BW 2008 XC Preview

"I would say our goals for the team are pretty standard - to stay healthy, get in some good training, and see where that will take us come October and November." - Jimmy Eberts

The Baldwin-Wallace cross country team, lead by seniors (and high school teammates) Derek Hill and Nate Bowen, are expecting a solid year of rising expectations. Last year's team finished 5th at the OAC Conference meet and 16th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, and will be returning 4 of their top 5 scorers from last year's conference team.

After a breakout spring on the track - the BW men are showing some promise in competing both within the conference and at the regional level. As mentioned, the team will be lead by Derek Hill, who won the outdoor 5k at OACs and Nate Bowen, who ended the track with a sub 4:00 performance in the 1500m - both of whom will be shooting for All-OAC honors this coming November 1st in Marietta, Ohio.

Solidifying the depth for the Yellowjackets will be Jimmy Eberts - who is coming off a solid track season of steeplechasing (3rd @ OACs), Brian Gibbons - who is looking for a healthy return after an up & down freshman track campaign, Mark Buhoveckey - who placed 8th at OACs in the 10k, and Jeff Bonezzi - who was the always-consistent 5th man for much of last year. Others looking to contribute are juniors Brian Campbell and Greg Ackley... and sophomores Justin Brown and Nathaniel Nemire.

As for the newcomers... the freshman class of Drew Beck of Canandaigua Academy in NY (4:24, 9:55), Tom Wilkin of Olentangy Liberty (4:28, 16:32), Zach Szablewski of Tiffin Calvert (10:00, 16:37), Matt Sutter of Twinsburg (4:38, 17:09) and Mike Sisko of Olmsted Falls all look to step into the BW program and contribute what they can to the success of this season, as they adjust to the new demands and environment of college life, training and racing.

The BW squad opens their 2008 XC season on August 30th at the Case Western Reserve Invitational at Squire Farms in Hunting Valley, Ohio.

* Timothy