2011 William Penn Cross Country Preview

William Penn University Athletics

2010 MCC Finish: Men: 4th out of 7
Women: 6th out of 8

Letterwinners returning/lost: Men: 3/8
Women: 2/6

Notable returners:
Men:
Nick Reynolds Sr. Riverton, Utah
(season best 8K 27:02; season best 6K 21:13)
Quintin Marshall So. St. Louis, Mo.
(season best 8K 30:36; season best 6K 24:12)
Cameron Pittman So. Carl Junction, Mo.
(season best 8K 30:52; season best 6K 24:00)

Women:
Kyra English So. Draper, Utah
(season best 5K 22:19)
Morgan Avery Sr. Minot, N.D.
(season best 5K 23:55)

Notable losses:
Men:
Kipp Schuler
(All-MCC)
Keaton Studebaker
(Honorable-mention all-MCC)

Women:
Nicole Rogge
(Honorable-mention all-MCC)

Notable newcomers:
Men:
Deane Wichelt Fr. Durant

The William Penn cross country teams will look to improve with a new coach as they enter the 2011 season.

Track and field coach Allen Friesen has collected the reins for the harrier programs and is hoping to improve on the teams’ finishes from last year, which included the men taking fourth and the women placing sixth in the Midwest Collegiate Conference.

Friesen has hired former Doane College assistant coach Cody Ingle to help him and he believes they will turn the programs around quickly.

“I am excited about the opportunity to lead the cross country team and I think with the addition of Cody, it will be an exciting process to rebuild both the men’s and women’s programs,” Friesen said.

Both teams will unfortunately be a bit short on quantity and quality this fall, so a few more road bumps may occur, but that will not prevent the coaching staff from pushing hard and getting the most out of their athletes.

Friesen will count on returner Nick Reynolds (Sr., Riverton, Utah, Iowa Western CC) to pace the men, while fellow returners Quintin Marshall (So., St. Louis, Mo., McCluer South Berkeley HS) and Cameron Pittman (So., Carl Junction, Mo., Carl Junction HS) are expected to provide leadership and low times as well.

Reynolds completed his best 8K race of 2010 in a time of 27:02, while Marshall’s quickest competition time was 30:36 and Pittman’s was 30:52.

“Nick will be our top returner and should post some good results this year,” Friesen said. “I am looking for Quintin and Cameron to have big improvements as well.”

Deane Wichelt (Fr., Durant, Durant HS) enters his collegiate career with high expectations placed upon him. A top-15 finisher in Class 2A last year, he will give the team a big boost.

“Deane will add another quality leg to our squad and could be our best runner by year’s end,” Friesen said.

On the women’s side, Kyra English (So., Draper, Utah, Alta HS) and Morgan Avery (Sr., Minot, N.D., Iowa Western CC) have heightened pressure on them this year as they are the lone returners.

English posted a season-best time of 22:19 in the 8K, while Avery’s best was 23:55.

“Kyra should be our best runner this year, while Morgan should also be improved,” Friesen said. “I believe Kyra has a chance to compete for the top spot in the conference.”

Sade Myers (Fr., Honolulu, Hawaii, Radford HS) battled through an injury-plagued 2010 season and will add experience.

“Sade was hurt much of last year, but I am looking for big things from her,” Friesen said.

Rachel Skinner (So., Felicity, Ohio, Ripley HS) will trade her volleyball shoes for running ones to provide depth.

Schedule/Conference

William Penn opens the 2010 campaign on September 3 at the Central Dutch Invitational in Pella, while MCC crowns will be up for grabs on November 5 in Dubuque.

2010 was a year of streak-snapping as the Mount Mercy men stopped St. Ambrose’s five-year title run and Viterbo ended Mount Mercy’s dominance on the women’s side. Friesen expects the MCC to be a three-way race on both sides between Mount Mercy, Grand View, and St. Ambrose for the right to represent the conference at nationals.

“We have a pretty demanding schedule, but we hope that it will make our runners better prepared for the end of the year,” Friesen said. “This will be a challenging year, but if everyone works hard, we have the potential to be in a good place by conference time.”