Navy Invite
Saturday, September 17th, 2011
Naval Academy Golf Course
Schedule:
10:30 AM – Men’s Open 5k Race
11:00 AM – Men’s Varsity 8k Race
11:30 AM – Women’s Varsity 6k
Introduction:
Brandan McGee - So.
With temperatures dropping into the sixties, nationally ranked teams descending on the area, the ground finally drying up, a course change that dropped times from the year before, and a record setting performance by the UMBC Retrievers last meet out, this could be a monster race for the cross country teams this weekend. “The first meet was a glorified workout for us with little to no recovery before it, and yet we still ran well. This weekend, we are going to give the kids an opportunity get things feeling good and take advantage of the situation we have been given,” said Coach Gittermann when asked about the prospects for the weekend. At the Mount St. Mary’s Duals, the men’s team ran a race for the ages, taking over seven of the top ten spots on the All-Time 5k list, while the women had one of the strongest team performances in recent memory. The men also entered the weekend ranked 12th in the Mid-Atlantic Region for the second straight poll. With a lot of things lining up for the Retrievers, this could be one of the fastest openings for the longer race distances in the history of the school.
Men’s Preview:
Taking off where he left off with a double scoring performance at the Outdoor Conference meet, sophomore Brandan McGee took the lead spot for the Retrievers, recording the fastest 5,000 meter cross country race in history in the rarely contested distance. “I had a hankering that Brandan was going to come out strong the first meet,” said Gittermann, “but I still believe the best is yet to come.” McGee was the first runner across the line last year at the Navy Invite, recording what is believed to be the best freshmen eight kilometer time in school history. “He had a rough start last year, but finished well over thirty seconds better this year, so I think we’re going to see a great time out of him this weekend.
Sam Boimov - Sr.
“In order for us to be truly competitive and reach the goals we set for ourselves at camp, its going to be necessary for our scoring five to be in the mix in races, in that top ten or top fifteen,” revealed Gittermann, “that is how we are going to have to judge our progress in the early part of this year.” Joining McGee in a tight top four group were seniors Sam Boimov and Chris Snyder, along with junior Todd Cowing, with all four finishing within eleven seconds of each other at the initial meet this season. Boimov was the top runner a season ago in all but one race for the Retrievers and will benefit by moving up to the eight kilometer racing distance. Snyder and Cowing also recorded big improvement in times from the year before, with Cowing finishing in the top ten and Snyder getting the fifteenth spot at the Duals. “As close as eleven seconds sound, we need that gap to be closer so they are running in a tighter group. I think we need a spread of about three seconds from that group,” said Gittermann.
The final scoring position fell to freshman Eric Schuler who narrowly beat out teammate Jake Albino to the line. “These were two great surprises,” said Gittermann, “I was expecting Eric to make a big jump in performance from high school, but not so suddenly, and with Jake, I am really psyched by his great improvement this year as it means great things for the future.” Schuler set an All-Time freshmen mark for the Retrievers while Albino improved his time by well over a minute.
This would be solid squad in itself, but only seconds behind this group is another that consisted of three varsity team members from last year. “I think we are going to see much better races from Tommy (Eldridge), Nic (Escobar), and Vinny (DiSalvo) this meet because they really revel in the longer race distances,” explained Gittermann. Escobar and DiSalvo were varsity members in every race they competed in last season all the way through the Region Meet, while Eldridge appeared to be on pace before an early injury derailed the season. Also, watch out for three time Conference participant and IC4A qualifier Roy Jones, who despite being back in the ranks ran his best season opener in his UMBC career.
Women’s Preview:
Keri Wilson - Sr.
“I was hoping that Keri (Wilson) would take advantage of her situation and really try to do something on her own,” said Gittermann, “I just felt that she wasn’t running to her potential because she tried to pace herself off other teammates rather than running her own race.” Wilson ran a near personal best for five kilometers (track included) en route to a seventh place finish at the Mount St. Mary’s Duals. “Hands down her best race ever, and I’m excited to see what she can do the rest of the year.” Wilson, the lone senior on a young team, took over a minute off her time from the previous year and put down a Top Ten All Time Performance.
The young ones paid dividends as first year runners made up three of the next four places. “I would hardly say it was unexpected, we told the freshmen up front, that they would have to come in ready to make a difference from day one,” said Gittermann. Julie Gessler and Mary Katherine Kulp were the first ones across the line taking top twenty five positions. Sophomore captain Cody Mezebish, split up the freshmen barrage with a personal best five kilometer time. “She was two minutes ahead of where she was last year, and I think as we tailor our training to her strengths more, this should come down even further,” added Gittermann.
Freshman Alyse Gibson and sophomore Kirsten McGovern were next across the line for the Retrievers setting personal best times. “Overall, I’m really happy with where we at right now. We’re almost two minutes ahead of last year across the board without doing anything remotely intense, and we still have another piece to the puzzle to add,” said Gittermann. The final freshman Katrin Baumann will make a limited debut this weekend after nursing a minor injury.
“This is by far, the most cohesive team I have had on the women’s side. They have all really bought into the team aspect of things and have been getting every bit of benefit from that fact.”
Discussion
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