Billikens Open Cross Country Season at Forest Park
Aug. 28, 2008
On Your Mark: Competing in their only event of the season in St. Louis, the Saint Louis men's and women's cross country squads open the 2008 campaign on Saturday at the Big River Running Early Bird at Forest Park. The men's team will run a 6K, while the women compete in a 4K. Action at the Central Fields gets underway at 9 a.m. Spectator's View: The course runs through Forest Park in a 2K loop, offering several chances for spectators to view specific runners. Ample street parking is available near the start-finish line at Central Fields, and a parking lot is located just west of the course. What to Watch For: The Billikens experienced one of their most successful cross country seasons in school history a year ago. Despite graduating two of its top runners in Laura Coyer and Steve Vargas, SLU is optimistic about its 2008 season thanks to a solid nucleus of returning letterwinners and a talented group of newcomers. On the men's side, the Billikens are led by sophomore Brian Holdmeyer (Washington, Mo./Borgia), who is coming off a memorable outdoor track season that saw him qualify for the U.S. Junior Nationals. Mary Moloney (Bay Village, Ohio/St. Joseph) leads a strong pack of women's runners. Last season, she was the Billikens' top finisher in all but one race. Down the Road: The Billikens have two weeks off before the National Catholic Championships at Notre Dame on Friday, Sept. 19. SLU will compete at the Cowboy Jamboree at Oklahoma State on Saturday, Oct. 4, and the regular-season finale is set for Friday, Oct. 17, at Bradley. This year's Atlantic 10 Championships will be held in Charlotte, N.C.
Coaching Staff: Head coach Jon Bell is in his second season leading the Billikens' cross country and track & field squads. Assistant coach Tim Bradley will work with the men's team, while assistant Gavin Kennedy will work primarily with the women's squad. Also returning to the coaching staff this season is graduate assistant Autumn Valk and volunteer assistant coach John Cunningham. The Atlantic 10 Conference: Saint Louis enters its fourth season as a member of the A-10. Last season, the women claimed their best showing in the A-10 Championship after turning in a seventh-place finish. The men have finished 12th in the league the past two seasons. The La Salle men, who have won six of the last seven titles, and the Richmond women are the A-10 favorites. Above the Fray: Sophomore Sara Fraley (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton) was one of the top freshmen for the Billikens a season ago ... finished in the top 25 at last season's meet at Forest Park with a time of 15:49.80. M&Ms: Senior Mary Moloney (Bay Village, Ohio/St. Joseph) is the top returning women's runner ... led the Billikens in all but one race last season ... finished fifth overall at Forest Park last season with a 4K time of 14:41.08. The Hills: Freshman Hilary Orf (St. Louis, Mo./Marquette) is a former high school state champion ... one of two newcomers that will compete for a spot in the top six for the Billikens. Body of Work: Junior Laura Peabody (Carmel, Ind./Cathedral) ran in four meets last season ... did not run at Forest Park in 2007, but posted a 4K time of 15.39.50 there her freshman season. Pop Quiz: Freshman Adair Quisenberry (Owensboro, Ky./Daviess County) was the top senior finisher in the Kentucky high school state meet ... one of two newcomers who will compete for a spot in the top six for the Billikens. Re-Verzal of Fortune: Senior Lauren Verzal (Pewaukee, Wis./Catholic Memorial) raced in SLU's top four for the majority of last season ... had a personal-best time of 19:17.40 in the 5K at the Brooks Memphis Twilight ... last season at Forest Park, finished 23rd overall with a 4K time of 15:35.24. Will to Win: Freshman Will Herrington (Sugar Land, Texas/Strake Jesuit) was an All-Region performer in high school his senior year ... expected to be one of the top freshmen on the Billiken men's cross country roster. Holding Pattern: Sophomore Brian Holdmeyer (Washington, Mo./Borgia) ran in the top three for SLU all season in 2007 ... last season in the meet at Forest Park, led the Billikens and placed ninth overall with an 8K time of 26:36.06. Honorable Mench-tion: Junior John Menchella (Wildwood, Mo./Eureka) was slowed by injuries last season ... his lone race of the year was the season opener at Forest Park, where he ran a career-best 8K time of 27:26.42, good for 27th overall. Lightning Rod: Junior Neal Rodrigues (Alameda, Calif./St. Joseph Notre Dame) displayed a drastic improvement during the cross country season last year ... at the A-10 Championship, finished second among the Billikens ... ran a personal-best time of 28:32.61 in the meet at Forest Park. Key to Vick-tory: Sophomore Scott Vicker (Creston, Iowa/Creston) ran in the top six as a freshman last year ... had a personal best of 27:11 at Bradley ... covered the course at Forest Park in 28:02.34 last season. Bell's Bits: "This is a meet that will give our coaching staff an indication of how our athletes' summers have gone. I won't take much stock in where we finish, but obviously we want to compete well against programs like Marquette and Washington University, which is one of the best teams in NCAA Division III. I want to see how the freshmen compete. Time is not the big issue, I want to see whether they stick their noses in the front of the race, or keep pushing if it gets hard." |
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