A new year begins with high hopes for the Men's and Women's Cross Country programs of Allegheny College. An end of an era with the move of Coach Ross to an administrator position and the hiring of a young coaching staff led by Coach Brent Wilkerson. But the business still remains the same. On the men's side, the lack of eligability of All-American Tony Dipre and the graduation of Jakeb Zimmerman opens the door for younger runners, such as Pat McLaughlin, Mike Vlah, and Ryan Sullivan, to prove themselves and improve on the legacy they have been left. The return of the All-American duo, Chris Marker and Jeramie Parker, sets the tone for the rest of the squad as they look to improve upon their individual and team finish from last year. The NCAA coaches poll also happens to agree with the teams potential, ranking the Men's team 3rd behind Washington University (St. Louis) and last year's team champion, North Central College.
The woman's team looks to repair the loss of NCAA individual qualifier, Mia Symoniak, and set the pace for years to come. A solid top three have emerged led by Kelly Gallagher, Katie Stancik, and freshman Kristina Martin. The next pack of Sam Zink, Amber Wetzel, Lindsay Pugh, and Laura Heltman, look to shorten the distance between their pack and the front, as they continue to improve throughout the year and rebuild from last years injuries.
The season is long and uncertain, but the confidence from each of these teams make it seem a little more assured. Keep an eye at Allegheny's sport's homepage at http://www.alleghenysports.com/ as the Gators race their first of the season this saturday at Case Western Reserve.
Also, check out the Men's season preview here: Season Preview
and the Women's season preview here: Women's Preview
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