YSUsports.com - Cross Country: Cross Country Squads Set to Open Season Saturday at Tommy Evans Invite

HALL OF FAME PENGUIN NICKNAME FOOTBALL MEN'S BASKETBALL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY

ALUMNI CHEERLEADERS MARCHING PRIDE MAJORETTES PETE & PENNY PENGUIN

ACADEMIC SUPPORT COMPLIANCE SPORTS INFORMATION SPORTS MEDICINE STRENGTH & CONDITIONING ADVISORY COUNCIL (SAAC)

WELCOME LETTER QUESTIONNAIRE BOOSTERS INFORMATION NCAA GUIDE LETTERS OF INTENT CAMPUS OVERVIEW ACADEMIC PROGRAMS UNIVERSITY HOUSING FINANCIAL AID APPLY TO YSU

STAMBAUGH STADIUM BEEGHLY CENTER CENE PARK EASTWOOD FIELD McCUNE PARK BEEGHLY NATATORIUM YSU TENNIS COURTS BOARDMAN TENNIS CENTER MILL CREEK PARK

DIRECTORY MISSION STATEMENT SPONSOR OPPORTUNITIES JOB OPPORTUNITIES NCAA CERTIFICATION COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT VISITORS GUIDE DIRECTIONS TO YSU

BASEBALL MEN'S BASKETBALL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CROSS COUNTRY FOOTBALL GOLF SOCCER SOFTBALL SWIMMING & DIVING TENNIS TRACK & FIELD VOLLEYBALL

Sept. 5, 2008

Cross Country Squads Set to Open Season Saturday at Tommy Evans Invite

    When YSU begins its cross country season on Saturday at the Tommy Evans Invitational, both the men's and women's squads will rely on their experience to help them improve on their league standing from a year ago.
    The men's squad returns all but one of its top pieces from a year ago while the women's squad features all seven of its runners who competed at last season's Horizon League Championships.
    "Our biggest goal is to stay consistent and healthy every day," head coach Brian Gorby said. "If we can stay healthy, then it will be in our hands to make big improvements and win. That is all that these experienced, determined and hungry runners can ask for in their attempt to bring back our winning tradition."
    On the men's side, the Penguins will have a strong veteran group returning. This season the Penguins will look to compete for the Horizon League Championship having 10 members from last year's squad along with the addition of Rick Lape (Boardman, Ohio).
    Last year the Penguins took third place at the championships, only one point behind Loyola for second, while placing three runners in the top 20. Junior Justin Dickman finished 10th, senior Dan Nemergut finished in 13th to earn Second-Team All-Horizon League honors, and sophomore Jake Lape took 17th.
    Heading into the season Gorby believes experience will pay off for the Penguins.
    "With our third-place finish last year and returning six out of seven, the expectation to move into a position to bring home at least a runner-up trophy is high," Gorby said.
    Last season, Dickman scored in all five meets and was YSU's top finisher twice, and Nemergut finished as the team's second best runner three times and scored in every meet. Lape had an impressive freshman season as he was YSU's top finisher twice and was named the Horizon League Athlete of the Week after leading YSU at the Iona Meet of Champions.
    "The men will need race gaps of 10-20 seconds from our first through fifth runners to compete for titles at most meets," Gorby said. "Their closeness, drive, passion and experience will be the keys to increased winning opportunities this fall."
    The women battled through injuries and a young squad a year ago and will look to move back toward the top half of the Horizon League. Every runner to score points at any point last season returns to give the Penguins a much more experienced group.
    Closing the top 5 gap to under a minute will be also be a key to moving YSU into the top half of most races as they move closer toward the Championship Level tradition that they have enjoyed in the past.
    A total of nine runners return from last year along with newcomers Elizabeth Kelvington (East Palestine), Jamie Rollo (Poland Seminary), Liz Shivers (Salem), and Joclyn Steiner (Ravenna).
    "Team depth will be key for the fifth through eighth spots for the women's team," Gorby said. "That will determine how high we can place every week."
    The women will be led by junior Lauren Blase, who finished a team-best 34th at the Horizon League Championships and finished among YSU's top two runners in all six events last year. Along with Blase, the Penguins will also need strong performances by sophomore Kayla Witmer and junior Dawn Goodwin.
    During her freshman season, Witmer scored in all four meets in which she ran. She was the team's top runner twice and second-best runner twice. Goodwin scored in every meet and was YSU's top runner at the All-Ohio Championships.
    This weekend at the Tommy Evans Invitational, the Penguins will compete against Akron, Buffalo, Cleveland State, John Carroll and Mount Union. The men's race will begin at 11:30 a.m. while the starting gun for the women's race is slated for 12:15 p.m. Both squads finished fourth last season in the race held at Firestone Metro Park in Akron.
    "We're looking to improve from last year in regard to time and place," Gorby said. "We had great summer base mileage, and we shown very positive improvement the first two weeks."