in 21:29, while classmate Shaun McGeever had a time of 21:34. Freshman Ian Boyle finished with a time of 21:45.
Rounding out the Lions' runners were freshmen Dom Docimo (21:45) and Robert Dill (22:16).
The women's cross country team also found success, as eight runners finished in the top 20. Senior Sarah Best led the way, completing the three-mile course in 19:07, capturing seventh place. Junior Denise Belz trailed Best with a finishing time of 19:33.
Sophomore Noelle Gotthardt ran the course in 19:36. Freshman Sarah Smith was next in 19:40, while junior Michelle Barbarasch was right at her heels in 19:43.
Sophomore Brittany Erickson crossed the line next (19:44) and was followed by freshman Alyssa Bannon (20:02).
With a majority of the team posting 30-second to one-minute time improvements, the Invitational was clearly a success for the College.
"We've got a great team, and I think when our freshman class gets better, we'll do really great things. We're all really excited," Herschman said.
Both the men's and women's teams will compete for the 2008 NJAC Championship next Saturday. The meet will take place at Richard Stockton College. Both teams are defending conference champions looking to repeat again.
The women's team has won the last 13 consecutive titles, racking up 24 titles overall. The men have won 14 straight titles, taking home 18 titles all-time.
(10/22/08 4:00pm)
On Saturday, the College competed at the Williams College Plansky Invitational in Williamstown, M.A. Both the men's and the women's teams trampled their competitors and captured silver in the team standings.
The men tallied an impressive 45 points, just behind the nationally-ranked team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) which claimed first place out of nine teams with 31 points.
Senior Chris Guerriero tacked on another gold medal to his sterling resume, winning the men's race composed of 106 runners. His gold-medal time for the 8K varsity race was 25:25.9.
Right behind the champion was sophomore TJ Bocchino who took second place in 26:31.4. Freshman Alex Yersak continued his break-out season as he placed ninth, crossing the finish line in 26:54.6.
Junior Brandon Rodkewitz ran a time of 27:14.1 to add a 13th-place finish. Sophomores Dennis Waite (20th in 27:32.1) and Kyle Roos (23rd in 27:42.1) rounded out the men's score to seal the second-place victory.
The women's team also finished second in the team standings, led by unstoppable senior Martine McGrath. Eight teams competed, and MIT once again took the title with a score of 44 points. The College had a combined score of 54.
In a field of 119 runners, McGrath was second in the women's 6K varsity race, clocking in at 22:38.6.
Junior Michelle Wallace had an impressive sixth-place finish with a time of 23:20.9, while senior Stephanie Herrick took eighth in 23:26.7.
Junior Megan Donovan added an 18th-place finish for her team in 24:05.6. Freshman Katie Nestor had a solid debut for the Lions, clocking in at 24:13.7 to earn a 20th-place finish.
The College will compete at the Haverford Invitational this Friday. The event will take place at Haverford College in Haverford, PA. The race will be the College's final test before heading into the championship season.
(10/08/08 4:00pm)
The Lions' cross country teams toed the line against some of the fiercest runners in the nation on Friday, at the highly competitive 35th Annual Brooks Paul Short Invitational. Senior Martine McGrath led the College's harriers for the second week in a row, earning a top-50 finish in the women's 6-kilometer race.
The event, hosted by Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., drew several top-tier Division I teams, including Cornell University, Villanova University and local rival Princeton University.
"The Paul Short Invitational gives us a good look at where we stand as teams and what we can look forward to in the championship portion of our season," head coach Phil Jennings said.
Out of a field of 43 teams, the Lions' women placed 24th with 738 points. West Virginia University (47 points), Villanova University (78 points) and Baylor University (94 points) claimed the top three places in the team standings.
Stomping past its competition, the College's women's team was the top NCAA Division III team at Friday's tough race.
McGrath cracked the top 50, pushing herself to a 41st-place finish in the 6-kilometer (21:28). Junior Michelle Wallace boasted a time of 22:15, finishing 102nd overall.
Following the pace of the team leaders, senior Stephanie Herrick earned 132nd place, crossing the finish line with a time of 22:34.
Junior Megan Donovan (224th, 23:33), junior Nicole Ullmeyer (239th, 23:48) and senior Justine Carnevale (244th, 23:51) also ran for the Lions.
