Atlantic Region CC

Atlantic Region Previews
2006

A preface to these rankings; Keep in mind that they are pre-season rankings and previews.
The course of the season will show how well each team will do, not these rankings.
I'll admit that certain teams are underranked for the time being,
until we have more knowledge of how they will perform.
But on paper, our region looks to be strong.
- MK

Women's Preview
Rank	Lst. Yr @ Regional	Team	Preview
1	1	SUNY Geneseo	1st at NCAA’s The 2005 National Champions now face the challenge of defending their title. Graduation claimed 2 of their top 7 (Marta Scott and Renee Catalano), but return a very strong group. Liz Montgomery (3rd at NCAAs) hopes to return to form after an ankle injury kept her out of both track seasons, while Shannon Griggs looks to continue her improvement that she made last year. Look for someone from last years squad to step up and fill some gaps as Coach Woods works his magic.
2	3	The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)	9th at NCAA’s Return 4 of top 7, including top-50 finisher at NCAAs last year, Jenna Fasulo. But don't expect a rebuilding year for the Lady Lions. Many women showed great improvements during the track season, including Megan O'Leary (5k-18:02), Martine McGrath (11:17-3kSC), Erin Enderly (5k-17:59), Allyson Krayl (5k-18:13), Jenna Prendergast (5k-18:23) and Stephanie Herrick (800-2:12 [AA]). Also look for a couple new faces to contribute to the teams success.
3	2	Ithaca College	8th at NCAA’s Return 5 of top 7, which included two freshman. Major losses include the Wilcox twins, who transferred to a D1 program. The Lady Bombers have a host of new faces on the team as well who will certainly step in.
4	tie 4	St. Lawrence	Return 4 of top 7. Last year's second runner, Liz Ludovici will not be running as she is studying abroad in Spain. However, several others return after studying abroad, including Kim Keszey and Steph LaBonte. Johannah Ludington (VT) and cousin's Alexis and Chelsea Nuffer look to be the top newcomers.
5	6	SUNY Cortland	Return 6 of top 7. The Red Dragons break into the top 5 as they only lose #3 runner Jessie Lynch. Top newcomers are Fawn Dorr (NYS Champ-400IH), Nicole Staudt, Kate Dylag, Morgan Lewis and Gina Smith. NCAA 800m qualifier Michele Jones will also make her cross country debut this coming season and looks to contribute to the team.
6	7	SUNY Plattsburgh	Return 6 of top 7, including 10k runner-up Toni Wiszowaty (2nd). Regional champion Allison Busby will not be running as she will be studying abroad in England. The remaining ladies all have shown growth and improvement during the track season. Add in a couple top freshman and watch for this team to continue to improve.
7	tie 4	University of Rochester (UR)	Return 4 of top 7, including top runner Kellie Hasselwander. Several Lady Yellow Jackets made big strides during the spring and should help this fall. Several incoming freshman also look to break into the top 7.
8	8	SUNY Brockport	The Port returns 4 of their top 7, including 3 of the top 4. Senior Teri Wilson made great strides on the track and looks to be in top form for the fall. Lindsey Goldberg also looks to regain her form from 3 years ago after battling injuries. Top newcomers are Karina Spicer, Jen Siglin, Shannon Meehan and Caileen Childs.
9	13	Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)	Return top 6, including 2004 NCAA qualifier Trisha Sliker. Several newcomers will look to break into the top 7 to contribute.
10	14	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Technology (RPI)	The Lady Engineers return their entire top 7 from last year's 14th place Regional finish. Several new faces should add to the teams depth and make significant contributions as the season progresses.
Other Teams to Watch SUNY Fredonia - Return 5 of top 7, including their top 4 runners from last years 11th place team. Several women showed significant improvement during the spring and should continue to improve. Key newcomers are Kathleen Granchelli, Jessica Bennett, Danielle Howard and Nicole Smith. Hamilton - No Report. Return 5 of top 7, including top 4 runners from last years 12th place team. NYU - No Report. Return 5 of top 7 from last years 9th place team. Vassar - Return 5 of top 7 including All-Region runner Laura Coogan. Several freshmen look to challenge for the top 7 spots.
