Cross Country Set For Strong 2010 Season

For seventh-year head coach Amy Lane, the 2010 men and women's cross country teams will be among the deepest she has ever had.

Coach Lane will direct a squad of eight runners on the men's side and seven runners on the women's side, led by a combined total of seven returners and eight newcomers.

On the men's side, senior Nick Whitman (Florence, Mass.) anchors a group of four returners that includes juniors Mike Desmond (Nashua, N.H.), Benjamin Kronlund (Longmeadow, Mass.) and sophomore Brendan Warren (Arlington, Mass.).

In 2009, Warren was the men's top finisher in six of seven meets, recording a personal best time of 34:11 at the James Early Invitational in the 8-kilometer race. Warren was also the Blazers' fastest finisher at the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Championship meet, crossing the line 14th overall in a time of 35:15. His time of 35:15 and his mark of 35:53 that was registered during Elms' regular season invitational are the fifth and sixth fastest times recorded by a Blazer on their home course.

Kronlund recorded a time of 37:00 at the season-ending Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Championship to lead Elms in its final meet of the 2009 season, while Whitman notched a time of 36:36 at the 2009 Blazer Invitational.

Sophomore Keith Godek (Chicopee, Mass.) will join freshmen Patrick Noenickx (Scituate, Mass.), John Southworth (Springfield, Mass.) and Jesse Zina (Ludlow, Mass.) on the trails this season.

For the women, three juniors lead the way for the Blazers, including Becka Boisseau (Chicopee, Mass.), Jennifer Cicero (Chicopee, Mass.) and Chantal Wakefield (East Longmeadow, Mass.).

At the 2009 Blazer Invitational, Wakefield secured a time of 25:39, her best time of the campaign. Cicero also collected her top time of last season at the Blazer Challenge when she crossed the line in 28:40. Boisseau finished the Western New England College (WNEC) Invitational with her season-best time of 29:02.

In addition to the Blazers' three experienced juniors, the team welcomes four freshmen to its roster. Those first-year collegiate cross country runners are Kerry Ashe (Springfield, Mass.), Gabrielle Calvanese (Agawam, Mass.), Sarah Jane Dyer (Hinsdale, Mass.) and Stephanie Konstantinidis (Holyoke, Mass.).

Question and Answer with Coach Lane
Q. Which runner needs to make the biggest impact to have a successful 2010 season?
A. As always, we rely on our returning runners and our captains to set the tone of the team and motivate the rest of the team.  Nick Whitman, our senior captain and only four-year runner, will play a huge role in the success of the team.  Mike Desmond, who is recovering from cancer, but still giving his all to the team, will serve as the inspiration to the team also - because if he can do it, there's no reason others can't!

Q. Which runners have improved the most since last season?
A. A few of the runners have made some huge strides in the past year. Most notably is Jenn Cicero. She went from being our 5th or 6th runner last year to being our top runner last weekend. She worked hard at training over the past year and even completed two half marathons. Chantal Wakefield, Becka Boisseau, and Ben Kronlund all worked hard at summer training and I expect they will continue to improve over the season.

Q. What are your thoughts on the corps of seven returners heading into this season?
A. The returning runners are strong and motivated. They also have been around during some of our harder years where we struggled to score in meets, and are truly motivated by the depth and strength of the team this year. I am pleased to only have one athlete graduating this year, so our team will continue to grow in speed and numbers. 

Q. This is undoubtedly one of the deepest teams the cross country programs have ever seen. What advantages come with having a squad that is 15 runners deep?
A. I feel a lot less pressure this year, since having eight runners means that I can afford an injury or illness and the team will still score in every meet. It's also a huge advantage when we do hard workouts - with this much depth, everyone has someone close to their pace to push them and help them work hard every day.

Q. Comment on some of the new runners coming in. What will they bring to the table that people may not be aware of?
A. The new runners are strong, and will be a huge addition to the strength of the team. On the men's side, Jesse Zina and Patrick Noenickx were my two lead guys this past weekend.  On the women's side, Gabrielle Calvanese is one of the top women. But, many of the new runners are new to cross country running, so I think they will continue to improve throughout the season, and surprise a few folks by the time the NECC Championships come around.

Q. What is one challenge that the team needs to overcome this year in order to be productive?
A. Our team has struggled for many years, as is shown in our preseason rankings. I think it is time to prove those rankings wrong, and work hard. The big challenge will be to keep the runners healthy so they can compete to their potential. I think the runners are motivated, so it's just a matter of properly training them and keeping them healthy.