Women's Cross Country Season Preview
8/1/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
"We've reached the point where the women should contend for a top-three conference finish every year", said Coach Mark Stanforth when asked what his expectations were for the 2000 season. He continued, "Brigham Young and Colorado State will have national caliber teams again in 2000 and may be out of our range, however, we can certainly run with everyone else in the league."
BYU, 1999 NCAA champions, swept the conference meet with a perfect score of 15. CSU scored 58 points to finish second followed by the Falcons in third with 111. UNLV, a team which Stanforth expects to be improved in 2000, finished fourth ahead of San Diego State, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico.
The Returnees:
Cadets first class (seniors) Jaime Flood and Dalia Wenckus return to lead the Falcons this fall. Flood, who will be the cross-country team captain, was the top finisher for the Falcons at the Mountain Region championships last fall and will be counted on to be the team leader both on and off the course. She capped her junior year by placing in both the 5,000 and 10,000 at the MWC Outdoor Championships. Wenckus will be one of the captains for the track team and should be a consistent top-five performer for the cross-country team.
Cadets second class (juniors) Lara Coppinger and Sara Kinney return for their third cross-country campaign and should be major contributors to the team's success. Coppinger was injured most of last year and thus did not build on her good freshman season when she was a regular top-seven performer. Kinney had her best finish of the season at the MWC meet where she ran sixth for the team and finished 36th. A return to her first year level of success when she was the top Falcon in several meets would provide a big boost for the team.
A solid group of five cadet third classmen (sophomores) could make up the bulk of the nine competitors the Falcons can utilize in the conference championships. Letter winners Tracy Denaro, Sarah Malberg and Cyndee Vincent all took a turn in the top five at times last fall and should do so again this fall. Laurel Huber, injured for much of last season, showed steady progress in the spring and is ready to contribute, as is Elissa Ballas who red-shirted last fall after transferring from Ohio State.
The Newcomers:
An impressive group of freshmen join the team for the 2000 campaign and will have an impact on the success the team enjoys. Stephanie Cornell, (Longwood, Fla.) leads the group. Cornell was third in the Florida state cross-country meet in her junior year and ran a PR 2:15.47 to take fifth in the state track championships. Ann Chumlea, (Enon, Ohio), Kelly McPherson, (Mildenhall AFB, England) and Jean Taylor, (Florissant, Mo), all have PRs in the 5:10 range and should be competitive right away. Brandess Pardue, (Aurora, Colo.) was a state qualifier in cross country and should help also.
