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 Second-year head coach Brian Beil boasts promising talent and veteran leadership on both his men's and women's teams in 2005. |
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Young Talent and Experience Will Steady Cross Country Squads in '05
Sept. 1, 2005
Following a successful 2004 season in which the men's and women's teams combined to post six first-place finishes, both Colonials' squads boast enough young talent coupled with veteran leadership to go even further in 2005 in their pursuits of capturing the Atlantic 10 crown and earning a bid to the NCAA Championship. Head coach Brian Beil, now in his second season at the helm of GW's cross country program, took over the reigns last season just days prior to the season opener, but was still able to guide each squad to respectable finishes at both the conference championship and NCAA Regional meet.
The women's team wasted no time coming out of the gate strong last year posting five consecutive wins to open the season, including a victory at its home GW Invitational. The Colonials went on to claim eighth at the A-10 Championship and 16th at the NCAA Mid Atlantic Regional, their best showing since 2002.
While the squad lost Trina Bolton and Emily Jadwin to graduation, who combined to finish as GW's top performers in six-of-eight meets last season, the team returns five seniors, led by Lindsay Blum who recorded three top 10 finishes a year ago. Heading up the junior class will be Taylor Leavitt, who is coming off a solid spring on the track, and Bridget Skeuse, a standout performer as a freshman who battled through nagging injuries last season, but still recorded a pair of top 10 showings.
Perhaps the Colonials' most talented runners reside in the sophomore class in Michelle Concannon and Gabrielle Polhemus. Concannon was arguably GW's most consistent performer a year ago after posting four top 10 finishes and crossing the line at the NCAA Regional as the Colonials' top runner. Polhemus, meanwhile, claimed runner-up honors overall in GW's season opener before injuries compromised the majority of her promising debut campaign. She was able to bounce back in the spring and turned in several quality performances on the track to lay the foundation for what should be a solid sophomore season. Adding to the Colonials' young talent is a trio of newcomers, freshmen Audrey Hawkins and Freja Pelich, and graduate student Shiri Leventhal. Hawkins, GW's top recruit and a three-time Rhode Island state champion, is expected to make an impact from the outset, while Leventhal, who has one more year of eligibility remaining after competing for New York University the past three seasons, adds experience to a relatively young core.
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The men's team had its share of stellar moments during the 2004 season as well, which included four top five finishes in its first five competitions highlighted by a victory at Mount St. Mary's, a runner-up finish in the season opener and a third-place showing at its home invitational. The squad also placed 10th at the conference championship and closed out its season with a 23rd place finish at the NCAA Regional in State College, PA.
Although the team is very young, featuring just one senior in Alex Kim, the 2005 Colonials return five of their top six runners from last season and have added three freshmen who will step in right away and contribute to the overall success of the squad. At the top of the list of returnees is junior Daniel Morgan. Morgan was GW's most consistent performer last season having finished as the Colonials' top runner in six of eight meets, including a top 40 scoring finish at the A-10 Championship. Classmate Ian Hajek could also potentially score for the Colonials if able to regain the form that made him a standout as a freshman after sitting out all of last season due to injury.
Sophomores Joe Altenau, and twin brothers Christian and John Woodside are each coming off solid debut seasons and all three are expected to once again challenge for a place among the top six scoring positions. Christian Woodside capped off his freshman year finishing as the Colonials' top performer at the NCAA Mid Atlantic Regional, while John recorded a pair of top 10 finishes. Altenau, meanwhile, had a very promising and successful spring on the track for the Colonials and looks poised to have a breakout season.
Beil is especially excited about the freshmen trio of Chris Pisano, Collin Stevenson and Keith Moody, and feels all three will have an immediate impact and elevate the standards of the entire squad. Pisano, a four-time all-state cross country performer out of New Jersey, heads the class and will likely challenge Morgan as the team's top overall runner. A USA Track and Field National Junior Olympic Cross Country All-American, Stevenson will make a strong push toward the front of the pack, while Moody, a talented runner from Florida, will also rank among the Colonials' top performers.