Men's Preview
Rank	Lst. Yr @ Regional	Team	Preview
1	3	New York University (NYU)	Return top 6 runners from the 3rd place at Regionals, where the Violets missed making the trip to NCAAs by just 4 points. Hany Abdallah and Ryan Williams look to lead the team that should be as deep as any team in the nation. The addition of a couple key newcomers, includng Zach Maher will also boost the team's depth.
2	1	The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)	The College of New Jersey – 10th at NCAA’s Return 5 of top 7, but lose Jeff Zodda (9th at Regionals) and Matt Randal to graduation. If their track performances are any indication, then Brian Kopnicki (3kSC-9:17) and Chris Guerriero (5k-15:01) will be leading the charge. Kyle Alpaugh should also be in the mix after running 15:17 for 5k this spring. Top recruits Greg Bredeck and Brandon Rodkewitz should provide some boost to the teams depth as they look to remain the top team in the region.
3	2	SUNY Geneseo	SUNY Geneseo – Tied for 20th at NCAA’s Return 3 of top 7 from the Regional meet (4 of 7 from NCAAs). The Blue Knights face another challenge of filling the key spots left by Ross Hunkovic and Dan Moore. However, those returners had tremendous track seasons. Geneseo also boosts possible the best recruiting class in Woods' career. Look for several of these freshman to make an immediate impact.
4	5	SUNY Cortland	Return 6 of top 7, but lose top runner and All-American C. Fred Joslyn (11th at NCAAs). The return of Andy Cloke will help to make up for the loss of Joslyn. Freshman phenom, Shamus Nally had an equally impressive track season and looks to be ready to help lead the team. With 4 freshman in last years top 6 and an equally talented group of incoming freshman (Seth DeBois, Jerry Greenlaw, Kyle O'Brien and Justin Wager), watch out for Cortland to continue to move up the standings.
5	4	University of Rochester (UR)	Return 5 of top 7. The Univesity of Rochester men's cross country team is looking to improve on its fourth place finish at the 2005 Atlantic Regionals. The Yellowjackets return eight of their top ten runners from last year's squad, including national qualifier Mark Stevens and all-region runners Dan Mueller and Joe Lust. Newcomers to the program include Nazareth transfer Pat Hughes and freshmen Tyle Stelzig and Jeffery Whalley.
6	8	Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)	Return top 4 runners, including Nate Lowe (10th at Regionals). Jesse Williamson is back in action and should add a huge one-two punch with Lowe. Look for RIT to make some noise as the season progresses. Top recruits are Nate Lowe and Kirk Richards (IL).
7	7	SUNY Brockport	Return 5 of top 7, including top runner Ryan Kolb. Several members made great strides in the spring and with the addition of Pete Manktelow and transfer Drew Cartwright, the top 7 should be solid.
8	9	St. Lawrence	Return 5 of top 7 from last year's 9th place regional team, including top two runners in Erik Donohoe and John Gaudette. The Saints bring in twelve new recruits, including Jeremy Beaudette, Geoff Millard, Jacob Malcomb, Evan Embrey and Terrence Fox.
9	6	SUNY Plattsburgh	Return 4 of top 8, including multiple time All-American, Matt DeShane (18th at NCAAs) and All-Region runner, Robert Asher. A solid recruiting class will challenge to close the gap to the Cardinals established seniors, DeShane and Asher.
10	tie 10	SUNY Fredonia	Return 5 of top 7, including top runner Andy Forma. The loss of Michael Pond will hurt, but the Blue Devils added high school teammates Tom Williams and Jared Newell to fill the void. In addition, Matthew Wysocki and Chris Walters ran some quality races in the spring.
Other Teams to Watch RPI - Tied for 10th last year. Return 4 of top 7, including Chris Donais, Ean Saberski, Bryan Murphy, and Bobby Bloor. Former #1 runner (2004) returns to the team after his study abroad last fall. Two new faces also figure to be major contributors to the team. Ithaca - Return 6 of top 7. Drew Hodge and Tim Shea both showed great improvements during the spring. A host of recruits figure to contribute to the team success as well. Rowan - No Report. Return 5 of top 7, including their top 3 from 2005. SUNY Oneonta - Return 6 of top 8, including seniors Ryan Wells and Matt Durkin. Transfer student, Alex Grout will also make an immediate impact.