The Augustana College men's and women's cross country teams have set lofty goals entering the 2005 season. With a blend of seasoned veterans and talented newcomers, the Vikings figure to be in the thick of the North Central Conference title hunt.
Below are previews for both squads.
MenThe 2005 Augustana men’s cross country team enters the fall campaign with goals of improvement from the 2004 season. Coming off a fourth-place finish at the 2004 North Central Conference Championships, the Vikings have expectations of a top-three finish in 2005.
With the loss of
Zack Kiesow and
Jon Francis from the top 7, head coach
Tracy Hellman will look for some new leaders from his team. Leading the way for the men is two-time steeplechase All-American
Luke Baltrusch. A senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., Baltrusch finished third at the 2005 NCAA National Track Meet in the steeplechase. He is coming off an outstanding spring track season where he was voted MVP of the league. Baltrusch will be looking for his first All-American accolade in cross country and has been the Vikings’ top performer the past three seasons. Baltrusch will also be one of the favorites for the individual NCC championship.
“Without question, Luke has established himself as one of the top runners in NCAA Division II,” Hellman said. “His maturity and experience should be a huge boost for having an outstanding senior campaign.”
Backing Baltrusch is a solid group of returnees who are conditioned and have experience in the college 10k distance.
Paal Solbu (Oslo Norway),
Chad Backsen and
Robert Ihry from Fargo South (N.D.) will help supplement the Vikings up front. Solbu is a senior and has shown signs that he can run the 8k distance as well as anyone, while Backsen and Ihry are both sophomores who look to make a big jump in performance with a year of experience underneath them.
Add returning sophomores
Kaleb Boese (Freeman, S.D.) and
Bart Johnson (Marshall, Minn.) and the Viking distance squad has good depth and talent. Hellman said he sees both Boese and Johnson to have more of an impact entering their sophomore seasons.
“Both Boese and Johnson had their best running towards the end of the year, after they got accustomed to the college training,” Hellman said. “I would not be surprised to see either of them make our top 7.”
Also returning to supplement the Vikings’ depth is junior
Grahm Bahnson (Hartford, S.D.) and senior
Amil Anderson (Saratoga, Wyo).
“Bahnson and Anderson both have shown promise that they can help lead the team with their performances,” Hellman said. “They have proven that running within our top 7 is a reality. Their key is their ability to get in good mileage, and their recent training indicates that they will be again looked upon to be important leaders for the team. Their presence near the front of our pack will help our team substantially.”
The Vikings were also boosted this year by another talented recruiting class.
“We have another freshmen class that has the potential to make an impact in a variety of ways.”
Contributing to the top 7 would be ideal, but Hellman said he sees this recruiting class as building blocks for the future.
“By continuing to bring in talented recruiting classes each year, the goal of having a deep, national caliber cross-country team is a reality for our future.”
Leading the way for the new talent is
Nick Schenk (Henderson, Nev.) and
Nathaniel Petrich (Rosemount, Minn.). Schenk was all-state in cross country, mile and 2-mile this year in the state of Nevada. He was one of the top runners in the state of Nevada track and field. Petrich was all-state in cross county and ran some very solid times in his senior track season.
“Nick won many of the races he ran leading up to the state meet,” Hellman said. “He was very dominant throughout the year and didn’t have many opportunities to run against top competition. Nathaniel was placed in a very tough section and had he been in a different section, he would have had the opportunity to run at the state track meet. But by being in a competitive section, he was able to run some fast times that were possibly out of reach without the competition that is needed.”
Peter Oien (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and
Charlie Bahnson (Hartford, S.D.) are two more freshmen that Hellman sees as potential impact performers.
“Peter has the ability to run with our top newcomers right away,” Hellman said. “He is a late bloomer and his running took a huge jump leading into his senior season, where he ran solid times in the 2-mile. He put in a good summer of training and could possibly add depth to our scoring. Charlie has been an all-state performer his past two years, and his ability to adjust to the college distance could be an indication to his success.”
Another talented 2005 recruit
Matt McKie from Rapid City Stevens. “McKie was all-state in cross country and has shown the potential to run well when he is needed,” Hellman said.
Also joining McKie at Augustana are fellow Rapid City Stevens runners
AJ Christensen and Brandon Peterson
.
“McKie, Christensen, and Peterson have all contributed to Stevens’ winning streak of 10 straight cross country state titles,” Hellman said. “They know what it takes to win, and it is tremendous to have them join our squad as we push towards our team success.”
Sophomore Tim Welsh (Dallas, Iowa) rounds out the Viking’s distance team depth. “Tim is a middle distance type runner and is building a strong base for the upcoming track season,” Hellman said. “He should be an improved runner from last year and add depth to our strong distance group.”
