Preview: Cross Country teams look to resolve some unfinished business in 2011
By: Monique Bowman
ADA — One could say that the Ohio Northern men's and women's cross country teams have some unfinished business heading into the 2011 season.
For the men, missing out on the 2010 OAC championship by seven points is one thing from last season that should be rewritten this coming season. That's not to discredit a season's worth of hard work and successes, including a strong showing at the NCAA Regional Championships.
The women, on the other hand, brought home the conference championship last season and had a great race at the regional championships. However the Polar Bears missed out on a team trip to the national race by just a few points with a fifth place finish.
This season, preparation begins to tie up those lose ends from 2010.
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Men's Preview
The men enter the 2011 season seeking its 13th straight winning season and a conference title, an honor they have not earned since 2008.
The team seems primed to post another strong season and compete at a level as high or higher than last year's squad.
"The men's team accomplished a lot last season, especially later when many guys had to step up to fill some roles," says head coachJason Maus, who enters his 10th coaching season.
"The guys had a bad taste in their mouth after the conference championship but then had an exceptional race at the regional meet. The standard of excellence is set pretty high now."
ONU only loses two of its top seven runners, and return several who went down due to injury. Coach Maus notes that this year's team is much more balanced than seasons past, so there will be opportunities for younger runners to make the varsity squad.
Northern will rely heavily on a seasoned senior class, which includes Nick Baker, Dan Smith, Nick Swinford and Cory Bailey.
Baker is a Second Team All-OAC honoree from the 2010 season and ran his career-best time at the NCAA Regionals in 26:13.
Smith had a roller coaster cross country season, battling injury and illness, but plans on returning to form this fall. He posted a solid track season, so Maus is hoping that momentum carries over.
A two-year letterwinner, Swinford just missed All-Conference laurels by seconds, but gained valuable NCAA experience with a good showing at the regional race last November.
Bailey enters 2011 with plenty of success on the track but needing to prove himself on the cross country course.
The junior class, though thin, is also stacked with experience. Returning are All-OAC racers Ben Ankrom and Kenton Holliday, as well as Michael Simmons who earned significant running experience last year.
Maus says that the sophomore class is also talented with several key athletes returning, including Mark Berton, Matt Johnson, Evan McKee, Tyler Feitshans and Ryan Valentine.
Maus is also encouraged by the freshman class coming in this season and thinks that many of them could have an impact at some point this season.
Women's Preview
The women's team's of accomplishments from last season is extensive, from an OAC championship to a national ranking. But one that remained is that trip to the NCAA national championship.
At the conclusion of last year, ONU finished tied for No. 34 in the country, with its highest 2010 ranking at No. 14 earlier in the season.
Additionally, Northern finished fifth of 34 teams at the regional championship and sent one individual to the nationals for the second straight season.
Maus recalls "last year, the team did a lot of growing and learning on how to be more of an elite, competitive team. This season they will know how to walk into a meet and compete mentally, as well as on the course."
The squad returns all of the top 10 runners from 2010, including those who ran at the regional meet.
Six of the eight seniors are letterwinners, including five with multiple letters showcasing the experience gained in three seasons. All-OAC finishers from a season ago in Ashley Baumer, Mallory Bloom and Kelly Casanova all return for their final season.
Also competing in their final seasons are Amanda Binkey, Lauren Wood and Brooke Bohanan and they bring multiple years of varsity experience to the squad.
Also returning is an equally strong junior class, consisting of All-American and two-time OAC Women's Runner of the Year AlisonSteinbrunner.
Adding firepower is First Team All-OAC runner Lydia Weaver, who not only earned regional experience in last season, but also posted a solid track season as a sophomore.
Maus says that he's impressed with the continued growth of the other juniors through last year's track season, including Sarah Turley,Sarah Thompson and Casey Adamick.
For the sophomore and freshman runners, Maus is optimistic towards the two groups, though he notes that it will be difficult to crack the top 10 with so much experience ahead of them.
Schedule
Setting the 2011 schedule was fun and challenging, explains Maus. "It's about finding the right mix, especially in cross country. You have to find meets that challenge your team, as well as give them the opportunity to be successful."
The season kicks off the first weekend in September when the two squads travel to compete in the Tiffin Challenge. This is a unique event unlike other cross country races, as participants will be tethered together as they race.
The following weekend, the teams split to compete at the University of Virginia Open and the IPFW Invitational.
Mid-month is the Calvin (Mich.) Select Meet, which Maus and the Polar Bears see as a chance to view regional competition early in the season.
Into October, new to the list this season is the Pre-National race at Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Maus says that teams "only attend this meet if you feel you have a good chance of getting there later on this season, which we do. We're very excited about the trip."
Ohio Northern will be the host of this season's Ohio Athletic Conference championship, which will be ran at Lost Creek Golf Course.
"We laid out the course this summer," Maus says. "It rolls a little bit but it's nothing too challenging. It's a great setting for conference competition and we're very excited about it and the season as a whole."