2009 Behrend Lions Cross Country Season Preview

After a banner 2007 Behrend Lions cross country season, where both teams earned the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference championship, the men's program followed up with another league crown last fall, while a younger version of the women's team placed third in the highly competitive AMCC conference. "Both our teams return a great core of runners from last season, and there are some first-year runners who have the opportunity to step in and play key roles," said third year Head Coach Greg Cooper.  "The combination of hard work with experienced and motivated returners and a quality group of new members has us excited about the upcoming season."

Leading the charge for the Behrend Lions men's team will be tri-captains Kevin Gorny (Erie/McDowell), Andy Iams (Harrison City/Penn Trafford), and Rob Shrawder (New Wilmington/West Middlesex). Gorny, who dealt with an injury for much of the season, returned to the 2008 championship meet as the reigning AMCC Runner of the Year and placed second overall with a time of 27:45. Iams, a decorated Behrend athlete, improved on his eighth place finish from the year before to secure third at the championship meet. He then went on to snag All-Region honors at the regional meet. Shrawder also moved up from twelfth to ninth at the championships to assist Behrend in dominating the league by earning five of the top ten finishes in 2008. "Kevin, Andy, and Rob have been instrumental in our program's success over the past three seasons," said 2008 AMCC Coach of the Year, Greg Cooper. "They will leave Behrend as the most successful class in the program's history."

The blue and white will also look to score with its returning upperclassmen. Juniors Justin DiPenti (Warren/Warren), Steve Monnie (Rentrew/Butler), and Steelton Flynn (Butler/Butler) add proven experience to Behrend's roster. Monnie was a 2007 AMCC All-Conference runner, while DiPenti and Flynn have two years of experience to lean on.

Sophomore Carl Kallgren IV (Erie/McDowell) is coming off all-league honors last season, while fellow sophomore Steve Gibbens (Erie/Seneca) looks to contribute to the pace of the team. Another positive addition for Coach Cooper's squad will be senior transfer Lane King (Fairview/Fairview). King is a top five runner from the University of Pittsburgh and will give the roster a boost. 

Eight freshmen will join the blue and white this fall. Chris Chovan (Sharpsville/Sharpsville), Braden Davis (Butler/Butler), Joshua Ferrell (Sharpsville/Sharpsville), Ryan Frankowski (Gibsonia/Pine-Richland), Eric Gerber (Erie/McDowell), Timothy Karls (Butler/Butler), Alexander Myers (Oakmont/Riverview), and David Suhan (Mentor, OH/Mentor) will be looking to learn from the talented veterans and make an impact on the program in their first season at Behrend.  For the Behrend men's team the bar has been raised. After two terrific years, this season provides an opportunity to win the AMCC Championship for the third consecutive year and make a push into regionals.  "Our team's goal is to win another title and to be in the top five at the NCAA regional meet, and earn a bid to the NCAA championships," said Cooper. Last November the men placed fourteenth out of forty-three teams.

The women's team is focused entering the season and looking to add another title to the collection the program has started by claiming AMCC crowns in 2001, 2004 and 2007. After a very youthful roster placed third at the AMCC Championships last season, two weeks later they finished twenty-second out of forty-four teams at the NCAA Mideast regional.  Coach Cooper's crew then picked up very nice recognition as they were selected as a United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association Division III All-Academic Team.  This honor is given to teams with a team GPA of 3.1 or better that have also scored points at an NCAA regional. 

As fall practices begin, Behrend returns eight of its top nine runners from last season and has excellent depth with 13 runners. "We aspire to improve upon our third place finish at the AMCC Championships," said Cooper. "We gained valuable experience throughout last season and finished strong at the NCAA regional meet, so we are very excited entering the 2009 season."

Juniors Liz Keller (Bradford/Bradford) and Tanisha Wheatley (Saltsburg/Kiski) will serve as team captains for the blue and white.  Keller has All-AMCC honors on her resume and placed eleventh at the 2008 AMCC Championships. Wheatley has demonstrated her desire to improve in the offseason and shows her hard work every day. "Liz and Tanisha have both displayed leadership and maturity in their first two years," said Cooper. "I am looking forward to what the future holds with these two."

Four more upperclassmen add a presence to the program starting with senior Roxanne Alsbury (Kingston, MO/Cameron) who enters her fourth season of running. Junior standout Emily Berry (Reno/Rocky Grove) finished fifth at the cross country championships last fall and was the 2007 AMCC Newcomer of the Year. Classmate Alex Falvo (Pittsburgh/North Allegheny) was a top-twenty finisher last year and improved in the off-season. Junior transfer Kimberly Sniezek (Nanticoke/TCA) joins the team after two years at LCCC.

Jenna Fatica (Erie/Villa Maria), an All-AMCC selection and two-time league runner of the week, will lead the sophomore class. Mandy Wehrle (Rossiter/Punxsutawney), Lauren Pecor (Mars/Mars), and Kirsten Zinsser (Gibsonia/Pine-Richland) round out the second year runners. Pecor made a strong showing placing fourteenth at the league championships, while Wehrle and Zinsser are expected to help the team earn points all season.

Newcomers to the program are Angela Ferree (York Haven/Red Land), Meghan Kronenwetter (St.Marys/Elk County Catholic), and Katie Patterson (Erie/Villa Maria).  All three athletes will strive to contribute immediately. Kronenwetter has a year of Behrend track experience to draw from as an ECAC qualifier in the spring of 2009.   

For the women, Franciscan University and Frostburg State will be strong teams again. The task of dethroning Franciscan will not be an easy one, however the team scoring was very tight last season and looks to be a great rematch of the top three schools again this season. "The women's conference championship will be a tough battle, but I believe our women will work hard and do what it takes to get better every day," Cooper said.

There are several highlights on the 2009 schedule. Both teams always look forward to the annual Behrend Invitational which takes place September 19.  A year ago, the men claimed runner-up honors, while the women competed and placed third against more than 15 teams. This year Behrend will also serve as the host for the AMCC championships on Saturday, October 31, at the Behrend Fields. The women will race first beginning at 11:00 a.m. followed by the men at noon.  In addition, the 2009 NCAA Mideast Regional will be hosted by Lehigh on November 14. The Behrend program will get a preview of the course when they compete at the Paul Short Run on October 2 of this year. Behrend will also travel to Westminster College on Saturday, September 5, Oberlin College on Saturday, October 17, and expect to make a run to qualify for the NCAA Championships hosted by Baldwin Wallace College on Saturday, November 21.