2009 Outlook

The 2009 season promises to be an exciting one for the Griffins as the men aim to defend their CSAC Championship while the women are out to win the first title in program history.

Leading the way for the women will be a trio of returning first-team all-conference performers. Sophomore Erica Matticola was the conference runner-up as a freshmen while senior captain Alycia Tranchitella and sophomore Katherine Klinges were 4th and 5th respectively. Tranchitella has been a three-time all-conference performer during her career and was the 2007 PAC Individual Champion.  In addition to the three front-runners sophomore Regina Sellman earned second-team all-conference honors in 2008 with her 12th place finish. Other runners looking to make an impact include junior Julie Glendinning and two freshmen Kaitlin Rella and Patty Boland.

The men are lead by a solid returning top five.  Junior John Watts, senior R.J. Every, and sophomore Brendan Sharp all earned first-team all-conference honors in 2008 by finishing 3rd, 4th and 7th respectively. Senior Dan Geary and sophomore Matt VanDenHengel earned second-team all-conference honors with their 9th and 10th place finishes. Freshman Joe Embleton will look to make a significant impact in his first season. A host of returning Griffins will be looking to make the top seven this year including senior Jason Robustelli and sophomore Mark Ziegler.

The men will be challenged by conference runner-up Keystone College who defeated the Griffins two weeks after the CSAC meet at the 2008 NCAA Mideast Regional Championship. The women will be challenged by defending champions Keystone College and the third place team from 2008, Marywood University.

The Griffins kick off their season with the Richard Stockton Invitational on September 1, 2009. Other key meets include the Haverford Invitational on September 24th, The Paul Short Invitational on October 2nd, the CSAC Conference Championship on November 7th, and the Mideast Regional Championship on November 14th.

Advancement to the NCAA Division III National Championship is achieved at the Mideast Regional meet. The top two teams from each of the eight regions automatically qualify with the 3rd – 5th place teams in each region earning consideration for an additional 16 at-large bids to the championship. Individually, the top 7 athletes on non-qualifying teams earn a place in the championship field.

 

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