| 2007 Cross Country Season Preview Concluding last season with top rankings, the men and women’s cross country teams look to reclaim the Mid-South Conference and the NAIA Region XI title. Led by Marius Cozmanciuc and Josh Laughlin, the men won both the conference and regional titles and placed 14 th at the national tournament as a team. The ladies finished second in conference and third at regional, sending Kelly Schnee, to the national tournament. Losing only Carl Roberts to graduation, the men’s team will return six of its top seven athletes from last season. Marius Cozmanciuc, Josh Laughlin, Seth Darrell, Brett Ratliff, and Aleer Duot finished last season with All-Conference and All-Region honors. Josh Laughlin was also named Mid-South Conference Runner of the Year last season. With a tremendous amount of talent and leadership, the men will work hard to attain a Top Ten finish at the NAIA National Championships this year. Due to graduation, the ladies will lose Kelly and Shelly Schnee. Kelly earned All-Conference, All-Region, and qualified for Nationals four times during her career as a Patriot, while her sister Shelly earned the same honors for her three years of participation. Though the ladies are losing great athletes, underclassmen Whitney Brainard, a two time National Qualifier and three time All-Conference and All-Region athlete, and Elyse Velte and Christina Stodghill, each ranking Varsity Top Five, are more than capable of leading the team to victory. Due to injuries last season, the Patriots were unable to maintain a smooth season. However, with solid summer training and conditioning, the Patriots will be ready for the upcoming season. 2004-2005 Preview |
