DYLAN FORMAN
Special to The Leader
Last season, the Fredonia men’s cross country team gained national attention when they were ranked 35th in the NCAA Division III polls. After finishing third at the SUNYAC Championships a year ago, the Blue Devils are looking for a top-two finish this year. Furthermore, with a preseason ranking of 10th in the Atlantic Region, the team is looking to finish in the top six to improve on their ninth place finish from last Fall.
Leading the men’s team is senior Zakk Hess who will surely be looking to better his lifetime best at eight kilometers of 25:34. Hess will have a chance to leave something behind if he can finish in the top 10 at SUNYAC’s and earn a spot in the SUNYAC Cross Country Hall of Fame. It is among the highest of SUNYAC honors and something that few runners have done in decades. He has also become an exceptional long distance runner after specializing in the mile early in his collegiate career. Last spring, Hess vastly improved in the 5K by running 15:02.
Following Hess, junior captain Collin Mulcahy will look to get stronger and faster after a running his personal best of 25:47 at last Fall’s SUNYAC. Mulcahy also showed his speed in indoor and outdoor track by running 4:13 for the mile and 1:52 for the 800.
Looking to finish his collegiate career on a good note is senior captain Chris Shartrand. Shartrand was able to finish third for Fredonia at the SUNYAC championships while running his personal best of 25:51. In track and field, he was able to show off his long distance prowess by running 15:04 for the 5K, 34:06 for 10K and 9:36 for 3000m Steeplechase.
Looking to round out the Blue Devils scoring five will likely be junior Kyle Collins and sophomore Cody Martini. Martini finished sixth for the team last season while running 26:41. Meanwhile, Collins finished fourth at SUNYAC while running a personal best of 25:58.
After last year’s strong finish at championship races, the team returns four of their five top runners. This is a big advantage for a team in cross country and will help with experience when the season is on the line. The only graduated top-five runner is Steven Whittemore who returns to the team this year as an assistant coach under head coach Tom Wilson. The team, as a whole, is one of closest knit teams in recent memory and will certainly look to be the strongest and fastest teams in both recent and distant memory.
According to coach Whittemore, “They have been sticking to the training plan really well so far.” In cross country, the key to success is simply sticking to your training and staying healthy. Both of those ideals look to be in full swing early on and should help the team reach their goals of finishing second at SUNYAC and sixth at the NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional Championships.
Both cross country teams will open their seasons at Lake Erie State Park on Sept. 6 at the Fredonia Blue Devil Invitational.