Cross Country Set for Second Season of Peterson Era
Sep 2, 2010 | Cross Country
Sept. 2, 2010
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NEW ORLEANS - The cracking of pads isn't the only sound that resonates around the college athletics landscape on Saturdays. The rumble of hundreds of student-athletes competing as members of their respective cross country programs bring a thunder to the morning that usually precedes any other event.
The Tulane cross country program will open their 2010 season under second-year head coach Eric Peterson on Saturday (Sept. 4) as they travel to Bishop, Ga. for the Georgia Cross Country Invitational. The men's squad returns six competitors from last season, while the women's roster boasts ten student-athletes that have experience on the course.
Coach Peterson joined the Tulane program on September 17, nearly a month after the resignation of the programs former head coach. In 2009, the squad had already competed in a pair of event before Peterson ventured on to the Uptown campus for the first time, but now the 25-year veteran of the sport has a team that he believes has an opportunity to begin an accent to the top of the Conference USA pack.
When the season kicks off, the Green Wave women's squad will return their eight of their nine performers from last season's Conference USA Championships, including Third Team All-C-USA performer Julia Whitrock. The redshirt-junior ran in only three meets last season due to injury, but set a new career-best time of 22:09.00 at the NCAA South Central Regional meet, finishing 27th overall.
Rebecca Coady, Caitlin Hornbeck and Peggy Keplinger all returns for their senior seasons, while Jessica Dallager and Johanna Gretschel will each start their junior campaigns. A trio of sophomore gained plenty of experience last season, with Emmi Aguillard, Katherine Crabtree and Maggie Gentry all running in at least five of the team's seven meets in 2009.
The freshman class features six talented individuals that will help bolster the lineup and add depth to a program that is looking to begin moving towards the front of the Conference USA pack. Charlotte Manogue won the 1000-meter 4-A Conference Championship as a senior and took the Nassau County Championship in the 1500-meter while at North Shore (N.Y.) High School. Colleen Loughlin was a nine-time All-Star while at Triton Regional (N.J.) High School and Callie Turlington qualified for the Foot Locker National Championship meet in her final year at the School of Science and Mathematics in North Carolina.
The men's roster features just seven runners, but the bar has been set high by junior Brian Lozes, who was the team's number one runner a year ago. In six meets, Lozes was among the top-15 finishers at three and never finished outside the top-50 at any of the invitationals that the Green Wave competed at. He set career-best times at the 6K, 4-mile and 8K distances last season, including a time of 26:18 over eight-kilometers.
Ryan Rigali is the lone newcomer, joining the Olive and Blue after a stellar prep career at Great Oak (Calif.) High School as a middle distance runner. Along with Lozes, Mike Mainguy comes back after being a Conference USA All-Academic pick in cross country and track last season, while earning the 2009-10 Tulane Male Student-Athlete of the Year honor. Also returning for the 2010 season will be Jordon Holtzman, Max Miller, Phil Scruggs and Jordan Vance.
--TulaneGreenWave.com--
Players Mentioned