Finishing with 851 points, the men's team placed 30th out of 45 in the team standings. It was second among the four NCAA Division III teams that competed Friday, trailing only 27th-place Haverford College. The University of Wisconsin and Syracuse University took the top two spots. The Badgers were first with 52 points, beating out the Orangemen (96 points).
In the grueling 8-kilometer race, senior Chris Guerriero led the Lions with a 91st-place finish in a field of 298. Guerriero clocked a time of 25:03. Sophomore TJ Bocchino was second for the Lions with a time of 25:25, earning 127th place.
"It's such a huge meet, and the atmosphere is awesome," Bocchino said after his race. "We just need to work on closing the gap between our No. 1 and No. 5 guys and we should be ready to compete with the best of them."
Continuing his breakout rookie season, freshman Alex Yersak was the next Lion to cross the finish line. The newcomer had a strong race, taking 161st in a time of 25:46.
Senior Mike Fonder (232nd place, 26:41) and sophomore Dennie Waite (240th place, 26:41) also scored for the Lions.
With this tough race out of the way, the team looks ahead to the rest of the season. For the next meet, both teams will travel to Williamstown, Mass., where they will be running in the Williams College Plansky Invitational on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
"It is nice for all of us to get off campus for a while," Bocchino said, "and (to) compete against teams that we do not normally compete against."
(10/31/07 4:00pm)
Despite harsh weather conditions on Saturday, both the College's men's and women's cross country teams brought home 2007 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship titles.
According to head coach Phil Jennings, the meet, which was held at Richard Stockton College, could not have gone any better.
"The team did what they needed to do," he said. "The victories were not a surprise. They were expected."
The women's team won its 13th straight NJAC championship and 24th league crown. The Lions achieved the lowest score possible by placing all seven scorers in the top seven. While the College scored 15 points, the second place team was Stockton with 74 points. Rowan placed third with 81 points.
Senior Angela Tecco placed first in the women's 6K race with a time of 23:48.94. Since it was Tecco's first season of collegiate cross country, she earned the NJAC Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year and was also awarded the Rookie of the Year.
Junior Stephanie Herrick came in second (23:55.19), while junior Nicole Ullmeyer ran right behind her to place third (23:56.72). Taking fourth and fifth were junior Sara Best (23:59.20) and senior co-captain Christine Nystrom (24:02.19).
Freshman Kristen Lewis crossed the line in 23:05.38 to take sixth place, and senior Erin Enderly took seventh place in 24:10.72 to complete the sweep.
The men's team captured its 14th consecutive NJAC Championship and claimed its 19th league title overall. The College placed first with a combined score of 22 points. Coming in second was Rutgers University-Camden with 65 points and third place went to Rowan University with 75 points.
The Lions placed six runners among the top 10 individual finishers. Leading the men on the standard 8K course was junior Chris Guerriero. Guerriero won his second straight men's individual title in a time of 25:25.48, making it the 12th victory in a row for the College at the NJAC meet.
Following Guerriero's pace, freshman T.J. Bocchino captured a third place finish (25:49.93). He also won the NJAC Men's Cross Country Rookie of the Year award. Last year's Rookie of the Year, sophomore Mike Fonder, placed fifth (26:18.45), senior Anthony Arnold took sixth (26:21.13) and sophomore Brandon Rodkewitz placed seventh (26:25.87).
Bocchino had his teammates to thank for his success.
"None of this would be possible without my teammates," Bocchino said. "Day in and day out they're right there beside me, pushing me to do my best."
Finishing for the Lions was senior Kyle Alpaugh, who came in 10th in a time of 26:41.70, and junior Josh Krowicki, who placed 18th with 27:13.86.
Jennings was awarded the NJAC's Women's 2007 Cross Country Coach of the Year award, something he has received in the past for both the women's and the men's teams.
"It always feels good to be recognized for the accomplishments of not only one meet, but for a season," Jennings said. "It not only reflects upon me, but upon the team and our assistant coaches as well."
The top seven runners from each team will head to the Atlantic Regional Championships, which will be held at Van Cortland Park in the Bronx, N.Y., on Saturday.
"The team is just excited to stay focused during this championship part of our season," Tecco said. "We put a lot into this season and we're determined to have fun through it all."