Coming off of two of the finest seasons in program history, hopes are high for the men's and women's cross country teams as they embark on the 2011 campaign.

MEN

A familiar cast of characters returns to the cross country course for the Bearcat men, as they look to defend their 2010 Presidents' Athletic Conference title, the first earned by any team in Saint Vincent history.

Coached by 2010 PAC Coach of the Year Dr. Andy Herr, the Bearcat cross country team became the first team in school history to capture a PAC title, knocking off 23-time defending champion Grove City College to do so. All but four runners return in 2011, including six of the team's top seven.   After such a strong performance, expectations are high for the Bearcats, as they entered the season ranked sixth regionally by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, while also receiving votes in the USTFCCA national poll. 

As was the case throughout the PAC championship campaign, balance and depth should be the Bearcats' strong point. The team saw three different runners post team-best times over eight meets last season, culminating with the PAC Championships, where the Bearcats had five runners finish in the top 10, and all seven finish higher than 17^th.

The Bearcat senior class looks to be led by the duo of Kevin Wanichko and Ryan Barlow. Wanichko's times improved in each week last season, en-route to earning First Team All-PAC honors by finishing fifth at the PAC Championships. Barlow, who led the Bearcats in a pair of races, including the Saint Vincent Invitational in which he won the individual championship, was a Second Team All-PAC honoree after taking eighth at the conference meet. The two also helped lead the Bearcats to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Regional Championships, with Wanichko taking 39^th and Barlow 51^st. 

The senior class is rounded out by Tommy McLaughlin, Josh Hooke, and Aaron Seckar, as all three have continually improved throughout their careers and looks primed to battle for a consistent top-seven spot in 2011.

Junior Cam Stumme returns after putting forth a consistent sophomore campaign, capped off with a 16^th place overall finish at the PAC meet, and will be joined by another continually-improving runner in classmate Luke Briola.

Sophomore Chansler Poole put together arguably the top freshman season in team history in 2010, and peaked at the right time. He earned PAC First Team honors after leading the Bearcats with a fourth-place finish at the conference championships, and, two weeks later, again paced the team with a 30^th-place time of 26:03 at the NCAA Regional meet to become the first athlete in school history to qualify for the NCAA Championships. The Harrison City, PA native hardly disappointed, as he shattered his own freshman mark with a time of 25:53 in the five-mile race, finishing 168^th overall.

Poole's classmate, Andrew Razanauskas, also had a fine first year with the Bearcats. He finished in the team's top-seven in six different races, and was one of three PAC First Team honorees after taking sixth place at the conference meet, finishing seconds behind teammate Wanichko. A third sophomore, Justin Petrovich, will also battle to join the team's top seven, after showing consistent improvement throughout his inaugural year in Latrobe.

A trio of freshmen will join the healthy dose of returnees, in Chris Hameed, Eric Porter, and Brandon Holmes. 

The Bearcats open the 2011 season on Sept. 3^rd, taking part in the Duquesne University Duals against a field heavy in NCAA Division-I foes. SVC will also take place in invitationals hosted by the University of Notre Dame (Sept 16^th) and DeSales University (Oct. 8^th), as well as the NCAA Inter-Regional Rumble in Oberlin, OH on Oct. 15^th. The Bearcats will also look to defend their team title at the annual Saint Vincent Bearcat Invitational on Sept. 24^th.

 

WOMEN

Led by one of the most decorated runners in team history, the Saint Vincent women's cross country team looks to continue to solidify itself as a prime contender for the Presidents' Athletic Conference championship.

Coached by Tom Harbert, the Bearcat women showed its balance and depth to finish second at the 2010 PAC Championships, as the team's first seven runners all finished in the top 38.

The unquestioned leader, however, was Ivette Mejia. Now a senior, Mejia turned in unquestionably the finest single season in program history. 

The New York City native earned 2010 PAC MVP honors after finishing first as the conference meet with a time of 19:33.89. It was just the tip of the iceberg for Mejia, as she took home PAC Runner of the Week honors six times. She finished in the top eight individually in each of the Bearcats' seven races, winning individual titles at California (PA) and the Saint Vincent Invitational in addition to the PAC championship. Mejia owns the top five times in program history, including a pair of sub-19 minute performances achieved last season. She got the 2011 year off to a fine start, as well, clocking a time of 18:11 in the annual Saint Vincent Alumni Run 5K. 

Including Mejia, the Bearcats will welcome back five of its top seven finishers at the PAC meet, including the sophomore tandem of Rachel Paszko and Genie Fratto. The duo earned second team All-PAC honors after finishing 10^th and 11^th, respectively, at last year's conference meet, while each turned in a trio of sub-20 minute performances, holding down the team's second and third spots over the duration of the 2010 campaign.

Senior Natalie Wolff returns for her final season after showing solid, consistent improvement throughout the course of her career, and was the team's third or fourth runner in six of seven events last season, capped off with a 30^th-place finish at the PAC Championships, while another senior, Crystal Sherlock, has been a consistent top-seven runner for SVC over the past two seasons and looks to continue to hold down a top spot.

Juniors Gloria Bullock and Rebecca Leonard were also top contributors in 2010, consistently posting sub-25 minute times each week, while sophomore Emily Helbling was one of the team's most improved runners over the course of the year, capped off with a 35^th-place effort at the PAC Championships.

Rounding out the deep group of returnees are juniors Claire Badman, Natalie Baker, Allyson Lambert, and Alicia Pytlak, as well as sophomores Beth Ann Wieber and  Theresa Pitassi. 

Harbert will also welcome five freshmen to the team in 2011, as the Bearcats hope to continue one of their most successful runs in program history. Since joining the PAC as a provisional member in 2006, Saint Vincent has taken second place at the PAC championship four times, including in each of the past three years.

The Bearcats begin the 2011 campaign on Sept. 3^rd, taking part in the Westminster College/Fisher Invitational. Harbert's team will also travel to invitationals hosted by Waynesburg, the University of Notre Dame (IN), DeSales, and Gettysburg, while the Bearcats play host to the annual Saint Vincent Invitational on Sept. 24^th.