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Varsity Boys Team Preview

          The 2007 season is almost here and despite the loss of key varsity runners, BRD and Jared Moriarity, the team looks to be stronger than ever. Five of the top seven are returning from last year, and some of the top JV runners will be back as well, so the team will have no problem filling in the gaps.
           The number two runner all of last year, Roland Graves, will be returning this year, and will be taking the place of BRD to lead the team throughout the season. Roland has run varsity the last two years, and last year really stepped it up, topping his season off with a trip the the State meet where he finished 12th. He also had a great track season this past year. With the amount of work Roland is putting in this summer, he will be one to watch out for in Section Two and in the State this year.
            The next three spots are between three people: Kevin Sheehan, Jake King, and Justin Veldhuis. Sheehan, usually stayed third on the team throughout last year, and I would expect to see him in that number two spot for majority of the season this year. Justin Veldhuis is a bit of a question mark at this point. He was unable to run track this year due to a knee injury, but by the end of the school year he was able to run a few miles a day. Depending on his condition and what he is doing this summer, Justin could carry over his great performances from last year and fill in the number three spot nicely. Following close behind Justin will be Jake King. He and Justin were usually right with each other throughout the season last year and I wouldn't be surprised to see him taking the number three spot at some points during the season as well. The number five spot will go to Chris Cure. He showed huge improvement from his freshmen year and finished off the year with a great track season. He ran on the varsity team a few times last year, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him step up again and be in the top seven all year.

Varsity Girls Team Preview

            With the girls side of the team having so much young talent last year, they won't have any problem making up for the loss of three of their varsity senior runners: Lauren Aziz, Courtney Delorenzo, and Laura Doak. Last year, Jen Madsen and Erin Mossip exchanged the number one spot throughout the season. Neither gal ran track, so it will be interesting to see what kind of shape they will be in come September. They both very well could take a top spot again, but it all depends on the miles they put in this summer. This year I see the number one spot going to Emily Cure. She has been getting better and better over the last few years, and I think it is her turn to step up and lead the team. As long as she doesn't train too hard this summer, she will be in great shape to the team this season. Following close behind Emily will be Casey Doak. She had a great track season this past year and has been putting in a lot of miles this summer. She is a very dedicated runner and I expect to see her in that number two spot all year, if not exchanging the number one spot with Emily.
            The number 3,4, and 5 spots are between three people, Allie Grant, Shannon Doherty and Lea Cure. All three ladies had great season's last year along with great track season's. Lea came from nowhere last year to become a dominate force on the Varsity team. Shannon and Allie were very close last year and it is hard to say who will run better this season. All three will definitly have great seasons. Filling in the number 6 spot will be Lynley Joynt. She showed huge improvement last year, running over 300 miles last summer, and I am sure she is putting in the work again. If she cotinues to work as hard as she does, she will do well in the fifth scoring position. The last spot is up to a few people. There is still the question of Jen Madsen and Erin Mossip. They both could take these spots or maybe even a higher spot, but it depends on what they are doing this summer.


          Good luck to all this season. Keep your dreams alive, for without them, there is nothing to work for. Run fast, beat people. SISU.

-Jimmy Richburg was a co-captain last season and will become a Red Dragon this fall for SUNY-Cortland. Contact him at Richburg54@cortland.edu with praise for his hard work.

           The last two varsity spots are between three people: Dan Lee, Gianni Vissat, and Fabio Ritmo. Both Dan and Gianni were on and off throughout the season last year; both suffering from injuries. Dan was able to recover and take a top ten spot for Sectionals, but Gianni could not. Gianni did come back in track however running sub-2:10 in the 800. Fabio Ritmo came from being in the 20's on the team to taking an on-and-off Varsity spot last year. He was injured at the start of track, but came back to run very well. The three of them will be exchanging these last two spots throughout the season. At the start of the season, I expect the top seven to be as follows: Roland Graves, Kevin Sheehan, Justin Veldhuis, Jake King, Chris Cure, Gianni Vissat, and Dan Lee. The last three sports will be exchanged during the season, and people will move around. All eight of them are very hard working and very dedicated, and with that kind of competition, nothing can stop them.
            There are three other people to watch out for this season, the first of which being Brenden Gallagher. Brenden was another one who showed great improvement last year, never failing to take a scoring JV spot. If he is putting in the miles this summer, he is one to look out for to take a Sectionals spot, and maybe even a varsity spot during the year. The second would be Nate Katrayan. Nate was on the JV scoring team at the start of last season, but could not finish the season due to an ankle injury. He did not run track but has been putting in miles this summer and it will be interesting to see what he will be able to do this year. And last but not least, Dave Frey. Dave was also a JV scoring runner last year, but is currently dealing with a back injury making it difficult for him to run. His condition come the start of the season will determine what he can do for the team.
            The overall season looks to be another good one for the guys. Even with the loss of two top five runners, I think they can repeat their performance from last year and take second at Sectionals again this year. If they can do that, they are sure to take another trip to Feds as well. The reason the guys will take that second spot again would be because of Shen. Athough they did lose some of their top runners as well, they have so much depth it will not be a problem for them to continue their dominance over the Section and the State. Another team to look out for would be Shaker. Again, they lost some of their top runners, but will continue to put up a good fight throughout the season.
            If the guys work as hard has they are capable of, and stay as dedicated as they have been in the past, there is only success in store for them this season. I believe there are great things ahead for all of them this year, and it will be great to see what happens.



           Two others that could take these spots are Lily Rowen, and Sam Smith. Lily was a JV scoring runner throughout last season, and always puts in the work. She just needs to keep it up throughout the season and wait for her chance and take it. Sam Smith was in the high-teens on the team last year. She came into her own during track, having a great season, especially in the 1500m run. If she can carry those performances through to XC and continue to work as hard as she does, I wouldn't be surprised to see her on the JV scoring team if not Varsity at some point during the season. Another big question mark goes to all the middle school runners. The Sectional team last year was comprised mostly of young talent, some of which were from the middle school. Although they are a talented bunch, I feel that the experience of the older runners will allow them to excel this season. But I wouldn't count any of the younger runners out. They could come up again and surprise everyone.
            I'm sure the ladies are looking to match or even best their sixth place finish at Sectionals this year. It is hard to say at this point without really knowing how they are running. If the varsity girls do the work they are capable of, I could see them finishing maybe fourth or fifth in the Section. It's not that they don't have the ability to finish that high, but that they just have a lot of competition, such as Saratoga, Columbia, and Shaker. If they run hard and work for it, they can take down some of these teams and move up in the ranks.
            As for a Feds spot, that will come down to how they perform at larger meets. If they can show that they are a strong team, and finish higher up at Sectionals, they could be right along with the Boys at the Fed meet!