Women
The 2005 campaign for the Augustana women’s cross country team could be a year to remember. After finishing runner-up in the North Central Conference, and having everyone returning, the Vikings are looking to bring the team conference championship trophy to Sioux Falls.
Head coach Tracy Hellman is looking forward to a year with cautiously high expectations. The Vikings are loaded with talent, but understand that things can always happen to deter their chance at a conference title and qualifying for nationals.
“We have our usual frontrunners returning, but we finally have the depth that is needed to place very high at numerous meets,” Hellman said. “Our top runners could change week to week, which is a good thing. I feel this could be the best team Augustana has ever had, with our combination of talented and poised distance runners.”
Leading the way for the Vikings are juniors Rachel Stangler (Albany, Minn.) and Sara Hayes (Waukee, Iowa). Stangler and Hayes went 1-2 at the NCC Championships last fall, and Hayes went on to attain All-American honors at the national cross country meet, where she placed 26th. Stangler had an equally impressive track season, as she was an All-American in the 3000-meter steeplechase, where she placed 8th in the nation.
“Rachel and Sara should be two of the top runners in many of the meets that we attend,” Hellman said. “They are focused on helping our team win many meets and qualify for nationals.”
Also back are sensational sophomores Jessica Pape (Sioux City, Iowa) and Mairead Kelly (Forest City, Iowa). They both had outstanding freshman campaigns for the Vikings and are poised to improve on their individual placing this coming year.
“Jessica had a great freshman year, where she was top 10 at the conference cross country meet, and was one of our top performers in the distance races on the track,” Hellman said. “Mairead had a time of adjustment, but she came on with a flourish to end her freshman track season. She was a provisional qualifier in the 3000-meter steeplechase and was also a conference scorer in the 5K for outdoor track.”
Hellman is excited about what these four athletes have the opportunity to do.
“These top four runners are all underclassmen but experienced,” Hellman said. “They have loads of talent and have the ability to have a strong pack in almost every meet we run. Our ability to keep our pack close and to have our newcomers fit into the mix will be an important factor to our success.”
Rounding out the upperclassmen are Kelly O’Shea and Tania Arens.
“O’Shea is a true distance runner and she will be looked upon to add depth,” Hellman said. “Tania had her best track season to date this past spring and could surpass expectations and run with our top group. A deciding factor to both of their success is staying healthy and getting the training in that they need.”
The 2005 Viking recruiting class is one of the best recruiting classes in Hellman’s tenure. Leading the way is Kelly Fernandez from Las Vegas, Nev. Fernandez was all-state in cross country her senior year, and during the track season she was one of the top performers in the 800, 1600, and 3200-meter runs. She also has the speed that is needed to run fast times in a variety of events, which is another reason she is a dangerous athlete to compete against.
“Kelly Fernandez has all the tools to become one of our best runners in the future,” Hellman said. “It will be exciting to see how fast she can adjust to the college distance and volume. One thing that Kelly has going for her, is that in the state of Nevada, they run 5k in cross country so she will not need any adjustment to the racing distance.”
Also joining Fernandez on the Vikings squad is Miranda Wagner and Hayley Herauf. Both Wagner and Herauf are the reasons why Dickinson, N.D. is one of the top teams in the nation year after year. Dickinson won the North Dakota State Cross Country Meet for the sixth consecutive year, and Wagner and Herauf were near the top in helping their team win. Wagner placed fourth and Herauf was right behind her in sixth place, as they both attained all-state honors. Both went on to place in the North Dakota State Track Meet in the distance events and end their high school careers with their best times.
“Both Miranda and Hayley come from a very good distance program, so I know they were well coached, Hellman said. “They were also coached with their future in mind, as their mileage has been very low. This will enable them to continue to improve with the added volume and work that is needed for the college distance.”
Another athlete to watch from the 2005 recruiting class is Danielle Nickolas from Aberdeen, S.D. Nickolas placed third at the South Dakota State Cross Country Meet and finished her track season in style, by winning the 1600 meter run at the state meet.
“Dani is an individual who I feel hasn’t come even close to her true potential. Her work volume in high school was very low, and she didn’t have the opportunity to run against the great competition that some parts of the state had week in and week out,” Hellman said. “Her ability to handle the increased volume and distance of college training will be seen as a huge indictor to her success this coming fall. I believe that Dani is one of the true secrets in a very talented distance state of South Dakota.”
Annaliese Pepin, Sara Rueter and Lauren Cartmill round out the women’s team. Pepin was a consistent performer for Stillwater, Minn., in the middle distance events and hurdles and looks to add depth for the cross country and track teams. Rueter was a consistent performer in the middle distances for Brookings High School (S.D.) and will look to add volume and base for the upcoming track season. Cartmill comes to Augie from Overland Park, Kan., and will be looked upon to help with the Vikings distance running tradition.
