2001 Preview
August 30, 2001
The men's and women's cross country teams met several expectations last season, but the 2001 fall campaign anticipates greater success stories as both squads aim for the top of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC).
"Our teams began to peak at the right time," says third-year head coach Paul Carr, referring to last year's progress. "We took some major steps in the right direction and we began to realize our potential. There is still work to be done, as the ultimate goal remains for us to win the conference championships."
With an emphasis on instilling a system that includes teaching and learning as a must, Carr along with third-year assistant coaches, Tom Ryan and Michele Doody sense great signs of progress. Taking steps in the right direction, the 2000 teams improved upon their conference finishes at the NEWMAC Championships. Improving by leaps and bounds, the women jumped up an impressive five places, propelling them into second place, while the men bettered last year's finish by taking fifth place.
Constantly working to improve those marks for the new season, the philosophy will be to work harder in order to achieve higher success. The needs have been met over the off-season and with a great nucleus of young returning runners, the future is now for the Wheaton teams.
For the men's 12-member squad which features ten athletes with sophomore or freshman eligibility, the Lyons will look to senior co-captain Noah Hill (Templeton, MA/Narragansett Regional H.S.) and sophomore co-captain Terry Panetta (New Paltz, NY/St. Anthony's H.S.) to lead the pack. Hill was the top finisher at the NCAA Division III New England Regional meet (30th overall, 26:00) and at the NYU Invitational, while Panetta put on a strong showing at the conference championship meet.
Other top returning finishers for Wheaton is NEWMAC Rookie-of-the-Year, Stan Pyle (S. Portland, ME/S. Portland H.S.), who helped lead the team to victory in the James Earley Invitational held at Westfield State, sophomores Brian Donoghue (Holyoke, MA/Holyoke Catholic H.S.), Brannin Buehner (Lubec, ME/Lubec H.S.) and Peter Cahalane (N. Andover, MA/St. John's Prep) and junior Chris Scotti (Walpole, MA/Xaverian Brothers H.S.). Pyle posted a fifth-place standing in the 8,000-meter run with a time of 27:23. His best performance came at the conference championships, running a solid 5:21 pace while finishing thirteenth overall at 26:32.
Newcomers to the men's harriers include sophomore Robert Monteiro (Richmond, VA/Douglas S. Freeman H.S.) and first-year athletes Joe Chadwick (Shelburne Falls, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional H.S.), John Heywood (Oakland, CA/The Head-Royce School) and Adam Paicos (Easton, MA/Oliver Ames H.S.).
Depth will be key to the success of the Wheaton women, as their 18-member squad consists of four seniors, two juniors, six sophomores and six freshmen. Leading the pack for the Lyons last season and returning are sophomore standouts Jessica Jordan (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth H.S.) and Katie Knowles (Ludlow, MA/Ludlow H.S.). Selected to the all-conference team, Jordan placed ninth overall at the meet with a personal best time of 19:26, while Knowles finished tops for Wheaton at the Tufts Invitational. She posted a third place standing overall at 20:44, leading her team to a third place finish.
Other top returnees for the Lyons are senior tri-captains, Danielle Huston (Plymouth, MA/Plymouth North H.S.), Annie MacHaffie (Pittsfield, MA/Taconic H.S.) and Gretchen McNerney (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School). Huston placed tenth at the James Earley Invitational at 20:14, propelling the Lyons to second place in the 16-team pool. Also returning to the squad is senior Celia Leopold (Bristol, VT/Mount Abraham H.S.), juniors Abby Weissman (Holden, ME/Brewer H.S.) and Kristen Walton (Bar Harbor, ME/Mt. Desert Island H.S.) and sophomores Sarah Begin (Winslow, ME/Winslow H.S.), Emily Mallick (Torrington, CT/Torrington H.S.) and Nancy Nally (S. Portland, ME/S. Portland H.S.).
Newcomers to Coach Carr's squad include sophomore Jennifer George (Mansfield, MA/Mansfield H.S.) and first-year athletes Linsey Degan (Palmer, MA/Palmer H.S.), Emily Doenges (Milford, CT/St. Joseph H.S.), Lauren Greenberg (Woodbridge, CT/Amity H.S.), Erin O'Brien (Easton, MA/Oliver Ames H.S.), Jennifer Walter (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury H.S.) and Lindsay Whalen (Dedham, MA/Dedham H.S.).
This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 2/15/07.
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Weekly Lyon Update: Men's and Women's Cross Country (more)
Wheaton harriers finish season at Division III New England Championship (more)
Eleven Wheaton student-athletes named academic all-conference (more)
14-Nov Div. III New Englands - 24th
31-Oct NEWMAC Championship - 8th
16-Oct Saints Invitational - 2nd
