2005 Bloomsburg University

Men's and Women's Cross Country Preview

A year after guiding the Bloomsburg University cross country men's and women's teams to identical fourth place finishes at the NCAA regional championships, head coach Karen Brandt is looking forward to building on the success of last year's teams.

“Both squads return a strong nucleus of runners, including three NCAA 2004 All-Region cross country athletes:  sophomore Amber Hackenberg (10th), junior Justin Shepherd (8th) and senior Mike Espinosa (9th),” said Brandt.

Amber Hackenberg

“Amber was also a national qualifier/participant at 5,000 meters in track running a personal-record (PR) qualifying time of 17:32,” Brandt continued. “Additionally, Shepherd was a national provisional qualifier at the 10,000 meter distance, while senior Mary Bacher also provisionally qualified in the 3,000 meter steeplechase.  Add returning athletes/conference track qualifiers Karen Hause and Katie Conlon on the women's side and Bill Shepardson, Dave Sanford, Tim Marcoe and Ben Holmes on the men's side to this core and one can see we have the makings of a strong pair of teams.”

Along with that strong group, Brandt will also be counting on athletes like Chip Carnes, Dan Ezzi and Jake Stamey to stamp their mark at the top of the men's roster, while Anne Stefursky, Ella Daniels and Toni Zangari add to the strength of the women's team. 

Several incoming athletes are expected to have an immediate impact on the team.  Shannon Hoffman and Ashley Shuck, local District 4 standouts, are joining the Huskies after outstanding cross country seasons that saw them place in the top 20 at PIAA States.  While Hoffman missed the majority of the outdoor track season due to an injury, Shuck had a stellar senior season culminating in a District 4 championship and a top-5 finish at the 3200 meter distance in a huge lifetime PR of 11:08 at track States.  Bethany Schwing, a District 3 Lower Dauphin graduate, moved up to the 3200 meter distance this past track season after having previously concentrated on the 1600 meter race and summer training seems to show that the longer distances will suit her well.  Pine City, NY twins Cortney and Taylor Sandore ran well in the 2000 meter steeplechase this past spring which shows they should have the strength and stamina to move up to the rigors of collegiate cross.  The speed of Brooke Ridgely, as evidenced in her District 6 relay team wins/State qualifications, could also prove to keep the team moving along.  On the men's side, newcomers Tony Skiles, a Wyomissing District 3 top performer, Devin Kelly and Mike Dalton should develop nicely while returning runner Dan Tallarico has shown growth and maturity with his summer work. 

Justin Shepherd

Brandt expects a summer of hard work to pay off this fall with higher post-season finishes and more individual honors.

“Seeing the results of a summer's hard work during pre-season camp shows me the teams are fired up and looking to surpass any accomplishments of the past several years,” said the veteran coach. “They appear to be focused and committed as well as making the daily sacrifices necessary to prepare for the season ahead.  As I reminded them over the summer, the legendary distance coach at the University of Arkansas once said, “Championships aren't won in September, October and November.  They are won in June, July and August.”