November 2, 2005

Cross Country Looks to gain NCAA Berth at Lock Haven on Saturday

BLOOMSBURG-The Bloomsburg University men's and women's cross country teams will travel to Lock Haven University to compete in the 2005 NCAA East Regional race. The women's race will begin at 11:00 a.m. with the men to follow at noon.

Last year, the women took fourth, missing a trip to the NCAA National Championships by one spot. Edinboro took the crown for the women, eventually finishing second at the national championships, while Kutztown was second and Slippery Rock in third. On the men's side, Bloomsburg also finished fourth as Lock Haven won the race with Edinboro and Shippensburg coming in second and third. The Bald Eagles went on to finish ninth at the NCAA Championships.

The women go into this weekend ranked second in the region in the most recent polls by the U.S. Cross Country/Track & Field Coaches Association. Bloomsburg also moved up the national poll, taking over the number 13 slot after being ranked 15th in the previous week.

In last year's regional race, All-PSAC runner, Amber Hackenberg (Middleburg/Middleburg) led the Huskies, finishing 10th to earn All-Regional honors. Karen Hause (Bloomsburg/Central Columbia) finished 24th for the Huskies, while Mary Bacher (New Tripoli/Allentown Central Catholic) was 32nd.

Last weekend, the Huskies finished second at the 2005 PSAC Championships, the highest team finish in school history. Hackenberg's fourth-place performance earned her all-conference honors for the second time and is also the second-best performance in school history. Her place is also the highest since Toni Wikoski finished third in 1993.

"Amber might look this fragile flower, she is extremely determined and tough and will push herself to her maximum," said head coach Karen Brandt.

Freshman Ashley Shuck (Milton/Milton) earned All-PSAC honors in her first championships, running to a ninth-place finish. Kate Conlon (Inkerman/Pittston) and Beth Schwing (Hershey/Lower Dauphin) finished 25th and 26th, while Bacher rounded out the Bloomsburg scoring with a 33rd-place finish. Shannon Hoffman (Watstontown/Warrior Run) and Karen Hause (Bloomsburg/Central Columbia) also competed for the Huskies. Hoffman was 41st, while Hause finished eight seconds behind her in 43rd.

Brandt was ecstatic about the team finish, but knows the teams in third and fourth weren't too far off the Huskies' pace.

"The women have had their sights on IUP all year and to come second to their fourth was really sweet," she said. "Quite frankly, I was so focused on what we were doing against IUP, I never even noticed the Kutztown girls. It wasn't until I saw the final results that I realized how close they had come to us."

Even with Kutztown at their heels, Brandt knows how much the finish means to the team, in particular the upperclassmen that have seen the team struggle in the championship races.

"Seniors Mary Bacher and Katie Conlon for three previous seasons have seen us come so close with great regular seasons only to watch it slip away at PSACs and Regionals," Brandt said. "They have been leaders with their work ethic and race toughness showing the other women what is possible-they want to graduate here knowing they have been a part of a national team."

Helping the seniors achieve the success they've been waiting for has come in the form of a few freshmen. Brandt knows the newcomers had high expectations from the moment they got to Bloomsburg.

"A number of our top freshmen women chose Bloomsburg, yes for its academics, but also because they knew we were a team on the cusp of making it to nationals," she said. "They wanted a team to which they could contribute to make that a reality."

With the 2005 cross country season in mind, Brandt looked to a fellow PSAC coach last spring for some advice on how to help the Huskies reach their peak performance level.

"Edinboro has been the undisputed giant of distance running in this conference for years," she said. "I asked Coach Watts last spring what it takes to develop a women's team that can perform like his does. He said, 'It's really simple, you have to get a group of women who, even when they don't believe they can achieve, go out there and do something big, then it will change their attitude about themselves and what they are capable of.'"

The performance this weekend was a glimpse of the team Watts described and Brandt believes that will only help them at the regional race.

"And I believe that the PSAC performance will [provide that confidence] for this women's program," she said. "I think after all of the hard work of the season, most of them have developed the confidence to push their abilities to the limit. This year's team has now accomplished something no other Bloomsburg women's cross country team has ever done. They seem ready to take that energy and focus it into their performances this weekend."

The men are led by three-time All-PSAC honoree Justin Shepherd (Cranberry Twp./Seneca Valley). At last weekend's conference championships, Shepherd took 3rd, leading the team to a sixth-place finish. Dan Ezzi (Mechanicsburg/Mechanicsburg) finished second for the Huskies, taking 28th overall, while Dave Sanford (Nescopeck/Central Columbia) was 40th. Bill Shepardson (McMurray/Peters Twp.) and Mike Espniosa (Media/Penncrest) were 45th and 51st, respectively, to round out the scoring for the Huskies. Tim Marcoe (Lansdale/Lansdale Catholic) and Tony Skiles (West Reading/Wyomissing) also ran for the Huskies, finishing 60th and 62nd, respectively.

"I think the men were helped by knowing that it was 'do or die,'" Brandt said. "I think that helped some of the guys find the extra drive to reach down and get the job done. They, too, have a goal of a national team and I think slipping down in the rankings and knowing that the conference has basically written them off gave them the edge to prove something."

Last year, the Huskies had an impressive performance, finishing two men in the top 10. Shepherd led the team, finishing eighth, while Espinosa took ninth, as they both received all regional honors. Shepardson and Carnes also ran for the Huskies, taking 47th and 55th places, respectively. In 2003, Shepherd led the team with a 16th-place finish.

After seeing the way Shepherd ran last weekend, Brandt expects his results to only improve this year, as he put in the miles over the summer and through the fall to put him in position to achieve his goals.

"Quite simply, Justin wants to go to nationals and he knows what he has to do to get there," she said. "He worked 12 to 14 hour days between two jobs this summer and still put in his miles in the heat and humidity in order to be in shape to do what he needs to do at the beginning of November. His finish in the conference this past weekend was due to hard work, focus, and the fact that he sets goals and makes sacrifices, and he is as tough as nails."

For the entire men's team, this weekend will be one of opportunity. The opportunity to show the rest of the region that they are capable of climbing back up the results to where they were last year, if not better.

"They are not satisfied with 6th in the conference," she said. "They see that as only a stepping stone on their way back up the pack. They know it will take a lot of hard work, focused determination and pain on Saturday, but they are willing to do it."

Going into the race, Brandt wants to see results, but is more concerned that, when the race is over, regardless of the finish, everything came together and the Huskies ran the best race that they could.

"I want to see athletes who are confident in their ability to perform at a championship level who know they have mastered not only their bodies but their minds," she said. "I want to see them proud of themselves when they leave the chute, knowing they have given the best they have on that day."