2008 Cross Country Season Outlook
8/27/2008 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
The three-mile trek, which wraps around
Saturday’s meet is the season opener for both programs and Pepperdine’s third-year head coach Robert Radnoti expects to see more pack running rather than an all-out drag race.
“We try to downplay the team competition even though it would be really nice to go out there and beat Loyola Marymount, but that’s not what we’re after,” Radnoti said. “We want to evaluate where our team is relative to previous years and where we are relative to each other.”
Loyola Marymount is one of the top three teams in the WCC, according to Radnoti, along with perennial powerhouse
The
Both Pepperdine men’s and women’s teams placed fifth.
There’s no mistaking that Pepperdine wants to be where the Pilots, Dons and Lions currently reside. In fact, Radnoti and many of his athletes believe this is the year they crack the top three at conference and place several individuals onto the All-WCC squad.
“We’ve brought in large recruiting classes the last two years and everyone’s coming back excited to compete against the WCC,” Radnoti said. “There’s certainly a lot of heart within this group and they just want to continue building on the improvements we started last year.”
Should the Waves climb into the WCC’s upper echelon it’s because they received a balanced combination of youthful exuberance and veteran work ethic; two traits Radnoti continually brings up when talking about his rosters.
Yes, Pepperdine’s teams are very young – a total of 30 freshmen between the two squads – but what the Waves lack in experience, they make up for in talent. Below is a short list of 10 top-flight Wave runners to watch in 2008 along with Radnoti’s comments on each.
Brieanna Carroll (
Carroll is a fifth-year senior and one of Pepperdine’s two team captains; however, Radnoti and the team have yet to see her run this preseason because she’s still away in
Carroll is expected to arrive back at Pepperdine next week.
“She was our top runner during our last cross country season and I expect her to come in great shape from all her military exercises,” Radnoti said. “She’s tough as nails, and as a role model for this team, she knows how to provide quality leadership while running everyone into the ground.”
Lizzy Coe (
Radnoti proudly labels Coe as ‘Pepperdine’s most decorated recruit.’ Coe not only is getting the job done in the classroom as a Regent Scholar, but she also was a Foot Locker Finalist, which awards the top 40 runners in the nation, and was the 2006 California Cross Country Division I champion.
“We’ve never recruited a state champion or have come even close to that,” Radnoti said. “She’s brilliant, fast and we’re looking for her to blossom and become one of our top runners over the next four years.”
Cole Feldman (
Feldman is the team’s elder statesman and comes to Pepperdine from
“I’m not sure how it’s going to work for him between cross country and law school, because my impression of law school is that it’s a bit overwhelming,” Radnoti said. “He’s going to try and make it work because he loves running and wants to compete for the Waves. Cole’s certainly a good, mature addition to the team.”
Jimmy Kelley (
According to Radnoti, Kelley blossomed during his high school senior track season and ran a 9:12 in the 3,200-meter run at the
“Our two freshmen (Alberto Solis and Kelley) come in with outstanding credentials and have been leading most of our workouts in the preseason,” Radnoti said. “They both said to me the first week they were here, that they came to Pepperdine because they want to create history. And that’s exactly the kind of student-athlete we want to attract.”
Lauren Lodge (
Known affectionately as ‘Lolo’ by her coaches and teammates, Lodge has quickly become one of the team’s top three preseason performers partly because she’s not afraid to run ahead of Pepperdine’s more established runners. As a result, Lodge has been running really close with senior Courtney Young and sophomore Chelsea Wishard.
“Lauren has a great running form and work ethic,” Radnoti said. “She’s also a super smart girl whose leadership skills will serve our team well.”
Many youngsters back off passing their older teammates as a passive sign of respect, but Radnoti is trying to reverse this mentality, and Lodge is more than willing to establish a higher level of intrasquad competitiveness.
“This is something we’re often talking about, because everyone needs to continue to push one another if they’re going to get to that next level and compete with some of the rivals we have,” he said.
Alberto Solis (Big Bear, Calif./Big Bear HS)
Solis is one of two runners – along with Kelly – who Radnoti considers to be among the best of the best. Solis is a 2008 graduate of
Solis’ most recent accomplishment was winning the CIF Southern Section Division IV Cross Country championship at
“Alberto is just an outstanding runner,” Radnoti said. “He has that high-altitude training background and is just a real gutsy, tough runner that will run through walls for Pepperdine and is excited to be here.”
David Williams (
Williams, a sophomore, had a good track season in the spring of 2008, which included setting the school’s record in the 800 meter run. During the cross country season, Williams was Pepperdine’s second-fastest competitor at WCCs and posted a 12th-place showing at the 2007 Malibu Oceanside Open.
The challenge with Williams, however, for Radnoti, was to convince the youngster he was cut out for long-distance running.
“He came in last year as a freshman with that track/half-miler mentality and didn’t really know or believe he was a cross country runner,” Radnoti said. “We’ve been working on that over the last year, and now he’s becoming a much better cross country runner because he believes in himself.”
Chelsea Wishard (
Wishard was among the track team’s best athletes last season and brings a noticeable running style to the team, in which she likes to start races and workouts at a conservative pace before finishing strong.
Radnoti believes this method has worked to her advantage as she’s a lot further along than where she was last year.
“When we went to
Conrad Wozniak (
Wozniak is team captain for 2008 despite being only a sophomore. There are no seniors on the team to fill this role, and the lone junior, Garrett Reim, is a recent transfer from
Wozniak enters 2008 with the credentials and mentality to support Radnoti’s decision in naming him captain. As a freshman in 2007, Wozniak was the No. 2 runner on the team behind Ogle and displayed a work ethic that won over many of his coaches and teammates.
“I selected Conrad team captain, because what I saw in him was a drive and determination to lead our team to becoming one of the best in the conference,” Radnoti said. “He’s also set on challenging our history at
Courtney Young (
Young is a team co-captain and fifth-year senior. She started her athletic career at Pepperdine as a soccer player, but has since become a very productive competitor for the Waves’ cross country and track teams. One of her goals in 2008 is to earn the title of All-WCC.
Even though she is fairly new to running, Young is providing great leadership to the team and displaying a tremendous work ethic, which Radnoti believes is elevating the team’s status within Division I.
“Her work ethic is inspiring,” Radnoti said. “If I tell her to run six miles, she’ll ask to go eight. Or, on a long run, ask if we can run an extra half hour. She’s always looking to do a little bit more to make herself better. That’s the attitude I want.”
