Cross Country Teams Hope for Quick Return to Success

2013 MEN'S AND WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW

TOWSON, Md. – After disappointing 2012 campaigns, Goucher cross country head coach John Caslin is optimistic for a bounce back year from his men's and women's squads this fall. Each team has key runners returning after studying abroad last year, in addition to several freshmen who are expected to improve the overall depth of the program.

"I've liked what I've seen so far in practice," Caslin said. "Everyone seems to be in really good shape. We'll learn a lot about ourselves this weekend."

Both teams will kick off their seasons this Saturday at the Baltimore Metro Meet, an event which will be held on Goucher's campus. The men's meet begins at 9 a.m., followed by the women at 9:30.

The women's program slipped to sixth place in the Landmark Conference Championship last year after a second-place result in 2011. Katherine Currier, however, earned first-team all-conference recognition for a second-straight season after finishing fourth in the championship meet. The junior from Brooklyn, N.Y., will look to lead the Gophers once again this fall.

Currier will be joined by senior Katelynn Zidanic, who repeated as a second-team all-conference performer after her ninth-place finish at the conference championship. The return of Kathryn Walker, who placed 16th in the conference two years ago before leaving to study abroad in 2011, should also strengthen the team's depth, and Caslin expects a lot out of the rest of the lineup as well.

"The biggest surprising returner is probably Christine Cherry," he said. "She has gotten healthy over the summer and looks really good. [Freshman] June Chiango looks strong, and she should certainly contend for a top five spot. We also expect [freshmen] Camille Jorgensen and Ellie Ginsberg to make immediate impacts."

Senior Shea Staab, junior Zoe Malkin, and freshmen Maxine Eisenberg and Jonelle Palmer round out the 2013 women's squad. In an always up-for-grabs Landmark Conference, Caslin hopes that this is the year that Goucher comes out on top.

"We've had five different conference champions in the last six years," he said. "It's our turn."

The men's team, meanwhile, fell to eighth place in the conference last season. Only two players from that roster return this season, however, and Caslin expects an immediate return to competiveness in 2013.

"We're coming off a disastrous season," he said. "We just had a lot of strange circumstances working against us. But this year, we gain back [senior] Hugh Geller, who studied abroad all of last year in Oxford and has come back in incredible shape. [Senior] Troy Browne also comes back after missing a year and he's had a real strong summer.

"The two returning guys from last year, Zachary Byrum and Isaac Jennings, have been working hard as well," Caslin continued. "So the four guys who have run for us in the past all look really strong."

Shannon Sanders, Jr., a sophomore transfer from Morehouse College, and freshmen Joe DiPiazza, William Lanahan, Anthony Lee, George Ryan and Julian Valdez-Ramos make up the rest of the team.

"Out of the first year group, Anthony Lee was a fine high school runner," Caslin said. "Another guy to look at is DiPiazza. Joe's track and field resume is one of the strongest we've ever had, and he will definitely help us in cross country as well. We've also been impressed with Lanahan, and we expect the other young guys to step up as the season goes on.

"We'd certainly like to think that we can move up two or three spots in the conference on the guys' end," Caslin concluded. "That would be a realistic goal for us."

Both teams are currently scheduled to compete in six regular season meets leading up to the 2013 Landmark Conference Championship, which will be held in Washington, D.C., on November 2.