Andy Canegitta, head cross country coach, can teach the fundamentals of cross country, but one thing he can never teach is experience.

And with seven new runners joining the men’s cross country team this year. The 2009 season is sure to be a learning experience.

Last season, the men’s team had four runners which wasn’t enough members for them to place in any race.
But this year is different.

Since late April, Canegitta, has signed several new athletes from various parts of the country in to the 2009 recruiting class who are expected to compete for their place on the track.

Freshmen, the new members of the team, play a significant role in determining the outcome of the season for the Wolfpack.
 
It’s unclear who has emerged as the fifth runner the team lacked in 2008 but according to Christopher, “C.J”, Kelliher, psychology sophomore, the entire freshmen class has already had an immediate impact.

Kelliher believes the freshmen additions help the team improve as a whole significantly.

“Oh man it helps tenfold. We had four guys last year and a full men’s team, in order to place during the race, is five guys running.

“We basically ran for personal records and tried to qualify individually for nationals last year as opposed to qualifying as a team,” Kelliher said.

 “So this year we have our top five guys who want to get our entire team to nationals not just individually. It helps because we have some really good freshmen this year,” he said.

According to Canegitta the increase in members has allowed for greater competition within the team, subsequently pushing everyone further.

“Now that we have more guys now, they are able to push them harder in practice because nobody was there to push them to really improve,” Canegitta said.

 “The competition amongst them will motivate them to improve the team as a whole,” he said.

Despite the competition amongst each other, the upperclassmen haven’t abandoned the younger runners.

They provide tips and constructive criticism that helps the freshmen transition from high school to college cross country.

“Although it’s really competitive out there, the upperclassmen are trying to show and point out things the freshmen may be doing wrong so they can improve,” Kelliher said.

“At the same time, they are trying to keep up with the upperclassmen but we are trying to keep up with the freshmen as well because they are so eager to run and get better,” he said.

Chris Graugnard, business management, believes the upperclassmen have been more than helpful showing them things in practice and their way around Loyola.

“After daily practices, the upperclassmen help the new members adjust to college life by assisting them to get settled in and showing them around campus.”

Last year the lack of members of the team hindered their chances of competing with other teams in the race; however, with as many as twelve runners vying for a chance to run, the number of opportunities for the team to win a meet have increased. 

Craig Malveaux can be reached at [email protected]
and
Melanie Ziems can be reached at [email protected]