#12
Texas Men
Head Coach: Brad Herbster (1st Season)
2012 National Finish- 9th
Key Returners from 2012
- Craig Lutz (Jr., 3:49 1500m, 8:07 Open 3k, 14:00 5k, 29:22 10k)
- Ryan Dohner (Sr., 3:46 1500m, 7:58 Open 3k, 13:45 5k, 29:05 10k)
- Daniel Vertiz (So., 14:20 5k, 29:55 10k)
- Mark Pinales (Jr., 14:30 5k, 29:40 10k)
- Brady Turnbull (So., 3:47 1500m)
- Will Nation (Sr., 14:06 5k, 29:33 10k)
Impact Recruits/Transfers
- Nate Moore (Redshirt Frosh, 5:56 2k Steeple (US Jr. record)
Season Preview
Around Austin, Texas now-a-days things are a little bit different than they were in 2012. A new head coach, new cross country coach, and maybe of the leaders from the team last season are gone. Brad Herbster is now the man in charge and has been given a great crop of athletes to work with to get them ready to roll in 2013 and back to Terre Haute.
The Longhorns do lose a good chunk of their depth from 2012 to graduation (Tunningley, McGregor, Merber, Van Ackeren, etc), but they have some guys waiting in the wings to take their place and fill the roles needed for Texas to be successful this season.
Ryan Dohner and Craig Lutz are the leaders of this squad and are both potential top 10-15 finishers at NCAAs this year.
Dohner has been one of the most consistent distance runners in the country for the past few seasons and is always in the mix up front in every race he is in. He might have struggled a bit toward the end of the outdoor track season, but it was a long 2011-2012 for him and this summer was definitely needed for Dohner. He was very busy running well early during xc in 2012 where he finished 19th overall in Louisville. His third place finish at Big 12 Outdoors this spring was solid and the wheels came off a little at NCAAs. No matter, Dohner is for real and is a vital low-stick for the Longhorns.
Craig Lutz is the complete opposite of Dohner from 2012. Lutz for the most part had a good cross country season, but an injury forced him to end his NCAA run early. The good news for Lutz is that he was able to turn around his year by ending it off with the best race of his career at NCAA outdoors in the 10k. His third place finish was astounding and surprised many of people in the country. He placed himself among the top-tier distance guys in the country and will have the opportunity to atone for his unfortunate XC Nats from 2012, this upcoming season.
Daniel Vertiz, the prep star, is now one year older and more experienced and should be able to provide some quality depth in the top five and is their likely no. 3. His track PRs from 2012 are good and proof that he is capable of doing some good things out on the xc course.
Mark Pinales is a quality middle pack guy who is experienced and will provide stability with his consistent running. Pinales had made good strides every year and if he continues to progress he could have a breakout season.
Will Nation is the wildcard of this team because of his redshirt year last season, he might not be in the minds of many when they think of Texas' squad this year. He has very good track PRs and seemingly has the ability to roll with Pinales and Vertiz, if not be a legitimate no. 3 for the Longhorns.
With all of these things considered, Texas is still going to be good even after the loss of some serious studs. The returning region champs from 2012, the Longhorns have some work to do to defend their title over Arkansas, but with some great front-running and some nice depth, the Brad Herbster is looking to have a very successful first year at the helm in Austin.
#12
Georgetown Women
Head Coach: Michael Smith (2nd Season)
2012 National Finish- 12th
Key Returners from 2012
- Madeline Chambers (Jr., 4:20 1500m, 9:09 Open 3k, 16:10 5k)
- Katrina Coogan (Jr., 4:13 1500m, 9:04 Open 3k, 15:50 5k)
- Samantha Nadel (So., 9:25 Open 3k, 16:14 5k)
- Rachel Schneider (Sr., 4:16 1500m, 9:17 Open 3k)
- Annamarie Maag (Jr., 9:39 Open 3k, 16:36 5k, 35:38 10k)
- Jenna Davidner (Jr., 16:49 5k, 35:40 10k)
- Joanna Stevens (Jr., 9:40 Open 3k, 16:36 5k)
Impact Recruits/Transfers
- Bobbie Burgess (Fr., 30th NXN '12, 9th FL Finals '12, 10:37 3200m)
- Stefanie Kurgatt (Fr., 4:49 1600m, 10:39 3200m)
- Rachel Paul (Redshirt Frosh, 9:22 Open 3k, 4:26 1500m (HS), 10:25 3200m)
- Haley Pierce (Redshirt Frosh, 4:41 1600m, 10:11 3200m, 9:16 Open 3k)
Season Preview
The Women Hoyas are potentially the scariest team in the NCAA for this upcoming 2013 season. With the depth of quality returners and top notch back to back recruiting classes, Coach Michael Smith has a wealth of talent that is prepared to defend their Big East title and to reclaim the Mid-Atlantic Regional title (that Penn State snagged from them by two points).
Where to begin? Honestly, this team has so many talented athletes that beginning to analyze them is causing serious writer's block.
To start credit needs to be given to Madeline Chambers for being the consistent no. 1 runner for the Hoyas for the majority of the 2012 season as a sophomore. She has two years under her belt of quality experience and is ready for an All-American season. Chambers is a pure cross country athlete and thrives out on the course. With her toughness and diligence, if she stays healthy, she's a very good no. 1.
Katrina Coogan, similarly to Chambers, was a consistent no. 2 runner in the championship portion of the season (except for the regional she was the third girl) for G-Town. Coogan is coming off of a very good track season. Her PRs of 4:13 for 1500m, 9:04 for the 3k indoors, and 15:50 put her in an elite group in the NCAA and she is certainly capable of being the Hoyas' no. 1 girl for 2013.
Annamarie Maag led Georgetown early on in 2012 at Pre-Nats and eventually settled into a no.3-5 girl and will be looked to for a similar contribution in 2013. Maag is a consistent athlete that is another piece to the puzzle for this program.
Speaking of pieces of the puzzle, Georgetown has eight other girls that could possibly make their top seven and would be on the majority of the top sevens on any team in the NCAA. In fact, this would be a very good year for Coach Smith to look at redshirting some athletes. This could save some excellent runners for another year when they might not be as deep as they are now.
From a recruiting standpoint, the past few seasons have brought in quite the crop of harriers from the prep ranks. The redshirt freshman that were a part of the 2012 class that will contribute are Haley Pierce and Rachel Paul. Pierce is a darkhorse that could be capable of rolling up front with Coogan and Chambers.
The most recent recruiting crop landed Bobbie Burgess and Stephanie Kurgatt. Burgess was one of the top cross country runners in the country for her class in 2012 and will bring that high level experience to the table for the Hoyas this year. Granted, she could be one of the girls that could redshirt and learn from the very quality girls she will be surrounded by.
The key for Georgetown is consistency from their 3-5 runners. Coogan and Chambers are very good front runners. It is crucial that the Hoyas stay healthy (the case for every team in NCAA) and that Maag, Schneider, Nadel, Davidner, and Stevens can stay mentally tough enough to play their important role of keeping the 1-5 spread very close.
If they can do so, this ranking is a farce and they deserve to be at least top 10, if not better. Until they prove otherwise, #12 is the right spot for Georgetown to start off the 2013 season.
