2013 William Penn Cross Country Preview
William Penn University Athletics
2013 William Penn Men’s Cross Country Preview
2012 MCC Finish: 3rd out of 6
Letterwinners returning/lost: 5/3
Notable returners:
Deane Wichelt Jr. Durant, Iowa
(Honorable-mention all-MCC, season best 8K 27:40.8)
Blake Washington Sr. Knoxville, Iowa
(season-best 8K 28:08.4)
Notable losses:
Yanni Gallagher
(First-team all-MCC)
Notable newcomers:
Saromo Mugisha Jr. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Carlos Lizama Fr. Victorville, Calif.
A handful of key returners have grouped with a nice recruiting class to make the William Penn men’s cross country team believe 2013 could be its year.
The Statesmen, headed by Coach Cody Ingold, placed third at the Midwest Collegiate Conference Championships a year ago, and expect to continue their climb this fall.
“Last year we were ranked fifth in the preseason and finished third,” Ingold said. “We are projected third this year, but we are hoping to shock people and win it all.”
The jump will not be an easy one as WPU lost one of its key assets from last year’s group. Yanni Gallagher led the navy and gold all season, including earning a trip to the national championships. His void will be difficult to fill, but Ingold is confident that returning honorable-mention Midwest Collegiate Conference performer Deane Wichelt (Jr., Durant, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering) or newcomer Saromo Mugisha (Jr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Business Management) could be the runner to do that.
“Saromo and Deane should be in a year-long battle for our top spot,” Ingold explained. “Saromo is a really nice addition as he brings good experience at the junior college level. In his third year, Deane is dedicated to taking his team further than it has ever been.”
Wichelt is a part of a group of returners that will be adding needed depth. Quintin Marshall (Sr., St. Louis, Mo., Computer Science) and Blake Washington (Sr., Knoxville, Iowa, Public Accounting) are both entering their final cross country seasons and looking to make school history, while Nick Thomas (Jr., Salmon, Idaho, Physical Education) rounds out the list of returning harriers.
“Quintin improved tremendously last year and looks to better his personal best this year,” Ingold said. “Blake and Nick are due for a breakout year. They train hard and I believe they will be big factors in our team’s success. We will only be as good as our fifth runner. If we do things right and all the pieces fall into place, these guys could do something that has not been done here in almost a decade (by winning conference).”
Newcomers Carlos Lizama (Fr., Victorville, Calif., Undecided), and Dustin Ewalt (Fr., Clinton, Iowa, History/Government) have been practicing at a high level in the preseason and figure to also be in the mix to make the varsity squad.
Fellow returner Stepfon Williams (So., St. Louis, Mo., Industrial Technology) joins newcomers Raphael Crisosto (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Education), Miguel Decuir (Fr., Baton Rouge, La., Undecided), and Jeremy Mooney (Fr., Clinton, Iowa, Physical Education) to also fight for roster spots. Derrick Boyd (Fr., Rock Island, Ill., Physical Education) and Michael Jones (Fr., Jacksonville, Fla., Biology) will look to push their teammates in redshirt seasons.
Schedule/Conference
A trip on August 30 to Cedar Rapids for the Mount Mercy Mustang Gallop will open the 2013 season. Five more competitions will prepare the Statesmen for the biggest meet of the season–the MCC Championships on November 9.
Mount Mercy has been picked to return to the top of the heap, while WPU is a distant third in the preseason poll. Ingold knows it all comes down to one good race by his Statesmen, though, to raise the league hardware.
“It is really simple: on November 9, the best team will win,” Ingold said. “We are hoping that is us.”
2013 William Penn Women’s Cross Country Preview
2012 MCC Finish: 5th out of 6
Letterwinners returning/lost: 3/9
Notable returners:
Rosemary Bailey Sr. Fayetteville, Ark.
(season-best 5K 22.26.4)
Sade Myers Jr. Honolulu, Hawaii
(season-best 5K 21:57)
Notable losses:
Valinn McReynolds
(First-team all-MCC)
Notable newcomers:
Deja Lewis Fr. Spring, Texas
Lilly Walters Fr. Boerne, Texas
A bit light on quantity, the Statesmen women’s cross country team is expecting quality to push it up the league ladder in 2013.
William Penn placed fifth at the Midwest Collegiate Conference Championships a year ago, but Coach Cody Ingold has high hopes for his squad having a top-half finish as a couple solid returners group up with productive newcomers.
Rosemary Bailey (Sr., Fayetteville, Ark., Communications) should pace the navy and gold in just her second cross country season. Her top 5K time from 2012 was 22:26.4.
“I am projecting Rosemary to be our top runner,” Ingold said. “She logged a lot of miles during last spring’s track season and has come back in amazing shape after training in higher elevations this summer.”
Sade Myers (Sr., Honolulu, Hawaii, Elementary Education) will provide a good push for Bailey as the team’s only other returner. She clocked her best 5K time in 21:57.
“Sade is another great leader and the backbone of the team,” Ingold said. “She is very enthusiastic and fun to have around, but she also trains extremely hard.”
Bailey and Myers will be joined by a pair of newcomers from Texas. Deja Lewis (Fr., Spring, Texas, Undecided) and Lilly Walters (Fr., Boerne, Texas, Biology) step into the cross country program looking for fast times.
Janet Kuskie (So., Grant, Neb., Public Accounting) has chosen to hit a different type of course this fall. Kuskie came to WPU as a golfer, and still plans to compete in the spring, but for this fall, she will be a harrier.
“With the new talent and the great leadership from our seniors, we are expecting to make a push for the top three in the conference this year,” Ingold explained. “Once Deja and Lilly get acclimated to the college atmosphere and our training regimen, the possibilities are endless. We have not seen much of Janet yet, but we are hoping she can give us much-needed depth.”
Schedule/Conference
A trip on August 30 to Cedar Rapids for the Mount Mercy Mustang Gallop will open the 2013 season. Five more competitions will prepare the Statesmen for the biggest meet of the season–the MCC Championships on November 9.
St. Ambrose is a unanimous choice to defend its title, while Mount Mercy should be near the top as well. Ingold foresees his Statesmen giving the rest of the MCC quite a battle for bronze.
“We are short on numbers, but long on talent in the few runners we do have,” Ingold said. “I will be preaching ‘Train hard, Train smart’ all year and hope that we will be both at our best and at our healthiest when conference rolls around. Hopefully, that will put us in a position to surprise the rest of the league.”
