2012 William Penn Cross Country Preview

William Penn University Athletics

2011 MCC Finish: Men: 6th out of 7
Women: 7th out of 8

Letterwinners returning/lost: Men: 5/2
Women: 3/3

Notable returners:
Men:
Nick Thomas So. Salmon, Idaho
(season best 8K 29:41)
Blake Washington Jr. Knoxville
(season best 8K 28:45)
Deane Wichelt So. Durant
(season best 8K 29:07)

Women:
Sade Myers So. Honolulu, Hawaii
(season best 5K 23:32)

Notable losses:
Men:
Nick Reynolds
(Honorable-mention all-MCC)

Women:
Kyra English
(Honorable-mention all-MCC)
Morgan Avery
(Two-time letterwinner)

Notable newcomers:
Men:
Yanni Gallagher Fr. Kanab, Utah

Women:
Valinn McReynolds Sr. Bellville, Texas

With some new names on the roster, the 2012 William Penn cross country teams are ready for a difficult climb to the top of the league mountain this fall.

The Statesmen were sixth place in the Midwest Collegiate Conference last season, while the women also came up short of their goals by taking seventh.

“We did about as good as expected on the men’s side last season, but obviously we could have done a little better,” Assistant Head Coach Cody Ingold said. “We fell off a bit in the latter half of the year and that was disappointing, but I liked how our young kids competed and got better.”

“Our women had a tough year and we lost a couple of our top runners, so we had to replace quite a bit of talent for this year,” Ingold added.

Both squads are looking to replace all-MCC runners as Nick Reynolds and Kyra English have both departed.

“We brought in several quality male runners and project them to make an immediate impact,” Ingold said. “They will push our older kids as well and should make us stronger in the conference right away.”

“We came short of our recruiting goals for the women, but not from lack of trying,” Ingold said. “We still expect everyone on this year’s team to work extremely hard. We know they are all capable of surprising us and having breakout years.”

Men

Blake Washington (Jr., Knoxville, Knoxville HS), Nick Thomas (So., Salmon, Idaho, Salmon HS), and Deane Wichelt (So., Durant, Durant HS) all return to again don the navy and gold. The trio’s experience will be invaluable this fall.

Washington, who recorded William Penn’s best 6K time of 2011, managed an 8K finish of 28:45, while Wichelt’s lowest was 29:07 and Thomas’ best was 29:41.

“Since we are a bit on the younger side, we need experience and leadership from these guys,” Ingold said. “I think they are ready to up their games in all respects.”

Cameron Pittman (Jr., Carl Junction, Mo., Carl Junction HS) and Quintin Marshall (Jr., St. Louis, Mo., McCluer South Berkeley HS) should also provide leadership.

Pittman went as low as 30:48 in the 8K last year, while Marshall’s best time was 32:58.55.

“Quintin and Cameron have been in the program the longest, so they could be big leaders for us,” Ingold said.

2011 redshirt Stepfon Williams (Fr., St. Louis, Mo., Normandy HS) also returns, while track athlete Dexter Jordan (Jr., St. Louis, Mo., Forrest Park CC) will be a collegiate harrier for the first time this year.

“Stepfon will compete for one of our top seven spots,” Ingold said. “He worked so hard last year in a redshirt season, so I am excited to see what he will do in a competitive season. He will be a great leader for us.”

Ingold has highlighted Yanni Gallagher (Fr., Kanab, Utah, Kanab HS) as the program’s top freshman recruit and figures he will find his way onto the varsity team.

“Yanni had a very successful high school career and has the talent to fill the void left by the departure of Nick Reynolds,” Ingold said.

Fellow newcomers Christopher Dowd (Fr., Okinawa, Japan, Zion Christian Academy) and Samuel Durham (Fr., Miami, Fla., Booker T. Washington HS) will vie for spots on the varsity in their first year as Statesmen, while Andrew Forti (Fr., Grafton, Wis., Grafton HS) and O’Sha Richardson (Jr., Riverdale, Ill., Prairie State CC) will gain experience in redshirt years.

Women

Sade Myers (So., Honolulu, Hawaii, Radford HS) has accepted the duty of carrying the torch for the William Penn women after a tremendous track campaign.

Myers had a top 5K time of 23:32 in 2011.

“Sade really broke out in the spring and we are hoping she will bring that same work ethic into the fall,” Ingold said. “If she has a good season, we have the chance to make some strides in the conference.”

Rachel Skinner (Jr., Felicity, Ohio, Ripley HS) and Kaitlyn Graves (Jr., Bloomfield, Indian Hills CC) return after competing sparingly in 2011. Both had season bests of 27:18 in the 5K.

“Rachel should be improved and help us out, while Kaitlyn returns from a hip injury and is coming off a successful and healthy spring track season,” Ingold said.

Track athletes Rosemary Bailey (Jr., Fayetteville, Ark., Home School) and Alexis Kauzlarich (So., Centerville, Moulton-Udell HS) will compete in cross country as well.

The biggest splash, though, will be the return of Valinn McReynolds (Bellville, Texas, Bellville HS), a former runner who is back on campus as a graduate student. McReynolds was an all-MCC Championships performer in 2006 and posted the fourth-fastest 5K time in school history at 19:57.

“Val is excited to be running for us again and we are thrilled to have her on board,” Ingold said. “She will definitely help us in our attempts to improve in the MCC.”

Schedule/Conference

The 2012 year begins on August 31 with a trip to Sioux Falls, S.D. for the Augustana Augie Twilight Invitational. Four more meets follow before the league championships are held on November 3 in Davenport. The navy and gold will be in the Quad Cities one more time prior to November, visiting the same course on October 6 for the St. Ambrose Invitational, an event that is basically set up as an MCC Preview.

“Competing in October will give us a chance to see how we match up in the league,” Ingold said. “It will also allot us an opportunity to go back and work on some things so we can hopefully improve by the Championships in November.”

Ingold figures the men’s title will be hoisted by either defending champion Mount Mercy or perennial power St. Ambrose, while Viterbo and St. Ambrose should also be the biggest contenders on the women’s side.

“We definitely have the makeup for the men to figure into at least a battle for third,” Ingold said. “We hope to improve on the women’s side and move up a spot or two.”

“With the additions we have on the men’s side and the returners for the women, we have a good opportunity to make a lot of headway in the MCC this fall and begin a new tradition of excellence in cross country at William Penn,” Ingold concluded.