2010 Cross Country Season Outlook

Aug. 12, 2010

OVERVIEW Optimism will be the watchword for the 2010 season as the Clemson cross country teams prepare to make their move up the ranks within the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeast Region.

The sense of optimism that surrounds the women’s team stems primarily from the fact that Clemson returns its top six student-athletes from 2009. Lauren Reen and Sarah Turman.

The women’s team will also welcome a large group of newcomers, 11 runners to be exact. Several of the newcomers could have an immediate impact on Clemson’s lineup, thus pushing the returning group to greater heights.

While certainly a more tempered optimism exists within the men’s team, it still exists nonetheless. Chris Slate has the tools to be a top-15 runner at both the conference and regional level, but his supporting cast will be the wildcard in 2010. A solid recruiting class – one that includes a 2009 USA Junior Olympic champion and South Carolina’s Cross Country Gatorade Runner-of-the-Year – should bolster the team’s hopes for the coming season.

Assistant coach Brad Herbster has stated his goal is for both teams to place within the top five at the ACC Championships this season. While it may sound like a lofty goal, it should be noted that Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Lawrence Johnson guided the women’s team to a pair of ACC team championships in track & field just two years after an eighth-place finish.

Johnson has much of the same designs for the future of the cross country program.

“I think the kids that have had a full season under Coach Herbster have grown and learned a lot about themselves, and learned about how tough the ACC is for distance runners,” Johnson said. “We are looking forward to a resurgence in our cross country program. The leaders in our program know it’s possible. They’ve seen the turnaround we’ve had with our women’s track & field program in a short amount of time. Coach Herbster has attracted the kind of student-athletes here that we’ll need to be successful. My charge to them is to work their butts off to make a move from the bottom of the league toward the top. I think it’s a realistic goal to be top five in the ACC, especially on the women’s side.”

For the first time since 2006, the Tigers will play host to a cross country meet. The Clemson Invitational will be held Friday, Sept. 17 at Musser Farms, a peach orchard on university property that will house an 8000m, rolling hills course. The Tigers will also compete at the Gamecock Invitational (Sept. 3) and Charlotte Invitational (Oct. 1), prior to the NCAA Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, IN on Oct. 16. The ACC Championships will be held Oct. 30 in Boston, MA and the Southeast Regionals are slated for Nov. 13 in Louisville, KY.

“We’re excited to be playing host to our first cross country meet in years,” Johnson said. “Musser Farms will prove to be an outstanding home course location for the Tigers, as we continue to show our commitment to being a total program.”

MEN The Tiger men’s team endured a difficult season in 2009, but the addition of several high-profile recruits should provide a boost to team morale for 2010. Clemson will field a roster of 11 student-athletes, and seven of them will be new to the Tiger program this season.

One familiar face for Clemson cross country fans is Slate, a three-year letterman whose improvement on the track in 2010 should translate to more success in the fall. A middle distance standout by trade, Slate took his track performance to a new level this past spring after running the sixth-best time in Clemson history in the 800m and qualifying for the NCAA East Prelims. Slate was Clemson’s top runner at the ACC meet (38th) last season, as well as the Southeast Regionals.

“Chris is coming off a really good track season,” Herbster said. “He will be a lot more confident this season. He should be in the mix for a top-15 finish at ACCs and Regionals. He’s got immense talent.”

Other returning veterans from last year’s team are Chad Holt, Blake Kennedy and Jasen Turnbull. A native of Alpharetta, GA, Kennedy earned valuable postseason experience by competing in the 3000m steeplechase at the USA Junior Championships. He scored at both the conference and regional meet as a freshman a year ago. Turnbull also competed at the NCAA East Prelims in the spring in the 800m. He will provide leadership to a young team in 2010, according to Herbster.

Among the eight newcomers, several will have an opportunity from the start of the season to get into the mix to contribute major points for the team.

Kevin McKenna (Sloatsburg, NY) was a high school All-American in the steeplechase. Aaron Ramirez (Piedmont, SC) was the Gatorade Boys Cross Country Runner-of-the-Year in 2009 after claiming his second consecutive AAA state championship.

