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Sept. 7, 2007
Garden City, N.Y. - The Adelphi University men and women's cross country teams will open the season on September 8, with half of the team running at the second annual Hofstra Invitational at Bethpage State Park and the remaining harriers competing at the Towson Invitational at Oregon Ridge Park in Maryland. 2007 Season Preview "We lost one runner on each team, but both teams are dominated by upper classmen," Siepiola said. "If our strong freshmen class can stay healthy and adapt to the college system I think we'll be in the mix in November."
On the men's side, the loss of Julia-Perez leaves some large shoes to fill, but the development of senior Matt Dispensa, (College Pt., NY) and junior Sean Harte (Queens Village, NY) will soften the blow. Dispensa has already shown that he is quite capable of leading the Panthers to another conference title posting a 2006 8k best of 26:18. "Matt has been in the system for two years now and has put in a lot of hard work and miles that are about to pay off," Siepiola said. "In 2007, where Matt finishes will almost certaintly be where Adelphi finishes." Harte, an all-conference performer in 2006, has gotten consistently better over the past two seasons and is proving that he is ready to work in tandem with Dispensa at the front of the pack. Seniors Mike Dorman (Alberston, NY) and Aaron Warner (Queens Village, NY), will also assist the Panthers with their experience in big meets. "Sean Harte and Mike are perfect examples of what hard work can do," Siepiola explained. "Both runners came into Adelphi without much fanfare but have made major impacts thanks to a tireless work ethic." Back from an injury that kept him out last season, senior transfer Sean Gillece (Mineola, NY) will show his presence not only on the cross-country course, but will contribute tremendously off of the course with his leadership capabilities. "Sean is a little older then some of the other guys, but his life experiences and his passion for the sport will help keep things in focus for us this season," Siepiola said. The Panthers will rely on its depth to carry the load this season, especially junior Carlos Techera (Bayside, N.Y.). "Carlos has always been a big talent but could not really put it all together," Siepiola said. "But, he has made some huge strides and I think that the mental side of his running is going to catch up to his early promise." Returning junior Jonathon Hilbert (Hampstead, MD) will be in the mix for top-seven spots along with sophomore Jeff Perez (East Elmhurst, NY) . "I think Jeff and Jon have the capability to be in our top-seven," Siepiola stated. "Jon needs to make a jump in his fitness, while Jeff has a change of gear that will make him dangerous in the last mile." The men's freshmen class will look to establish itself right away. "This recruiting class is the best Adelphi Cross Country has seen in 10 to 15 years." Coach Siepiola commented. Freshman Ryan Pezzulo (Ballston Spa, NY), an All-New York State cross-country selection in 2006 and a NSIC All-American is expected to be a large contributor right away. All-county selections Adam Clark (Wantagh, NY) and Tom Eickelberg (Leonia, NJ) will add depth along with Bailey Ince (Jamesport, NY).
The women's team will be led by three seniors who are poised to take ownership of the team. Danielle Connor (Lake Grove, NY) will further last years success from last year where she placed third overall at the ECC Championship meet and earned All-Conference kudos. Melissa Coelho (Wantagh, NY) and Meghan Farrell (Holtsville, NY) have both garnered All-Conference accolades in past seasons and hope to continue that trend. "Both Meghan and Melissa have worked extremely hard over the last three years, while Danielle's work ethic and attitude were a fantastic addition last year," Siepiola said. "All three seniors have worked to change the attitude and performance of the women's program into a winning one." Additionally, Adelphi is hoping to get a big contribution from newcomer Jennifer Malenovsky (Patchogue, NY), a graduate student who holds a degree from Boston University. She has a 5k best of 17:33 and at last year's Division I Northeast Regional covered 6k in 21:36, making her a serious contender at this year's Regional. The bulk of the women's team are juniors and their combined collegiate experience will be a key factor in Adelphi's success in 2007. Ify Anene (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) has already run under 24 minutes for the 6k and earned first-team all-conference honors in 2006 while teammate Lindsay LaFluer (Holdbrook, NY) set a new Adelphi 5k track record of 18:38. "I'm looking for both Ify and Lindsay to build on the promise that they both showed last year," Siepiola stated. "The type of season that Lindsay and Ify have will contribute in a big way to our success." Juniors Courtney Bender (Garden City, NY), Kristen Eberhardt (Lindenhurst, NY), Danielle Matteo (Valley Stream, NY), Margaret Penner (Malverne, NY) and Brittney Waldman (East Meadow, NY) combine to round out the upper classmen. Bender, Eberhardt and Matteo all missed some time last year with injuries, but now healthy, will all be contributing factors. Penner had a breakout year in 2006, earning all-conference honors and dipping under 22 minutes for the first time in her collegiate career. Lone sophomore, Heather Troutman (Whiteford, NY) has already gathered all-conference accolades in her short career, and should improve on her 2006 performances. "Heather is dedicated and understands the big picture. Her focus and attitude are big assets for the program," Siepiola said. The women also added freshman Barbara Green (Levittown, N.Y.) and sophomore Jenilee Fuertes (Levittown, N.Y.). "I'm extremely excited about the addition of Barbara Green," Siepiola said. "Barbara was a late addition but her combination of speed and stamina should allow her to have an immediate impact on our program, while Jenilee has made huge strides during preseason and could break into our top-seven by NCAA's."
Depth and experience are going to be the key to Adelphi's success this season as the Panthers look to defend their conference titles and improve upon their 2006 Regional finishes. The Panthers will also play a large role at this year's NCAA Division II Regional on and off the course. Adelphi is the host institution for the 2007 Northeast Regional, which they will hold at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, New York. The women's race will go off at 11 am, followed by the men's race at noon. |
