TicketsAug. 18, 2010
By Jeff Gentil
GoBEARCATS.com
The cross country season doesn't begin for another couple of weeks, but that doesn't mean the men's and women's teams aren't already hard at work in preparation for another outstanding year. Entering his 31st season as UC's cross country coach, Bill Schnier welcomes back plenty of talent and experience on both teams.
On the women's side, Lilian Jelimo, Jill Glassmeyer, Katie Lewnard, Michele McKenney, and Cortney Staruch give the team a solid nucleus of experienced runners.
"Lilian Jelimo has been our top runner in both cross country and track," Schnier said. "She wants to go out on a high note. She trains well and is ready to go and do great things - (possibly) qualify for the NCAA's. Staruch, Lewnard, and McKenney have trained exceptionally well this summer. They've improved dramatically. I'm excited to see their progress."
Glassmeyer, a junior, has had success in the past, but like so many runners has been beset with injuries and it is unsure whether she will be able to perform at the level Schnier expects.
"Jill has had years where she's really run well," he said. "But she's had some injuries so we can't count on her. We won't count her out, but for now we can't count her 'in'. If she has a good year, the team will have a good year."
Schnier will have the added benefit of welcoming in a few transfers: Alison Zukowski from Delaware and Emily Thompson from Ohio State. Thompson is a graduate student who will have just one season to run for the Bearcats, but Schnier is excited about her potential.
"She's a local girl," he said. "She graduated from Taylor High School and was Ohio State's number two runner. She will have the first or second best credentials on our team. She's going to be really good. As a team we don't have a lot of depth; we have more front line strength. We'll probably have seven or eight major contributors and we may be a better team (than the men)."
As for the men's team, Schnier is counting on luck and good health to change the outlook. Eric Finan, Richard Lupp, and Oliver Book are the only three Schnier is counting "in" at this point.
"Those top three are up there with the best in the BIG EAST and all of Ohio," he said. "They are really good. But that only makes us three deep and we need to be five and seven deep. Three isn't good enough."
Potentially, the team could be really strong if David Barry, Tommy Morgan, Chase Beckmann, and Kyle Lang all are healthy.
"They're all very good, but have been injured," Schnier said. "Most of them have done very well before. Barry ran a 31:00 10K then got injured; Beckmann missed the whole track season; Morgan has been one of our top runners in the past; and Lang has had heart issues since high school, but they think they solved the problem after a visit to the Mayo Clinic. We've just had a case of bad luck recently."
Officially (per NCAA rules), preseason training doesn't start until August 29th when both teams will depart for Canter's Cave 4-H Camp in Jackson, OH for five days of running. Prior to that, however, the runners were put on a strict regimen set by Schnier and his staff and will head to camp not to get in shape, but to build team unity and cohesiveness. With a little luck, the Bearcat cross country teams could have a lot of success this fall.
"Their training has never been better," Schnier said. "The kids are really excited and I think we have the potential to have a good season."