2010 Cross Country Season Preview

Four-year head coach Greg Cooper will guide two viable contenders for the AMCC's cross country championships this fall. The men look forward to their fourth title in as many years, while a more seasoned woman's team will look to put the previous year's third place finish behind them and make a run at the championship crown.

The 2009 season was a historic year for the blue and white. It marked the third straight AMCC title for the Lions in which they finished with a score of 16 points, good enough to rank them at the top of team scores in AMCC history. The men completed the year by being named USTFCCCA Team Academic All-American status for having a team GPA of 3.1 or better and also scoring points at an NCAA regional.

Gone from that team are three All-Conference runners in Kevin Gorny, Andy Iams, and Rob Shrawder. Together these three runners were recognized as the most successful cross country team in Behrend history. Although Gorny, Iams, and Shrawder have graduated, coach Greg Cooper has reason to be optimistic. "With five returning All-AMCC performers, we should once again be strong contenders in the AMCC," said cooper. The five runners expected to lead the charge this fall are seniors Justin Dipenti and Steven Monnie, junior Carl Kallgren, and sophomores Josh Ferrell and Alex Myers. Myers was honored as the AMCC's Newcomer of the Year in 2009.

This season the Lions will usher in seven outstanding freshmen. Chris Henley, Denny Lydon, Dan Mello, Joel Pistner, Michael Smolinski, and Michael Suhan were all state qualifiers at their respective high schools who look to add depth to the roster.

In 2010, the Behrend men will look to improve on their performance at the NCAA Regional Championships from a year ago and add to their collection of awards. With the returning all-conference runners and a strong group of incoming freshmen, coach Cooper believes that this could be the best year yet for the men's cross country team.

The women enter the 2010 season looking to improve on their third place AMCC finish. The coaching staff has set the bar high for the 2010 season. "Our goal is to return to the championship," said Cooper. "To do this we will need to rely heavily on talented all-conference runners, Emily Berry and Jenna Fatica." Berry, Behrend's top runner, will look to finish up her senior year as a four year All-AMCC performer. Seniors Alex Falvo and Liz Keller have tasted what it was to earn all-conference honors and look to add to the team's experience and leadership.

The Lions will have their work cut out for them as Franciscan University has finished first place since their inaugural season in the AMCC in 2008. The needed help will come from freshmen Haley Hughes, Katie Spade and Catie Bertges, who have all competed on the state championship level in high school. Cooper added, "Hughes, Spade, and Bertges have the potential to step in and do great things."

The women's team also earned USTFCCCA Team All-America status in 2009 which marked their sixth season in a row with such honors.

The 2010 Behrend cross country season kicks off at the Buffalo State Invitational on September 4, before returning to the Behrend Fields to host their annual Invitational on September 18. Last year at the Behrend Invitational the men placed third out of 15 teams, while the women were second with a dozen women's teams competing. The Lions will then travel to Carnegie Mellon on September 25 and again on October 9 before attending the Inter-Regional Rumble in Oberlin, Ohio, October 16. The 2010 AMCC Conference championships will be held at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Pa., on October 30, 2010. The Lions will conclude with a NCAA Regional meet on November 13, at Carnegie Mellon University.