 Head Coach Frank Russo |
Coach's CornerNews, Comments and Information |
8/26/2010
- As summer conditioning concludes... the team is ramping up for
the upcoming season which begins on Saturday at Wilmington College
where the Big Red Express will open it's schedule against league rival
Elder - a first for the program. This will give us a realistic
perspective on where we are in terms of our conditioning, competitive
spirit, and will to win. I have been extremely impressed by most of our
athletes and their willingness to put forth their maximum effort on a
daily basis. To me, this is the only way to succeed on a high level
against great teams and outstanding individuals. We will continue to
reinforce and reiterate our message... "If you want to BE a STATE
CHAMPION... you have to TRAIN like a STATE CHAMPION."
From the beginning of the season ... we have been emphasizing the concept of "pack running". We ask the leaders to push the tempo and pull the guys in the back along. This concept reinforces the principal of "TEAM". Everyone is accountable to stay together, and work together. In cross country... you're only as good as your 5th man and your 6th and 7th can play a key role in competitive situations. Our top group has defined itself and continues to try and meet the expectations of each and every workout. What I am most impressed with is the effort and intensity that I am seeing. Travis Hawes, Clayton Cardinal, Marc Nie, and Kevin Kluesener continue to lead with Drew Michel, Zac Stross, and Eric Southwood maintaining contact each day. Freshman Andy Cornelius has been a huge surprise this summer as he continues to challenge himself on a daily basis. The discipline and collective effort by this group should payoff on Saturday !
8/2/2010 - The 2010 Cross Country team returns seven runners who have state meet experience. Four who finished 6th overall in the state finals in the 3200m relay, received All State honors last spring in track. These include seniors Ethan Bokeno, Kevin Kluesner, Alex Thiery, and Travis Hawes. In addition, the Big Red Express will rely on senior Matt Nie, junior Clayton Cardinal, and sophomore Jacob McNamara to provide depth, talent, and experience resulting from their recent championship season. This talent, experience, and depth positions the Lancers to make a title run during October and the first weekend in November. The team has advanced to the State Championship the last 2 years, finishing 15th in 2008, and 16th in 2009.
The Big Red Express will again face a challenging schedule as they look to compete against the top teams from the Tri-State area. They will travel to traditional venues the first two weeks of the season, defending their team titles at the Finishtiming.com XC Invitational at Wilmington College, and the Greenville Treaty XC invite. In week 3 the Lancers face city rival, Mason, at the Mason Invite, where the team finished 2nd overall in 2009. In week 4 the team will travel to Kentucky to compete in the Louisville Trinity Invitational, where the Lancers will face perennial state powers Louisville Trinity and Louisville St. X.
The team will round out the month of September competing in the Midwest Catholic XC Championships in Kettering. The Big Red Express will then travel to the Midwest Meet of Champions the first weekend in October, which will host the top programs in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. The Lancers conclude their regular season at the Les Eisenhart Invitational at Thomas Worthington High School in Worthington, Ohio.
The Championship season begins at Rapid Run Park which hosts the GCL, the following week the District Championships will be held at Voice of America Park in West Chester. To finish the month of October, the Lancers are looking to advance to the Regional Championship Meet in Troy, Ohio for the 25th consecutive year. The State Championship will be held at Scioto Downs in Columbus where the team seeks to advance for its third straight year, and for the 10th year as a team since 2000.
Come out and watch the Lancers Run to Win in 2010.
From the beginning of the season ... we have been emphasizing the concept of "pack running". We ask the leaders to push the tempo and pull the guys in the back along. This concept reinforces the principal of "TEAM". Everyone is accountable to stay together, and work together. In cross country... you're only as good as your 5th man and your 6th and 7th can play a key role in competitive situations. Our top group has defined itself and continues to try and meet the expectations of each and every workout. What I am most impressed with is the effort and intensity that I am seeing. Travis Hawes, Clayton Cardinal, Marc Nie, and Kevin Kluesener continue to lead with Drew Michel, Zac Stross, and Eric Southwood maintaining contact each day. Freshman Andy Cornelius has been a huge surprise this summer as he continues to challenge himself on a daily basis. The discipline and collective effort by this group should payoff on Saturday !
8/2/2010 - The 2010 Cross Country team returns seven runners who have state meet experience. Four who finished 6th overall in the state finals in the 3200m relay, received All State honors last spring in track. These include seniors Ethan Bokeno, Kevin Kluesner, Alex Thiery, and Travis Hawes. In addition, the Big Red Express will rely on senior Matt Nie, junior Clayton Cardinal, and sophomore Jacob McNamara to provide depth, talent, and experience resulting from their recent championship season. This talent, experience, and depth positions the Lancers to make a title run during October and the first weekend in November. The team has advanced to the State Championship the last 2 years, finishing 15th in 2008, and 16th in 2009.
The Big Red Express will again face a challenging schedule as they look to compete against the top teams from the Tri-State area. They will travel to traditional venues the first two weeks of the season, defending their team titles at the Finishtiming.com XC Invitational at Wilmington College, and the Greenville Treaty XC invite. In week 3 the Lancers face city rival, Mason, at the Mason Invite, where the team finished 2nd overall in 2009. In week 4 the team will travel to Kentucky to compete in the Louisville Trinity Invitational, where the Lancers will face perennial state powers Louisville Trinity and Louisville St. X.
The team will round out the month of September competing in the Midwest Catholic XC Championships in Kettering. The Big Red Express will then travel to the Midwest Meet of Champions the first weekend in October, which will host the top programs in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. The Lancers conclude their regular season at the Les Eisenhart Invitational at Thomas Worthington High School in Worthington, Ohio.
The Championship season begins at Rapid Run Park which hosts the GCL, the following week the District Championships will be held at Voice of America Park in West Chester. To finish the month of October, the Lancers are looking to advance to the Regional Championship Meet in Troy, Ohio for the 25th consecutive year. The State Championship will be held at Scioto Downs in Columbus where the team seeks to advance for its third straight year, and for the 10th year as a team since 2000.
Come out and watch the Lancers Run to Win in 2010.
Let's Go Big
Red!