Cross Country To Start 2015 Season Friday At Jaguar Opener
Sep 3, 2015 | Cross Country
2015 Tulane Cross Country Season Preview Video
NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane University cross country teams will begin the 2015 season on Friday, Sept. 3, when they travel to Mobile, Alabama, to participate in the Jaguar Opener hosted by the University of South Alabama at The Grounds.
The women will get things started with a 4K course starting at 5:30 p.m. and the men -- who claimed the No. 15 ranking in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's Preseason South Central Region poll -- will follow 30 minutes later with a 6K race. The University of Mobile and host South Alabama will join the Green Wave in both competitions while Florida A&M's men's program will participate as well.
"We're really about the start of the season," Tulane head coach Eric Peterson said. "We feel that both of the teams will be much improved from where we've been over the last couple of years. The reason for that on the men's side is we've just recruited better. We're going to be very strong up front with the return of Moses Aloiloi -- who was our No. 1 runner and an All-South Central Region performer at the end of the season last year -- and we've also got a very strong addition in Emmanuel Rotich. He just arrived a couple of weeks ago and looks very strong.
"On the women's side, we're going to be led by Emma Newton again, just as we were last year. We've got a very young team, but they also have a least one year of experience under their belt -- Lauren Bartels, Emily-Kathryn Hoey, we've got a senior in Mikayla Sonneborn, and we've also got a very strong freshman out of New York named Sarah Marvin who has had a great preseason and she looks like she's going to make a great contribution to our team."
A year ago, the men's team won the season-opening meet at Mississippi College, posted a fourth-place showing at the McNeese Cowboy Stampede and finished seventh in the American Athletic Conference Championship. In addition, Tulane earned a bid to the NCAA South Central Regional, where it finished 14th among 23 participating teams.
The Green Wave return seven-of-eight lettermen from the 2014 squad, including Aloiloi. The native of Kitale, Republic of Georgia, was named the Louisiana Freshman and Runner of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and claimed a spot on the NCAA All-South Central Region Team as a rookie after leading the team in all six meets he competed in.
Also back for Tulane are Charlie Frishberg, Jonathan Heil, Chris Lowery, Mark Manion, Nicholas Meloro and Jack White. The Green Wave welcome the talents of incoming freshmen Rotich and Joshua Cheruyot for the 2015 campaign.
On the women's team, the Green Wave have 11 letterwinners back, including 2014 all-Louisiana honorees Bartels and Newton -- both sophomores. Other returners are senior Mikayla Sonneborn, juniors Jessica Adamson and Katharine Smiley, and sophomores Emily Bedell, Erika Chelales, Madeline Held, Sara Kebede and Jennifer LaMori. Also on the roster are squadmen Dominique Hever, Lilla McMillan, Alicia Meyer and Dana Ohlson, along with redshirt-freshmen Becca Blitt, Ellen Upton and Emily Weber.
Marvin is one of three true freshmen on the Tulane roster, joining Lunden Graham and Mckenzie Hutchinson. Junior Celeste White rounds out the list of newcomers after spending the previous two seasons at Southern University.
Following the Jaguar Opener, the Green Wave return to action on Saturday, Sept. 19, when Tulane travels to Seattle, Washington, to participate in the Sundodger Cross Country Invitational. From there, the Wave will take part in the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 2 and the NCAA Pre-Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky, on Oct. 17 before competing in The American Championship on Oct. 31 in Grimesland, North Carolina.
Players Mentioned
