2013 Preview: Cross Country

By: Laura Chapman
Assistant Sports Information Director
chapmal@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – After solid all-around performances in 2012, the Juniata College cross country team will look to continue its progressive momentum within the Landmark Conference. On the men's side, the team finished the 2012 season an impressive fourth. The women maintained their top form to finish third for the third time in the last four years.

"There are possibilities for some really good things," said head coach John Cutright entering his 15th year at the helm of Juniata cross country. "On paper, we're as good as anyone so it all comes down to how much we worked over the summer."

Women's Cross Country
The Juniata women will begin the season ranked fifth in conference, based on the preseason poll as voted on by the league's coaches.  The Eagles missed out on the top half of the conference by just four points earning a total of 29 tallies.

"I don't put much weight on the preseason poll," said Cutright. "I'm surprised the women are so slow especially since we had success on the track. Our goal is still to win the whole thing. I think we're going to surprise some people this year."

Moravian came in number one in the voting with 61 points and four first-place votes and is returning all three of its All-Conference runners. Defending champion Catholic slots in at number two with 50 points and one first-place vote. Scranton grabbed the final first-place vote and totaled 42 points to round out the top three.

Two Juniata women's cross country runners earned first-team all-conference honors for 2012, senior Katrina Woods (Shirleysburg, Pa./Mt. Union) and graduate Caroline Morgan (Haverton Pa./Haverton Twp.). Woods returns for her final season after finishing second at the Landmark Championships with a chance to become a four-time all-conference honoree. Woods also garnered All-Academic Team accolades for her work in the classroom.

Looking to make an impact this year will be freshman Chelsea Chizmar (Johnstown, Pa./Forrest Hills). A four-year high school letterwinner in both cross country and track, Chizmar was a central western all-area team choice for three consecutive years.

The Eagles were just five points behind second place finisher Moravian College at conference championships. Since winning the conference title in 2007, Juniata has finished in the top-three four of the five years.

To read the full Landmark women's preseason poll, click here.

Men's Cross Country
The Juniata men ranked third in the conference preseason poll behind first-place Susquehanna and second-place Moravian. The Eagles hauled in 39 points overall and are looking to improve on last year's fourth-place finish.

"We're pretty deep this year," said Cutright. "There are probably twelve different runners that could be in the top seven by the end of the season.

The Crusaders amassed 67 points and six first-place votes to gain the top spot. Susquehanna won the first four Landmark titles and came runner-up to Moravian in 2012. Two-time defending champion Moravian Greyhounds tallied 53 points and two first place votes.

Juniata senior Nathaniel Alter (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) was named first-team all-conference teams at the end of the 2012 season. After being named the team's most valuable runner in 2012, Alter will look to lead the Eagles to an even higher conference finish. He finished second at Landmarks and paced the team in the 8K distance earning the top four times for the season.

First-year runner and Maryland 3A high school standout, Nick Simpson (Montgomery County, Pa./Albert Einstein), looks to continue the rise of Juniata men's cross country. As a high school runner Simpson notched some of the fastest times in Montgomery County Maryland and helped his school earn its fifth second-place finish at the Maryland 3A championship.

To view the full Landmark poll, click here.

Schedule

The Eagles have six regular season meets scheduled this fall beginning in Lewisburg with the Bucknell University Bison Open on August 31. Last season at the Bison Open, the Eagles earned four top-15 finishes with Woods and Alter leading the way with second and seventh place finishes, respectively. Catholic University will play host to the Landmark championships this season. The lack of a home race this year bares little weight for the Eagles. Juniata is looking to continue growth from one event to the next and be in top shape for a Landmark title bid.

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