SJU Athletics Photos

To many, the Saint Joseph's women's cross country team had a disappointing season in 2001. They finished fifth in the Atlantic 10 after taking home their second conference championship in 2000. But head coach Kevin Quinn is “looking forward to this season with great anticipation,” despite only returning two seniors from last year's contingent.The positive attitude and tireless work ethic of the returnees has Quinn enthusiastic to begin his 18th season at the helm. For the first time in recent memory, Quinn cannot pinpoint his number one runner in the preseason. Two years ago, it was A-10 Performer of the Year Christine Kane and last fall, Denise Fergus, who led the Hawks in all but two races. With such a young squad, it's wide open for a number of harriers to take the top spot. Senior Megan Wynne returns for her final season and earned the captaincy based on her tremendous leadership skills. “She will not lead them from the front of the pack,” Quinn said, “but she will lead them in everything we do.” Also leading the way on Hawk Hill is senior Sarah Conway, who despite being more suited to the half-mile is expected to make a valuable contribution to the team in 2002. The junior class is stocked with five returning runners, highlighted by Amy Manwaring and Karen Weber. Manwaring ran her best race of the year at the ECACs, completing the course in a season best time of 18:55.5, and was second among Hawk runners. Weber ran her best time at the Atlantic 10 Championships and finished 26th. Both made significant strides during the outdoor track season as Manwaring (fifth) and Weber (eighth) each scored in the 10,000 meters at the A-10s. “They began to develop last year as sophomores and I think that they will provide some real talent up front,” Quinn remarked. Also coming out of the junior class are Sarah Bright, Emily Choromanski, and Mary Crossin. Crossin made great improvement during the spring track season and could sneak into the top five. Colleen Flanagan headlines the sophomore class, as she earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors after her strong showing at the William and Mary Invitation, where she finished second for Saint Joseph's and 43rd overall. She also placed second among all Hawks at the NCAA District meet late in the season. Another sophomore, Kelly Victory, made marked improvement late in the cross country season and ran her best race of the season at the Atlantic 10 Championships. Quinn likes the way the schedule is set up, especially for such a young team. With four weekends off during the season, it allows for “practice opportunities to let the team get used to what we're doing,” Quinn said. The Crimson and Gray open early at Salisbury on August 31 in the Sea Gull Opener. Defending champion La Salle, Rhode Island, and Richmond are the favorites in the Atlantic 10, which will hold their championships November 2 at Duquesne. The Hawks will head to Pittsburgh in September to get a preview of the course in preparation for the Atlantic 10 meet. With such a young team returning, expectations aren't as high as they usually are for one of the area's top cross country teams. But lessons learned from last year's season should land the Hawks closer to the top of the A-10 standings then most of the conference competitors would like.