Perhaps the most heralded incoming runner is Georgia native Ty McCormack. The North Hall High School (Gainesville) product was the 2009 USA Junior Olympic cross country champion. He also earned high school All-America status by virtue of a fourth-place 5K finish at the 2010 New Balance Nationals.

“It’s exciting for us to see so many new people out there,” Herbster said. “At the end of the day, Slate will be much more challenged this season. We’ll see more confidence in the kids we have coming back. It will be great to see some leadership start to emerge, and for the kids to take pride in what they’re doing.”

WOMEN The 2009-10 academic year was a breakout campaign for Ruck, a budding star in the national scope of collegiate distance running. She was ninth individually at the ACC Cross Country Championships and 11th at the Southeast Regionals last fall. The conference finish was the best by a Clemson female in 11 years, while the regional showing was best by a Tiger female in 16 seasons.

Ruck’s success led to an even better showing on the track, where she was ACC indoor champion and an All-American at 5000 meters. She followed with All-ACC outdoor finishes in both the 5K and 10K. A strong student, Ruck has also been named to the All-ACC Academic Cross Country Team each of her first two seasons.

Clemson’s coaches feel Ruck is more than equipped to make a run at ACC and Southeast Regional individual championships this fall.

“Kim just has an unbelievable passion for running,” Johnson said. “She had a great deal of success last season, but I think even more is in store for her in 2010-11. She is going to be a household name, as it relates to distance running in the Southeast. We’re excited about what she brings to the table.”

Herbster agreed with Johnson’s assessment, and is quick to give all the credit to Ruck for going above and beyond what is expected.

“Last year was a learning curve for Kim,” Herbster said. “She gained a lot of confidence from indoor season, then took it outdoor. I was a little surprised she held it together for so long, but it’s a credit to her work ethic and the base she developed last fall.”

Buffo and Kulik both made individual strides during the 2010 outdoor track season, as both qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the 3000m steeplechase. Kulik established the school record in the event, while Buffo is No. 2 on the all-time list. Last fall, Buffo was Clemson’s No. 3 runner at the ACC Championships and Kulik was the team’s fourth scorer.

Reen was named to the All-ACC Academic Team and scored in all five meets she competed in as a first-year freshman. She was the team’s second-best runner at the ACC Championships and Southeast Regionals, finishing 37th at both meets.

Baker was an All-ACC and all-region performer in 2008 for the Tigers, before a demanding academic workload took over last fall. Baker spent the summer working at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, but has returned to campus in great shape.

“I’m excited to see what the sleeping giant Jenna Baker can do,” Herbster said. “She’s managed her time well over the summer and if she can kick it up a notch, she’ll do a good job for us.”

Among the other returning runners, Turman appears to be best equipped to contribute to the team’s success in 2010. The sophomore from Taylors, SC scored at both major competitions last season and shaved nearly 30 seconds off her 6K time from ACCs to Regionals.

While Clemson welcomes 11 newcomers to the roster this season, one of them will not be able to compete for the Tigers in 2010. Kate Borowicz transferred from Georgia Tech and will red-shirt while sitting out this fall. She was the 10th-place finisher last season as a freshman for the Yellow Jackets at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, NC. Borowicz was a standout at J.L. Mann High School in Greenville, SC prior to her time in Atlanta.

Natalie Anthony (Randolph, NJ) was a track All-American in the spring after helping Randolph High School’s 4x1600m relay to a third-place finish at the New Balance Nationals. She is expected to be in the mix for one of the five scoring spots in Clemson’s lineup.

Lauren Hopper (Ashland, VA) could also be impact newcomers. Henshaw won four AAAA state championships with two different relay teams at Northwest High School. Hopper was a two-time All-State performer in cross country for Hanover High School, a team coached by her father.

Other freshmen that could see action in the fall are Michelle Arms (Irmo, SC), Kelly Conway (Albany, GA), Paige Cox (Myrtle Beach, SC), Corinne Duvall (North Potomac, MD), Lisa Girard (Greenville, SC), Walker Marion (North Charleston, SC) and Alexa Neiling (Mauldin, SC).