2014 William Penn Men’s Cross Country Preview

William Penn University Athletics

William Penn University Athletics

Video Interview with Coach Gosewisch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WbBdpn94KA

2013 MCC Finish: 5th out of 6
Letterwinners returning/lost: 6/4

Notable returners:
Saromo Mugisha Sr. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
(Honorable-mention all-MCC, season best 8K 28:00)
Nick Thomas Sr. Salmon, Idaho
(Season-best 8K 28:41)
Yonas Desta So. Salt Lake City, Utah
(Letterwinner in track)
Carlos Lizama So. Victorville, Calif.
(Season-best 8K 30:16)

Notable losses:
Deane Wichelt
(Honorable-mention all-MCC)
Blake Washington
(Three-time letterwinner)

Notable newcomers:
Zach Johnson Fr. Decatur, Ill.
Tyler Weems Fr. Trenton, Texas
Garrett Heckman Fr. New Virginia, Iowa

It has been exactly a decade since William Penn last won the conference and it seems about time for the team to hoist that hardware once again.

First-year Coach Sean Gosewisch not only expects the Statesmen to improve from last year’s fifth-place finish in the Midwest Collegiate Conference Championships, but for the navy and gold to legitimately challenge for first this fall.

Saromo Mugisha (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Business Management) will be expected to front this fight after claiming honorable-mention all-MCC laurels last year. The senior, who managed a top 8K time of 28:00, is fortunately not the only harrier with loads of experience.

Nick Thomas (Sr., Salmon, Idaho, Physical Education) is hoping to finish off his collegiate career with his best year, while Carlos Lizama (So., Victorville, Calif., Undecided) and Jeremy Mooney (So., Clinton, Iowa, Physical Education) will try to improve on their freshmen years. Thomas’ best 8K time was 28:41, while Mooney (29:34) and Lizama (30:16) were not too far behind.

Stepfon Williams (Jr., St. Louis, Mo., Industrial Technology), whose top time last year was 32:40, will also try to build off past collegiate experiences.

Two individuals who were on campus last year, but did not run in any cross country meets could be the missing links to 2014. Yonas Desta (So., Salt Lake City, Utah) came to Oskaloosa at semester break last year and was a force in the indoor track slate, while Ochaung Akway (Sr., St. Paul, Minn.) has yet to see the field of competition for William Penn.

The veteran list is solid, but Gosewisch is equally happy with WPU’s incoming class. Garrett Heckman (Fr., New Virginia, Iowa), Zach Johnson (Fr., Decatur, Ill.), Paul Walker (Fr., Utah), and Tyler Weems (Fr., Trenton, Texas) make up a talented group who will wet their feet in the college racing waters this autumn.

Schedule/Conference

WPU will travel down Highway 92 on August 29 to compete in the season-opening Simpson Bill Buxton Invitational Gallop. An additional five meets will follow, including three outside the state, before the Statesmen go to La Crosse, Wis. to fight for the title. Defending the league title will be Mount Mercy.

Posted by on Aug 19 2014. Filed under College Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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