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2010 Cross Country Guide

Women's Cross Country Presbyterian College Athletics

Cross Country Season Review

CLINTON, S.C. - It was another good season for the Presbyterian College men's and women's cross country teams in 2010. They attended six cross country meets including the Big South Conference Cross Country Championships in Blacksburg, Va. Five upperclassmen established new personal bests, and the men's team had a second place finish at the Winthrop Fall Classic.

Senior captain Nicholas Baer led the men's team all season. Despite not setting a personal record for the 8k, Baer did establish a school record at the Winthrop Fall Classic. He covered the 6k course in 20:39 to lead the team to their best finish of the year. At the Charlotte Invitational on Oct. 1 he ran 27:45, and four weeks later at the BSC Championship he ran 27:44 on a much harder course. Both times were less than 10 seconds off his PR. Baer was also named to the Big South's Academic All-Conference team for a third consecutive season.

Fellow senior captain Adam Harris also had a special season. After an inauspicious start, Harris found his stride during the month of October. He ran 28:27 at the Charlotte Invitational, followed by a 21:11 6k at Winthrop, and finally an 8k PR of 28:09 at the BSC Championship. His previous best of 28:14 was established his freshman year on PC's home course.

Junior Josh Morrisette and sophomore Brian Trail both worked hard all season, and saw it pay off on race day. Trail cut 45 seconds off his best 8k at the Charlotte Invitational where he ran 31:53. In his previous two races to start the season he had run 33:57 and 32:50. Showing a similar continued improvement, Morrisette started the season at 32:07 at the Eye Opener. The following race he ran 31:33 at Winthrop. He tied his PR at the Charlotte Invitational (31:19) and then set a new personal best of 30:33 at the BSC Championship. Junior Will Ruark's season best was 32:32, two minutes faster than his sophomore times.

A major source of strength for the men's team in 2010 was the freshmen class. The four rookie runners showed extreme dedication in practice and frequently occupied three of the scoring five positions on race day. Seth Warner ran 29:01 and 29:02 before ending the season with a head cold at the final race. Richard Taylor and Ryan Wasilewski ran as a group at most races with Taylor's PR at 29:18 and Wasilewski's at 29:25. Kevin Quan established a freshman PR of 32:52.

Freshman Alex Thomas led the women's team through the first four races before an injury sidelined her during the final two. At the Eye Opener, she set her collegiate PR of 20:19 which ranks eighth all-time for the program. She also ran 20:38 in her fourth and final race, which ranks 15th all-time for PC.

Junior captain Stephanie Newell and senior captain Natalie Parkman both showed the leadership and dedication expected from experienced runners. Newell set a school record at the Winthrop Fall Classic with a 4k time of 17:17 and her first collegiate top-10 finish. She went on to set a new collegiate PR of 21:33 at the BSC Championship. Parkman had the rare pleasure of improving her time every single race. She tied her collegiate PR at the Charlotte Invitational (23:14) before her season peaked at the BSC Championship with a collegiate best 23:00. Parkman was also named to the Big South's Academic All-Conference team.

Junior Sabrina Baker and sophomore Emily Witt struggled with injuries all season but still managed to push hard enough to help the team on race day. Baker's times ranged between 23:02 and 23:08 in her three 5k's. Witt was also a model of consistency with three of her 5k's ranging between 23:26 and 23:38. Freshman Mary Kathryn Piontek set a new lifetime PR of 24:29 at the Charlotte Invitational and made the top-five on two occasions.

"I feel this season we were able to reach our potential much more successfully than any previous season," Coach Thad Palmer stated. "This really was a great group of student-athletes, and I feel very blessed to have been able to work with them daily."

Even though the season has finished, several runners have already registered for road races in an effort to continue their current level of success. After the Christmas break, the team is likely to begin practicing for a couple outdoor track meets during the month of March.

Check back to www.GoBlueHose.com for the latest news and results.

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Players Mentioned

Brian Trail

Brian Trail

6' 1"
Sophomore
Adam Harris

Adam Harris

5' 8"
Freshman
Nicholas Baer

Nicholas Baer

5' 10"
Freshman
Natalie Parkman

Natalie Parkman

5' 3"
Freshman
Will Ruark

Will Ruark

5' 11"
Freshman
Stephanie Newell

Stephanie Newell

5' 5"
Freshman
Josh Morrisette

Josh Morrisette

6' 0"
Sophomore
Sabrina Baker

Sabrina Baker

5' 3"
Sophomore
Emily Witt

Emily Witt

5' 3"
Freshman
Mary Kathryn Piontek

Mary Kathryn Piontek

5' 5"
Freshman
Kevin Quan

Kevin Quan

5' 10"
Freshman
Richard Taylor

Richard Taylor

5' 10"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Brian Trail

Brian Trail

6' 1"
Sophomore
Adam Harris

Adam Harris

5' 8"
Freshman
Nicholas Baer

Nicholas Baer

5' 10"
Freshman
Natalie Parkman

Natalie Parkman

5' 3"
Freshman
Will Ruark

Will Ruark

5' 11"
Freshman
Stephanie Newell

Stephanie Newell

5' 5"
Freshman
Josh Morrisette

Josh Morrisette

6' 0"
Sophomore
Sabrina Baker

Sabrina Baker

5' 3"
Sophomore
Emily Witt

Emily Witt

5' 3"
Freshman
Mary Kathryn Piontek

Mary Kathryn Piontek

5' 5"
Freshman
Kevin Quan

Kevin Quan

5' 10"
Freshman
Richard Taylor

Richard Taylor

5' 10"
Freshman