Men's Cross Country 10/30/2015 10:58:00 AM

Cross country teams aim for second consecutive sweep

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — The Elizabethtown College men's and women's cross country teams were the new kids on the block last year after officially joining the Landmark Conference. It didn't take long to make their presence felt as both teams went on to win Landmark Conference titles in 2014. For the women, it was their eighth consecutive league crown, tying the men's team (1999-2006) for the longest such streak. The men and women were both voted as the preseason favorites to repeat as champions this season.

Of the men's top five runners this year, four competed at last year's Landmark meet. Senior Ryan Conway was the Blue Jays' top runner, placing fifth and earning his first all-conference nod. Sam Cooper was seventh for his first all-conference honor as well. Dan Gresh was the 2014 individual champion, E-town's first since 2011.

Zach Trama has returned to form this fall and will lead the Jays on their quest for a second-straight championship. Trama has finished 21st or better in the five meets he has competed in, including a first-place finish at the Blue Jay Alumni Challenge. A Second-Team All-Landmark runner last year, Trama owns the conference's top 8,000-meter time this season when he finished in under 25 minutes (24:59.44) at Rowan's Inter-Regional Border Battle on October 17. Trama should be in the mix for his first individual conference title.

After a year off, Matt Shenk returned to Elizabethtown for his senior season and picked up where he left off. A two-time all-conference runner in the Middle Atlantic Conference, Shenk has been one of E-town's top performers all season long. Another senior, Adam Harriger, will look improve upon his 15th-place finish at Landmarks a season ago. Harriger set new 8k PRs this season and has been one of the most improved runners for coach Brian Falk.

Keegan McDonough and Andrew Lesko are the other returning all-conference runners for EC.

The men's team has eight of the top ten 8,000-meter times in the Landmark this season and is currently ranked 27th in the latest USTFCCCA Division III Poll.

Despite losing three of its top five point-scorers from 2014, the women's team still finds itself as the frontrunner for the Landmark championship. Amelia Tearnan, last year's individual champion, Amanda Kerno, and Megan Tursi have since graduated, but Lydia Dearie, Casey Quinto, and Brenna McNamee have stepped up to take their places.

Dearie, a third-place finisher last season, has been the unquestioned leader for the Blue Jays. The senior, who only joined the team in 2014, has been a steady and reliable performer for Falk. Dearie started off 2015 with three straight top-ten performances and went on to break the 22-minute barrier in the 6k on October 17, earning her Athlete of the Week honors. She was also the first-place runner at the Blue Jay Alumni Challenge and has the top 6k time in the Landmark Conference.

Quinto also stepped up for the Blue Jays. The junior was seventh at Landmarks a year ago to earn his first all-conference honor. Also with three top-ten runs this season, Quinto joined Dearie in breaking 22 minutes at Rowan's Inter-Regional Border Battle on October 17 to set a new 6k PR at 21:54.31. Dearie and Quinto will be in the discussion for the overall individual champion.

After placing 41st at the Landmark Championship meet in 2014, McNamee launched herself into the top-three performers for Elizabethtown this year. The sophomore, a gold medalist in the steeplechase as a freshman, started off her XC season with a seventh-place run at Shippensburg, which got her named the conference's Athlete of the Week on September 8. She's had two top-ten performances and set 4k and 6k PRs over the course of the season and has a real chance to make a big impact on E-town's final totals tomorrow.

Maria Anderson, the 2014 Landmark Conference Cross Country Rookie of the Year, has maintained her status as one of the Jays top runners and is expected to score once again for the Blue and Gray. She was eighth last year and the first ROY since 2010. Kelsey Brady and Brianna Earnshaw have also been in great form to provide depth to the scoring, which has been a constant for Elizabethtown for years.

The women's team holds six of the top ten 6,000-meter times in the Landmark.

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy will be hosting the 2015 Landmark Cross Country Championships at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park, N.Y. The men's race begins at 11 a.m., followed by the women's race at 12 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Amanda Kerno: 5' 5"; Graduate Student

Amelia Tearnan: 5' 3"; Senior

Megan Tursi: 5' 7"; Graduate Student

Dan Gresh: 5' 11"; Senior

Ryan Conway: 6' 0"; Senior

Sam Cooper: 6' 0"; Senior

Adam Harriger: 6' 1"; Senior

Andrew Lesko: 6' 2"; Junior

Keegan McDonough: 5' 11"; Junior

Zach Trama: 6' 2"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Amanda Kerno
: 5' 5"; Graduate Student

Amelia Tearnan
: 5' 3"; Senior

Megan Tursi
: 5' 7"; Graduate Student

Dan Gresh
: 5' 11"; Senior

Ryan Conway
: 6' 0"; Senior

Sam Cooper
: 6' 0"; Senior

Adam Harriger
: 6' 1"; Senior

Andrew Lesko
: 6' 2"; Junior

Keegan McDonough
: 5' 11"; Junior

Zach Trama
: 6' 2"; Senior