August 29, 2007

Malone Men’s Cross Country To Open Season As #1 Ranked Team; Women Ranked #8

When the Malone College men’s cross country team, led by veteran head coach Jack Hazen, opens its season this Friday at the Kent State University Invitational, it will do so as the #1 ranked squad in the NAIA’s preseason national poll.  The Pioneer women, while not in the top spot, are still in the preseason top 10 at #8.
 
The Malone men’s and women’s squads again spent their first week of camp together at high altitude, training in the mountains of California in preparation for the upcoming season.  In late August, the teams trained in Mammoth Lakes, California with elevations ranging from 7,000 to 11,000 feet.  This year’s training was especially memorable as the teams trained with the top U.S. distance runner Meb Keflezighi.
 
With the men’s team having lost no one who competed at last year’s NAIA national meet, the team is counting on drastically improving upon last year’s 12th NAIA national finish.  The men have finished in the NAIA’s top ten in nearly every national meet over the last two decades and will also look to defend their NCCAA national title again this year.
 
This year, for the first time that coach Hazen can recall, his men’s team consists entirely of student-athletes from Ohio.  “That really speaks to the caliber of athlete we have right here in Ohio when you consider the many top teams in the NAIA that have international and out-of-state athletes,” commented Hazen.
 
The ’07 Pioneers are led by the outstanding trio of senior Ryan Kienzle (GlenOak H.S.), junior Nik Schweikert (Beavercreek H.S.) and senior Justin Baum (Kenston H.S.).  Kienzle, a three-time NAIA All-American (two track and one cross country honor) finished in 48th-place (26:00.05) at last year’s nationals in Louisville, Kentucky while Schweikert took 60th (26:06.30). Baum, an ’07 NAIA All-American in track (10,000 meters) finished fifth for the team at last year’s national event (26:48.00) but has continued to improve his performances to be amongst the top three runners on the team.
 
Leading the other solid returnees is Evan Gaynor (So., Delta H.S.), who also competed at last year’s nationals, while Ryan Crocker (Jr., CVCA), Paul Robinson (So., Field H.S.) and Chris Sinick (So., Field H.S.), each of whom also competed at NAIA nationals last fall, and Mike Coates (Sr., Sandy Valley H.S.) will also battle for a top-seven spot.  Sinick earned NAIA All-America honors in track & field (1500 meters) last spring.
 
Keith Burns (Jr., Minerva H.S.), Jon Easterling (Jr., Ashtabula H.S.), Dan McCracken (So., Anna H.S.), Joe Siebert (Jr., Sandy Valley H.S.), Brad Sinick (Sr., Field H.S.) and Ian Miller (Sr., Marcus, TX) also return to the squad in ’07.
Another outstanding recruiting class is led by the freshmen trio of Aaron Melhorn (Fairless H.S.), Matt Nichols (Crestwood H.S.) and James Zeuch (Galion H.S.), each of whom was a state champion in high school.  Bryan Eckenfels (Fr., Norwayne H.S.), who redshirted last year and who is a sophomore academically, is another outstanding first year runner for the squad.  Kyle Randolph (Fr., Galion H.S.) and Jon Walkup (Fr., Cloverleaf H.S.) round out the newcomers to the squad.
 
”We feel that we have a tremendous returning group but also that the top newcomers can break into the top seven,” said Hazen.  “We want to continue our string of qualifying for the NAIA nationals (39 straight years) and to uphold our status as the winningest team in the NAIA.”
 
The Malone women’s team also returns some outstanding veteran runners but has also lost a major part of its ’06 team through graduation.  Gone are five-time NAIA All-American Joanna Genter, track & field All-American Amy Iatauro along with top seven runners Loren Reineke and Caity Schneider.
 
But returning to the squad and leading the way this fall is ’06 NAIA cross country All-American Katie Bagley, a junior from Van Wert (Van Wert H.S.).  Rebekah Genter (Jr., Crestview H.S.) and Kalie Hauenstein (So., Ashland H.S.), both of whom competed for the team at NAIA nationals last fall, will also be right at the top for the squad this season.  Genter missed All-America honors at last year’s national meet by just one second. 
 
Returnee Sarah Hines (So., Northmor H.S.) will also again challenge for a top-seven spot as will a group of top newcomers that includes freshmen Kristin Downing (Lake H.S.), Emily Grad (Field H.S.), Lindsey Pifher (Colonel Crawford H.S.), Alanna Seamon (St. Clairsville H.S.) and twin sisters Danielle and Gabrielle Wuensch of New London H.S.  Returnee Lexi Hartline (So., Strasburg H.S.) and freshman Emily Beam (Morgan H.S.) round out yet another outstanding squad for Malone women’s cross country.
 
“Potentially, we have 10 girls who could run in the 18:00’s,” commented Hazen.  “Barring injury, we could have a very good team.”
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