Sophomore Adu Dentamo leads a hungry cross country program towards its 2006 goals. |
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Outlook Bright for Niner Cross Country
Aug. 29, 2006
Charlotte, N.C. - The seeds for success have been planted, and now the Charlotte cross country programs are ready to make the a huge leap forward in 2006. Both teams were ranked third in the Atlantic 10 preseason coaches' polls. The two squads will compete in a rigorous 2006 schedule, beginning this weekend at the Charlotte Relay Event at McAlpine Park, towards the A10 Championships in Pittsburgh, Pa. on October 28, and beyond to the NCAA Postseason.
Cross Country Coach Brad Herbster wants the men's and women's teams to excel in the postseason. He wants the 49ers to not only do well at the A-10 Championships, but also take their performances to the next level at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
Men's Team
Coming off last season's third-place finish at the A-10 Championships the Charlotte men's team is hoping to springboard off that performance and make a much bigger impact in 2006.
The team will be led by last year's A-10 All Conference performer, sophomore Adu Dentamo, as well as senior Ken Simeone and junior Matt Hipps. The squad also features a pair of Junior All Americans, junior Ryan Jank, and redshirt freshman Chase Eckard.
Dentamo will be looking for repeat success this year. Two of his best finishes of 2005 came at one of the biggest meets of the season, the A-10 Championships. Dentamo finished 2nd among the 49ers finishing 13th overall in a time of 25:21 and second among conference rookies.
The 49ers Ken Simeone should establish himself as one of the conference's best this Fall and a team leader. Ken is coming off a solid track season and is looking to make an impact in his final cross country season.
Jank returns to the team after a redshirt season in the Spring of 2006. The junior established himself in the Summer of 2005 after he raced to a 14:39 and earned junior All American status in the 5000m.
Two other runners who will play a vital role in 2006 is Matt Hipps from New Bern, NC and redhsirt freshmen Chase Eckard. Hipps has been a consistent performer in the top five for the past two seasons and is looking to make a push up into the front of the pack. Chase Eckard who garnered success last indoor and outdoor track in numerous occasions, earned runner up finishes in the 800m indoor and outdoor conference meets, and raced to a 3:53 1500m. Chase earned junior All American honors in the 800m and won conference Rookie of the Year honors.
Charlotte has a gold mine of contenders for the top five spots with redshirt freshmen Jordan Olsen and James Maneval, and true freshmen Jordan Rickard, Travis Brotherton, Alan Ford, Isaiah Shirlen, Aaron Kauffman and Javan Lapp. Three of the new freshmen were All Americans at the Nike Indoor High School Championships.
Women's Team
The goal for the 2006 women's team is to reach a new plateau and elevate the program to the next level. Following a tenth place finish at the 2005 Southeast regional, Charlotte is looking to finish higher in the region meet then any other year in university history and improve upon last year's finish.
The senior leadership will come from NCAA Qualifier Tsehaye Dagnachew. Dagnachew, a 2006 NCAA Qualifier in the steeplechase was ranked in the top 20 in the country for that event. Tsehaye also ran 16:48 at the A-10 conference meet in the 5k . Tsehaye is looking to establish herself as one of the best distance runners in the nation. Jane Daniels will also contend for the top spot on the team this season. Jane took a redshirt last season to build mileage. The third Senior is Amelia Slagle, who placed fifth last Spring in the 10k conference meet.
Sophomore Aja Jackson earned conference rookie of the year honors in 2005, and will play an important role for the 49er squad. Sophomores Stephanie Snyder and Liana Blue will work to help establish the 49ers as one of the top teams in the Southeast.
Other people contending for a spot in the top seven for the women's team will be: Erin Macauley, Noelle Horelik, Jess Schlegel, Tricia Brown, Lindsay Warfield and Justine Thompson.
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