Sept. 4, 2008

Garden City, N.Y. - "We've been on an upward trend. On a short-term level, we have made an impact on the region. However, our bigger, long-term goal is to get to the national scene. With the way things are going and the hard work the kids put in, I think it will be within reach very soon." With the bulk of the men's team dominated by underclassmen, and the women with a good mix, the squads are ready to pick up from where they left off. Coming off a strong two years, perhaps the best and most consistent the school has seen in a long while, third year head coach Adam Siepiola will look to continue the growth of the program.

On the men's side, the Panthers lost three seniors to graduation. However, the majority of the Panther top-five return, plus a strong recruiting class, that has the team looking even stronger than last year. With the loss of All-Conference and IC4A All-East performer, Matt Dispensa (College Point, N.Y.), who led the charge for most of the year, fellow All-Conference performer, sophomore Ryan Pezzulo (Ballston Spa, N.Y.), looks to lead the team this year.

Having run a fast time last year as a freshman, Pezzulo looks to improve on it through a lot of hard work over the summer. "Pezzulo is the top returning runner in the ECC. He's got national talent. It took him a year to mentally adapt to the college style of running. He worked very hard over the summer and is sure to be a top contender in the region" Siepiola said.

Fellow sophomore, Adam Clark (Wantagh, N.Y.) looks to share the work up front with Pezzulo. "Adam is a committed and determined runner and was huge for us in 2007. He will be even bigger for us in 2008. Clark will push Pezzulo every day and will be in the mix at the Conference and Regional meets."

The team regains a hard working, experienced senior in Sean Harte (Queens Village, N.Y.). The absence of Harte last season due to premature injury was tough on the team. Siepiola sees it in a positive light. "Sean not running last year was a good thing for him. It gave him rest and allowed him to focus. He had a good track season and his summer training went well. His finish at Regionals this season will largely determine where the team finishes" said Siepiola. The team is looking to Harte to add the strength up top they lacked in 2007.

The men also gain a key runner in senior Aaron Warner (Queens Village, N.Y.) who red shirted last season. "Aaron has a lot of heart and he's a team player. He's committed to distance running like never before and he needs to run well for this team to achieve its goals."

The men look to capture their final ECC Title before moving to the Northeast-10.

Not to be outdone, senior Carlos Techera (Bayside, N.Y.) should also be a factor in the success of the team this season. Techera responded when the team needed it as shown by being the number three man for the Panthers at the Conference and Regional meets. Also mixing it up will be junior Jeff Perez (East Elmhurst, N.Y.).

Sophomores Tom Eickelberg (Leonia, N.J.) and Bailey Ince (Jamesport, N.Y.) will also be important parts of the team. Eickelberg has a year of collegiate racing under him and is ready to improve on last year. Bailey had a breakout track season and put in a lot of work over the summer.

Juniors Obed Bienne (Valley Stream, N.Y.), Tom Ferraro (Glen Cove, N.Y.) and Dan Ballou (Kingston, N.Y.). Bienne, a C.W. Post transfer, makes the transition from the track to the trails, marking his first cross country season. Like Bienne, coming from C.W. Post, Ferraro is looking to resume his collegiate running career after a one year hiatus. Ballou comes to Adelphi from SUNY Cobleskill. Siepiola hopes that with his experience, he can quickly adapt to the training methods of the Panthers and add depth to the team.

The recruiting class looks to be a solid one. For the second straight year, Siepiola recruited yet another All-State runner in newcomer Angel Ortega (Queens, N.Y.). The sixth team All-State runner shows a lot of promise in cross country. "Getting Angel to Adelphi marks the second year we've managed to get a critical recruit in our uniform. I expect a big freshman season from him and also for him to run well on a conference and regional level."

Also joining the Panther squad are freshmen Corey Green (Jamaica, N.Y.), Carlo Balbo (Lynbrook, N.Y.), Steven Carey (Lynbrook, N.Y.), and sophomore Joey Singer (Shokan, N.Y.). They will add depth to the team.

"Right now, as a team coming into camp, I think we have four real strong guys out front. Over the course of the season we're looking for two to three guys to step up and fill out the top seven which will make guys like Carlos, Jeff, Bailey and Tom Eickelberg critical. However, make no mistake, Pezzulo and Clark will be the leaders of this team."

The women look to capture their third ECC Title in three years.

The women come off a strong 2007 season. They dominated the conference winning by over 30 points, sweeping the entire All-Conference second team, placing fourth overall at the Regional and sending a runner to the National meet. Graduation saw the loss of Danielle Connor (Lake Grove, N.Y.) Jen Malenovsky (Patchogue, N.Y.), Melissa Coelho (Wantagh, N.Y.) and Meghan Farrell (Holtsville, N.Y.) who contributed to the team last year.

Top runner, senior Ify Anene will look to capture another ECC individual title, be in contention for the regional title, and improve on her 79th overall place at the national meet from a year ago. This is Siepiola's first runner he has coached that made it on the national scene. "Ify had a tremendous fall last year; a breakout season. I'm looking for her to continue the trend this season."

The return of juniors Heather Troutman (Whiteford, M.D.) and Danielle Matteo (Valley Stream, N.Y.) will add a good mix of experience and depth to the team. With two years experience in college racing, Troutman will continue to add consistency to the team while helping the underclassmen to adapt. "Heather always has a knack for running well when we need her to." Matteo, after battling injuries, will be a big factor to the team's success. "Danielle looks fantastic early and should be a major factor this season."

Danielle Lyons (Glastonbury, C.T.) joins the cross country squad after making her collegiate track debut where she provisionally qualified in the 800m in both indoors and outdoors. "Lyons proved to be an immense talent during track. We hope it translates to the trails." Siepiola believes the girls will further advance the program. "Our fortunes will be seriously impacted by these three."

Seniors Margaret Penner (Malverne, N.Y.) and Kristin Eberhardt (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) enter their final cross country season. They both look to contribute to the team and go out on top. "I look for the senior class to realize early potential and help us to a high finish." Junior Jenilee Fuertes (Levittown, N.Y.) was a nice surprise last season as she impressed the team with her first ever year of running. However, she is injured and is looking to just get healthy for the season. "Jenilee's early injury shouldn't affect her race at season's end, but we need a big performance out of her." Sophomore Catherine Connors (Williston Park, N.Y.), a late-comer from UMass will also be in the team mix. "A fit and committed Catherine will go a long way to helping us realize our goals." Senior veteran Courtney Bender (Garden City, N.Y.) is looking toward a solid season as well.

Leading a very strong freshman class of five is fourth team All-State runner, Kristen Wojtuniak (Shirley, N.Y.). This is the first All-State runner on the women's side to put on an Adelphi uniform. "Bringing in Kristen to run up top with Ify makes us a much better team. Look for her to have a major impact this fall." Stephanie Aiello (Miller Place, N.Y.) will join Wojtuniak and potentially be in the top seven in a very deep team. "I also expect Stephanie to have a tremendous freshman season as well."

Twins Kaitlin and Kristen Meyer (Farmingville, N.Y.) come to Adelphi from Sachem High School. Both girls will look to make an immediate impact and challenge for a top spot on the team. "Kaitlin and Kristen will definitely be competing for a top-seven spot and All-Conference honors. Rounding out the freshman class is Alex Augello (Wantagh, N.Y.).

"Like last season, our depth is a huge strength. We have about 10 girls who are all solid and the order in which they finish can change on any given day. While they are fairly young, they are talented. I think we'll be able to accomplish big things this season and set ourselves up nicely for the next few years."