Cross country team needs seasoning
By Andres Cardenas
Daily Forty-Niner
Experience and youth is best way to describe
the Long Beach State women's cross-country team.
Joining the core of three seniors will
be seven incoming freshmen.
Coach Andy Sythe said he believes team
captain Kim Jackson, Bree Frigo and Monica MacManus will be at the top
of the Big West Conference. Last season, all runners ran their 5-kilometer
races in less than 19 minutes.
The runners also agree with their coach's
projection.
Jackson said she believes the team can
improve from last season because they have more depth on the team.
"Moving up in [the] conference, since we
have a stronger five, [is the main goal for the team]," Jackson said.
Two of the freshmen, Kelly Dickerson and
Molly Roche, had a strong work ethic over the summer, said Sythe, who believes
the newcomers can contribute to the team's depth.
However, he said he is worried about a
couple of incoming freshmen.
"Summer training is what was lacking with
some freshmen," Sythe said. "Incoming freshmen typically train at the level
they trained at in high school. So when they get here, they are prepared
for high-school running, but not for college-level running."
The difference in the competition level
from high school to college might be a shock to some of the runners in
the early part of the season, Sythe said.
Some of the runners on the women's team
are also suffering from injuries and are not 100 percent healthy.
The second half of the season, Sythe said,
is when the team should come together.
He said he hopes his team will mature as
they head for the Big West Championships at Rocklin Park in Rocklin in
late October.
The 49ers will be at the UCI Invitational
but will only be taking the top two male runners from the last event and
top three female runners from the last event |
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