2006 Montana cross country preview
8/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
The University of Montana women's cross country team exceeded expectations in 2005, placing third at the Big Sky Conference championships. Coach Tom Raunig??s Grizzlies will attempt to remain among the conference's top teams in 2006, and he thinks he has the runners to do it.
"When we look at this team compared to last year's team, we are probably a notch better," Raunig said in early August. "We feel like we've replaced our gaps from graduation and 2006 redshirts with the recruits we have coming in."
Raunig will be without his No. 3 and No. 5 runners from last year ?C Shannon Johnson graduated and Dominique Colberg will redshirt this fall ?C but junior Allie Brosh and sophomore Kim Tritz, Montana's No. 1 and No. 2 runners last fall, return, as does sophomore Chelsea Burfeind, last year's No. 4 runner.
Brosh was the Grizzlies' top finisher at all six races in 2005 and earned her second consecutive All-Big Sky honor with a sixth-place finish at the league championships, while Tritz was second among UM finishers four times last fall and third twice.
Among the candidates to fill the gaps will be freshmen Kara DeWalt from Darby, Mont., Brooke Andrus from Bigfork, Mont., and Megan Ravenscraft from Bel Air, Md., as well as sophomore Ashley Colbrese, a Laurel, Mont., native who transferred from the University of Mary.
Raunig's highly decorated recruit, freshman Megan O'Reilly from Colbert, Wash., will redshirt the 2006 cross country season while recovering from some lingering injuries.
"Had we had Megan running this year, we could have challenged for second in the Big Sky," Raunig said, "but we'll still have a solid team that should be very competitive in the league.
"And by redshirting Megan, we'll have her going full bore in 2007 when we host the conference meet and are looking to take a run at the title."
The Montana men finished sixth at the 2005 Big Sky championships and will also have two key gaps to fill in 2006 if they want to improve upon that standing. Unlike the women, who will most likely be using newcomers, the men will use the quality depth of their returners to move people up into the top five.
Creating a hole at the top is the departure of last year's No. 1 runner, Matt Winter, who elected not to return to the Grizzly cross country/track and field teams after the 2005 cross country season.
The likely replacement at the No. 1 spot, Dan Bingham, will redshirt this fall. Bingham, the 2006 Big Sky steeplechase champion, was UM's No. 3 runner last fall.
That makes senior Richie Pemberton Montana's No. 1 runner entering the fall season. Pemberton was UM's top finisher at two meets last fall and its No. 2 runner behind Winter on four other occasions.
Sophomore Eli Hermann was the Grizzlies' No. 4 finisher at all six meets in 2005.
"We're redshirting Dan Bingham, who would probably be our No. 1 runner this fall, but he was in danger of getting a little burned out after running four seasons in a row," Raunig said.
"So we're looking at Richie Pemberton as our No. 1 runner, followed by Eli Hermann, who's been getting stronger each year in the program."
After Pemberton and Hermann is where the depth will come into play.
Junior Duncan Hendrick and sophomores Zach Betz and Jeff Quickel were all key contributors in 2005 in the No. 4 to No. 7 area.
Freshmen Mac Bloom and Jon Metropoulos were both Montana state cross country and track champions in high school, but both dealt with injuries in 2005-06 in their first year in the Grizzly program.
"Those two could make a difference," Raunig said, "because they were top-notch high school runners who now have a year under their belts and will be entering the fall in full health."
Incoming freshmen who could make an impact are Steven Gimple from Spokane, Wash., and Brett Carter from West Des Moines, Iowa.
"On the men's team, it will be a mix of veterans, along with a lot of balance," Raunig said. "It looks to be an interesting season for the men because of the depth. It will be a real battle for those top seven spots."
Montana opens its 2006 season with the Montana Open, which will be held at Lubrecht Forest on Saturday, Sept. 9.
"When we look at this team compared to last year's team, we are probably a notch better," Raunig said in early August. "We feel like we've replaced our gaps from graduation and 2006 redshirts with the recruits we have coming in."
Raunig will be without his No. 3 and No. 5 runners from last year ?C Shannon Johnson graduated and Dominique Colberg will redshirt this fall ?C but junior Allie Brosh and sophomore Kim Tritz, Montana's No. 1 and No. 2 runners last fall, return, as does sophomore Chelsea Burfeind, last year's No. 4 runner.
Brosh was the Grizzlies' top finisher at all six races in 2005 and earned her second consecutive All-Big Sky honor with a sixth-place finish at the league championships, while Tritz was second among UM finishers four times last fall and third twice.
Among the candidates to fill the gaps will be freshmen Kara DeWalt from Darby, Mont., Brooke Andrus from Bigfork, Mont., and Megan Ravenscraft from Bel Air, Md., as well as sophomore Ashley Colbrese, a Laurel, Mont., native who transferred from the University of Mary.
Raunig's highly decorated recruit, freshman Megan O'Reilly from Colbert, Wash., will redshirt the 2006 cross country season while recovering from some lingering injuries.
"Had we had Megan running this year, we could have challenged for second in the Big Sky," Raunig said, "but we'll still have a solid team that should be very competitive in the league.
"And by redshirting Megan, we'll have her going full bore in 2007 when we host the conference meet and are looking to take a run at the title."
The Montana men finished sixth at the 2005 Big Sky championships and will also have two key gaps to fill in 2006 if they want to improve upon that standing. Unlike the women, who will most likely be using newcomers, the men will use the quality depth of their returners to move people up into the top five.
Creating a hole at the top is the departure of last year's No. 1 runner, Matt Winter, who elected not to return to the Grizzly cross country/track and field teams after the 2005 cross country season.
The likely replacement at the No. 1 spot, Dan Bingham, will redshirt this fall. Bingham, the 2006 Big Sky steeplechase champion, was UM's No. 3 runner last fall.
That makes senior Richie Pemberton Montana's No. 1 runner entering the fall season. Pemberton was UM's top finisher at two meets last fall and its No. 2 runner behind Winter on four other occasions.
Sophomore Eli Hermann was the Grizzlies' No. 4 finisher at all six meets in 2005.
"We're redshirting Dan Bingham, who would probably be our No. 1 runner this fall, but he was in danger of getting a little burned out after running four seasons in a row," Raunig said.
"So we're looking at Richie Pemberton as our No. 1 runner, followed by Eli Hermann, who's been getting stronger each year in the program."
After Pemberton and Hermann is where the depth will come into play.
Junior Duncan Hendrick and sophomores Zach Betz and Jeff Quickel were all key contributors in 2005 in the No. 4 to No. 7 area.
Freshmen Mac Bloom and Jon Metropoulos were both Montana state cross country and track champions in high school, but both dealt with injuries in 2005-06 in their first year in the Grizzly program.
"Those two could make a difference," Raunig said, "because they were top-notch high school runners who now have a year under their belts and will be entering the fall in full health."
Incoming freshmen who could make an impact are Steven Gimple from Spokane, Wash., and Brett Carter from West Des Moines, Iowa.
"On the men's team, it will be a mix of veterans, along with a lot of balance," Raunig said. "It looks to be an interesting season for the men because of the depth. It will be a real battle for those top seven spots."
Montana opens its 2006 season with the Montana Open, which will be held at Lubrecht Forest on Saturday, Sept. 9.
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