Sept. 10, 2004

Grand Valley State men's and women's cross country teams will begin the 2004 season on Friday at the Aquinas Invite held at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids. The men's 8k race will begin at 5:00 p.m. and the women's 5k is set for 6:00 p.m.

The women's team has a #1 preseason ranking in the Great Lakes Regional Poll and a #3 national ranking. The men's team is ranked #1 in the region and #8 in the nation.

Head coach Jerry Baltes is excited to get the 2004 season underway.

"We are excited to see where our fitness is at," he said. "We do not put a lot of stock into this first race in regards to time/ place, but more on how we handle the race pace effort."

The men's team looks to continue their success with returnees from last year's squad and some newcomers.

"We have a number of first time racers for GVSU that we are very excited to see racing in the Laker uniform," said Baltes. "Redshirt freshman Nate Peck (Coopersville) and Wisconsin transfer, Ryan Cole, have been leading the way in practice so we are eager to see their results."

"In addition Robby Young (Wayland), Mark Vandermeer (Wyoming Park), and Brad Hunter (Pickford) will make their debut for the Lakers and we will look for them to be key contributions this season," said Baltes.

"Our returners have done a great job of setting the tone throughout the preseason. We will look for Andy Duemling (Ubly), Chris Pabst (Morengo Ohio), Blake Terhune (Traverse City Central), Dave Harvey (Munising), Ryan Holm (Wakefield), and Kenny Bader (Mt. Vernon, Ind.) to help take us to the next level racing wise," added Baltes.

"We are still a very young team with only two seniors on the roster, so experience will be a key," said Baltes. "We do have plenty of athletes that have been in key races over the past two years that can take those experiences to set them up for the positive results we are looking for at the end of the season."

On the women's side, the Lakers look to get back to the National Championships, where in 2003 they finished third in nation.

"We will look for great leadership from upperclasswomen Krista O'Dell (Escanaba) and first time cross country racer Steph Kuhlman (Findlay, Ohio)," said Baltes. "Both are six-time NCAA Division II All-Americans at GVSU between cross and track."

"We are really focused on progressing their training at a steady rate to put them in the best position at the end of the year," added Baltes.

"Another key contributor will be junior Kara Egan (South Bend, Ind.)," said Baltes. "Kara has also been an All-American her first two years at the NCAA Championships for GVSU."

"We will be redshirting six time All-American (three-time in cross country) Natalie Ewing, as she finishes her degree in nursing this school year, and junior Mandi Zemba (formerly Long)," said Baltes. "There is no doubt not having Natalie will take away from our front running as a whole, but we are very confident that this is the best thing for Natalie in her academic and athletic pursuits. We are also very confident in the others have the abiltiy to take over that role."

"We will look for our pack to be very tight to ensure the low scorers at the 4-7 spots that are crucial at the big meets," said Baltes. "Returners Megan Doerr (Chippewa Hills), Diana Painter (formerly Martin), Adrian Chouinard (Traverse City Central), and Jacquie Talylor (Three Rivers) will all be key in our leadership as the season progresses."

"This group of ladies has a lot of experience at the big races as well. They all have been a part of the previous three GLIAC Championships, NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships, and three top five finishes at the NCAA Championships," added Baltes. "That will go a long way in our preparation for the results we are looking for at the end of the season."

"In addition, we will have a couple of newcomers that we will be looking to for key contributions this season," said Baltes. "Redshirt Freshman Karlie Singleton (Penn), Brigette Beeny (Scwartz Creek), Ashley Wharton, (Lake Orion), and Stacey Kandas (Trenton) all will be key to the depth of the team."

"Second year racers Sarah Jaquith (Petosky) and Lauren Bader (Mt. Vernon, Ind.) will bring their experience from last season," added Baltes.

"With the group of focused and dedicated women that we have in the program at this time, we are confident that we will be able to compete and challenge the top teams in the region and in the nation as we have done the past three seasons," said Baltes. "We also know and respect that we have to take care of everything along the way in order to put ourselves in the best postion at the end of the year."

For Preseason Regional and National Rankings, please click on the link below:
Rankings