LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – When the Lock Haven University men’s and women’s cross country teams take to the course to the open the 2009 season, where will be a lot at stake for LHU head coach Aaron Russell and his squads as both the Bald and Lady Eagles are looking for big things in ’09.
The sky is the limit for the No. 19 Bald Eagles this year as they return every runner from last year’s NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Championship team. Last year the team rebounded to win the Region crown after a third-place finish at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships.
Lock Haven closed out the year with a 19th place showing at the National Championships.
The Bald Eagles will be led by their five returning All-Atlantic Region athletes that powered the team in 2008.
Among that group is the pair of seniors, both of whom were at the helm of the team during last year’s championship run. Seniors Jed Yeatts (Mercersburg, Pa./James Buchanan) and Brandon Pomerantz (Holland, Pa./Council Rock North) will look to build on their successes of the past and continue to be two of the most consistent scorers for The Haven.
Yeatts earned his second All-Region certificate and was the man who sealed the deal for The Haven at the Regional meet. Pomerantz earned his third All-Region honor and is fresh off a great spring season in which he provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division II Track and Field National Championships in two events (5,000m and 1,500m).
A trio of juniors who played an integral part in the successes of 2008 will also be called upon to step it up in 2009.
Juniors Tim Getz (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg ), Nick Hilton (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township) and A.J. Johnson (Coventry, R.I./ Coventry) all earned All-Region status last year, and will look to repeat their success again in ’09.
Getz and Hilton were a force up in the front of the pack last year and were consistently running 1-2 for The Haven, while Johnson was one the keys to their success during the fall.
Hilton, who won both the steeplechase and 1,500 meter run at the 2008 PSAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships is in phenomenal shape, according to Russell and should be LHU’s top guy this year.
Another junior, Justin Amy (Sweet Valley, Pa./Lake Lehman), had a breakout season in 2008 and will look to continue to improve and make an impact in ’09.
Senior Chris Bell (Marysville, Pa./Susquenita) comes into his final year as a Bald Eagle in the best shape of his life and will be ready to contribute in a big way for The Haven.
A threesome of sophomores will also look to play a part in the 2009 season for the Haven. Mitch Miller (Morrisville, N.Y./Morrisville-Eaton) was on the seven man squad that captured a spot to the NCAA Championships last year, and is coming off of a huge spring season in which he took home the PSAC title at 5,000 meters.
Nathan Zondlo (Avoca, Pa./Pittston Area) is also coming off a breakout spring season and had a solid summer of training. Another runner that could be in the mix is Matt Mazur (Hazelton, Pa./Hazelton Area).
Lock Haven’s freshmen class is a very solid group as a whole and they will all look to make a major impact on the course come race time.
The Lady Eagles are fresh off one the best seasons in the programs history.
In 2008, The Haven women were seventh at the PSAC Championships and eighth at the Regional meet.
With the combination of the talented returning core coupled with a highly touted recruiting class, they are poised to continue improving in 2009.
Sophomore Lindsey Lambert (Howell, N.J./Howell) will return to lead the Lady Eagles after an all-around phenomenal rookie year. She was an All-Conference and All-Region performer in 2008 and will definitely be looking to continue improving in ’09.
Lambert was also sensational during outdoor track, qualifying for the NCAA Championships after a tremendous conference meet. At the PSAC Championships she was second in the 5K, third in the 10K and seventh in the 3K. Those performances give the second-year runner a lot of confidence.
A solid trio of juniors will look to be the core of the squad in 2009, including Melinda Liptak (Gilbertsville, Pa./Marywood Univ.), Alexis Patrick (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional), and Jenelle Gobel (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial), all of whom were key contributors for the Lady Eagles last year
The three will again look to play major roles this season.
Liptak and Patrick are both two-time PSAC qualifiers on the track and are both ready to step up and make bigger contributions to this year’s squad.
Also in the mix for LHU will Theresa Gould (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham).
Sophomore Courtney Whitmoyer (Leesport, Pa./Schuylkill Valley) was a member of last years regional team and will look to breakout this year after a solid rookie campaign.
Another sophomore in Rachel Taylor (Townsend, Del./Smyrna) will be looking to help the team in ’09.
Freshmen Lindsay Topper (Shillington, Pa./Governor Mifflin), Katie Peters (Sinking Springs, Pa./Wilson), Kim Goodwin (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) and Jackie Rizzo Cascio (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) will all look to make immediate contributions to the team.
Russell hopes both teams can build on very solid 2008 campaigns.
The women are poised to continue their climb as the Lady Eagles build on what could be a very special year.
On the men’s side, LHU’s talent runs as deeps as anyone’s and the Bald Eagles will be looking for another banner year.
Lock Haven kicks off the 2009 season on Friday, September 4 at 6 p.m. when it hosts the Dolan Duals.
The Dolan Duals is an annual meet between LHU and Penn State University. The meet is named in honor Jim Dolan, former LHU professor and cross country coach, who is one of The Haven’s biggest track and field and cross country supporters. As part of the special dual-meet to kick off the season Dolan will again be the honorary starter.
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