NCAA XC Countdown #29: Harvard Women and Florida Men

Jul 29, 2013 by Isaac Wood

For the next month, The Wood Report will be counting down projected team finishes in this year's NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, IN. Make sure to stay up-to-date with The Wood Report throughout the season. You should follow Isaac Wood on Twitter, too.

View the full NCAA Top 31 Countdown HERE.

#29

Harvard Women

Head Coach: Jason Saretsky (8th Season)

2012 National Finish: 31st

Key Returners from 2012

Viviana Hanley (Jr., 16:54, 35:46)
Morgan Kelly (Sr., 16:27)
Sammy Silva (Sr., 16:34)
Emily Reese (Sr., Top returner from Regional, no. 3 at Nats, 9:56 3k, hurt most of outdoor)

Season Preview

After finishing a race in last place as a team, there is only one thing on your mind going into the next season--to never let that happen again. This now veteran-laden Harvard team is looking like they are going to be able to do just that in 2013. Jason Saretsky comes into his 8th season as the Head Coach and has been a good developer of his athletes and has molded his girls into the dark horse of the upcoming season.

Here is why they are a dark horse (notice I said a, not the, this word will be mentioned many times throughout these previews). Although as a team Harvard finished 31st overall, they bring back every single one of their top seven from 2012. This means they have seven girls that have run at the NCAA meet, and once you taste what that is like, you never go back.

Viviana Hanley returns as the the Crimson's number one runner and a good track season where she made good improvements on all of her track PRs. She needs to step up and be the leader of this group along with a few others. Morgan Kelly was not nearly as good in cross as she was on the track, but her 16:27 PR is the best of the bunch and she should find herself at the front of the Crimson pack.

Emily Reese is a wildcard on this team because of how well she did in xc in the fall, but being hurt for outdoor hindered her ability to improve her track PRs and makes it difficult to tell where her progression lies. When she is able to step up and roll with Hanley et al she will play an important role in getting this team back to Terre Haute.

With everyone back from 2012, this Harvard women's team could be dangerous come regional time. If they can keep their 1-5 spread to with :30 seconds, with the solid returners in place this team has a shot at improving their regional place from '12 (tied for 4th) and make a splash at the big dance.

#29

Florida Men

Head Coach: Paul Spangler (2nd Season)

2012 National Finish: N/A

Key Returners from 2012

Mark Parrish (Sr., 14:02, 8:42 3k Steeple)
Jimmy Clark (Jr., 13:58, 29:08)
JL Hines (Jr., 29:26)
Eduardo Garcia (Jr.,14th South Regional finish '12)

Impact Recruits/Transfers

Andres Arroyo (Fr., 1:47.79, 4:04.45, 8:51.47)

Season Preview

A team that has been flying under-the-radar as a quality distance program for the last few years, is the University of Florida. Paul Spangler is a proven coach and has done a fantastic job making quality distance runners out of his recruits. With some potentially very good low-sticks up front, these Gators look ready to roll in 2013.

Jimmy Clark and Mark Parrish are the team's leaders heading into the season and will be looked upon for leadership and also for front-running. Clark and Parrish both had outstanding track seasons, Clark setting a 20+ second PR in the 5000m and Parrish a 5 second PR in the Steeple and qualifying for the National Championships. With these two athletes pounding in the miles this summer, they could be a scary 1-2 punch in the SEC and the South Region.

JL Hines is the wildcard of the group. Having had a pretty good XC season in '12, Hines turned things up a notch in track where he set a 74 second PR in the 10000m running 29:26 at the Stanford Invite. If he can improve in cross like he has on the track, he will add to an already good 1-2 punch.

What makes this team even more intriguing is the signing of one of the best prep distance runners in the country this past season, Andres Arroyo. Arroyo shocked the country with his 1:47 and 4:04 within two weeks of each other, so early in the season in the Spring of '13. He followed those marks up with an equally impressive 3200m PR of 8:51. The one question mark alongside Arroyo has been his inconsistency in cross country. He does have some experience running cross, having represented Puerto Rico at the World Junior Cross Country Championships, but he put together a poor race and ended up being one of the last to finish the race.

When Arroyo reaches the point where he can roll with Hines, Garcia, Clark, and Parrish, this is a very dangerous Florida team that could be looking at an automatic birth to Nationals through the South Region.