La Plume, PA (8-30-10) – Coming off of a season that saw one conference first teamer and a pair of second teamers, the Giants will be looking to the next generation of CSAC standouts as the 2010 season kicks off.
The Giants graduated six runners on the men’s side and one off of the women’s roster from squads that finished third and sixth respectively at last season’s conference championships.
While this year’s cross country rosters will see a distinctly different makeup, in terms of faces and underclassmen, don’t let the youth movement fool you when it comes to experienced and talented runners.
The men’s squad could potentially see their top five runners consist of three freshmen and a pair of sophomores.
“We are a very young team, but youth does not necessarily mean short on talent,” stated Michael Badway, head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country teams. “Looking at the talent that this team has I would not be surprised to see them finish in the top two at the CSAC championships this year.”
Sophomore Matt Fabbri will be looking to build on a solid freshmen campaign as he begins this season as Keystone’s team captain.
“Matt put a lot of hard work in over the summer in order to make sure he could step up and fill the shoes of our runners that we graduated last year. He is the heart of this program,” remarked Coach Badway.
A quartet of newcomers, Jeff Poindexter, Jeremy Stonier, Abdul Hamid and Paul Devine, will all be looked upon to make up the nucleus on the men’s side.
Coach Badway has obviously liked what he has seen during the preseason, bestowing strong praise on some of his newcomers.
“Jeff has the potential to be the best distance runner that has ever come to Keystone College. I would be keeping my eye on him in both cross country and track during his time here.”
“Jeremy is a local runner out of Tunkhannock who has already taken to collegiate training and is way ahead of where he was in high school. He is another with the potential to be a consistent top five runner.”
Although considered to be a stronger track athlete, Hamid is expected to make an impact on the cross country course, as Coach Badway states, “the Upper Darby grad is a very strong runner and will be turning a lot of heads this year.”
Although a newcomer to the program, Devine is a sophomore transfer with college running experience that the team will rely upon.
On the women’s side, youth will also be the storyline this season, but a pair of returnees in senior Jenna Fancher and sophomore Gabby Neri will give the Giants a leg up.
“Much like the men's team the women are very young, but don't let their youth fool you, these young ladies have the potential to be a top contender come conference championship time,” explained Coach Badway.
“Jenna is coming off of her best cross country season, as well as a great track season and she will be looked upon as one of our top runners again this year.”
“Gabby is starting to come into her own as a collegiate athlete. She is consistently pushing herself to become a better runner. We will be looking towards Gabby for leadership along side of Jenna to keep this team focused on its goals.”
A pair of newcomers representing the east and west coasts will be looked at to build a strong core alongside Fancher and Neri.
Kendra Kulesa, a transfer from Riverside Community College, joins the team from California, while
Shelly Kratzer comes to Keystone from Massachusetts.
“With Kendra’s long flowing stride I wouldn't be surprised to see her stirring things up at the top of the conference, while Shelly is one of the hardest working most dedicated runners I have ever had the pleasure to coach. I feel that she will be making a huge impact on our team as well as our conference throughout her years at Keystone,” explained coach Badway.
The teams kick off its season on September 4 at the Gwynedd-Mercy Invitational, where they will run the same course that the 2010 conference championships will be held on October 30.
The Giants will also be hosting the Keystone College Invitational on Saturday September 11 on campus. The women’s race will kick things off at 9:30am, followed by the men’s competition at 10:15am.