Spring Hill College Cross Country 2016

CROSS COUNTRY

2016

CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW 2016

Spring Hill College Men and Women’s Cross Country head coach Craig McVey enters his fourth season with a sense of excitement for what lays ahead for his programs. “We are very young on both rosters, but I actually consider that to be an advantage for us this year,” he says. “We’ve had to hit the reset button and we are in the middle of making a huge jump in culture with the transition into NCAA Division II. We have brought in new people with a background of success and who understand our goals. These are prerequisites to compete successfully at the collegiate level.”

The Badger coach also expects his student-athletes to maintain high standards across the board in their lives and sees their entire collegiate experience as vital to the process. “Last year we won the conference Academic Team of Year awards in Men’s Track and Women’s Cross Country,” he says. “This year our goal is to sweep all four and we are all very committed to that.”

McVey is confident that his six freshmen men and five freshmen women are ready for the challenges ahead of them. “They have a mentality and experience beyond their years,” he says. “It sounds trite, but they are ‘all in’ when it comes to believing in our system. They hold everyone accountable. I told them that from the moment we started workouts this fall that we are now focused on winning the conference championship once we are eligible after the transition process in 2017. It will take a daily effort, but they are out to win it.”

As expected, the women’s team will be led by the upperclassmen in junior Nicole Kotval of Baton Rouge, La., and redshirt sophomore Gabrielle Hantak of St. Louis, Mo. “Both Nicole and Gabby have picked up where they left off in 2015,” says McVey. “Typically, it is during the junior season when college athletes move to another level of performance in cross country, so we look for really good things from both of them.” He is also pleased with the depth of the team as juniors Elizabeth Kilpatrick of Crested Butte, Colo., Chelsea James of New Orleans, La.,

Kori Lackey of Slidell, La., and Anastasia Walloga of Houston, Texas, join sophomore Kara McKinney of Fairhope, Ala., in building a solid core of experienced runners.

The freshman class includes Lauren Fischer of Marietta, Ga., Amelia Hoffeld of Covington, La., Jessica In of Buras, La., Kylie Purdy from Trussville, Ala., and Meghan Sullivan of Hattiesburg, Miss. “The great thing about this squad is that the freshmen are not scared to test themselves against our more experienced runners,” says McVey. “We have so much depth that after Nicole and Gabby, we really aren’t too concerned with who finishes in which spot in the end. It’s a group of runners that might have different three through five finishers every week.”

For the men’s team, McVey says that his newcomers are not thinking like freshmen. “The whole crew of freshmen is running off each other,” he says. “And that’s important because they will be transitioning from the 5,000-meter races of high school to the collegiate 8,000-meter distance and that can a difficult transition.” Freshmen Spencer Albright of Covington, Joe Butler of Kirkwood, Mo., Cade Dernlan of St. Louis, Robby Letson of Pelham, Ala., Julian Sparks from Round Rock, Texas, and David Toups of Baton Rouge, La., all look to make an immediate impact while junior Cobe Kirkikis of New Orleans joins the Kirkikis dynasty of runners at Spring Hill in his first Badger season.

McVey expects his returning athletes in sophomore Brenton Jennings of Red Level, Ala., and junior Kent Cheramie, of Harahan, La., to be a huge help on and off the course this season with such a young squad. “We tweaked the schedule a little bit this year to help our freshmen make the adjustment, but we are aiming to have them grow into form by midseason,” says McVey. “By then we need to be doing what we want at the level we want. That means that we ‘team run’ in reasonably distanced packs. The extra transition year will help us grow and develop as we aim at performing at the conference and regional levels, but we must learn to run together as fast as we can.”

COACHING STAFF

Craig McVey - Head Coach

Craig McVey returns for his fourth season as the head coach of the Badger cross country teams after joining SHC as the first head coach of the Badger men’s and women’s outdoor track & field programs in the summer of 2012. McVey came to Spring Hill after enjoying 15 years as the associate head track & field coach at the University of Albany where he was part of 28 America East Conference (AEC) championships and three Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A) titles.

McVey, who also served as the head coach of the Albany men’s and women’s cross country teams, saw his men’s squad win the AEC title in 2011 while his women’s team won back-to-back ECAC University Division (I) titles in 2010 and 2011. Previously the men’s and women’s cross country coach at the College of Saint Rose (N.Y.) during the 1996-97 season, his women’s team won the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) championship and the men finishing as the runner-up with Golden Knight runners claiming both individual titles.

McVey began his collegiate coaching career in cross country and track & field at Kansas State in 1983. His athletes captured 18 Big Eight Conference titles and ranked as the top NCAA combined men’s and women’s program. He became the head men’s and women’s cross country and track coach at Hartwick College (N.Y.) in 1988 where his teams eclipsed 83 school records while producing 22 New York Collegiate individual champions during his tenure.

McVey earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Kansas State University. As an undergraduate student, McVey was a member of two Big Eight Conference indoor track & field championship teams and a Big Eight cross country championship team. He and his wife, Bette, have four children: Luke, Kirsten, Maggie and Tyler.

Donald Cooper - Assistant Coach

Donald Cooper joined the Badger staff in October 2015. A 2012 graduate of Samford University in Birmingham, he competed in the Decathlon, High Jump and 400-meters while earning All-Southern Conference honors all four seasons of his career. Cooper began his coaching career in 2012 as an Assistant Track & Field Coach at Neosho (Kan.) Community College where he coached Multi events along with Hurdles and Throws. He coached one National Championship winner in the women’s 60-meter hurdles and eight All-Americans in Throws and Heptathlon. In 2014, he was an Assistant Track Coach at the University of Montevallo where he coached Men’s and Women’s Throws, Jumps, Multis and Sprints.

GENERAL FACTS

Name of School: Spring Hill College

City/State/Zip: Mobile, AL 36608

President: Christopher Puto, Ph.D.

Founded: 1830

Enrollment: 1,496

Nickname: Badgers

School Colors: Purple, white

School Website: shc.edu/about

Affiliation: NCAA Division II

Conference: Southern Intercollegiate

Athletic

Athletic Director: Jim Hall

Alma Mater: Grinnell College, 1995 Compliance: Chad LeBlanc

Senior Woman Administrator: Alison Sellers-Cook

Faculty Athletic Representative: Steven Aldridge, Ph.D.

Athletic Department Phone: 251-380-3485

Athletic Department Fax: 251-460-2196

Sports Information Director: Jim Stennett

Alma Mater: Mississippi State, 1990

SID Phone: (251) 380-4468

SID Email: jstennett@shc.edu

Athletics Website: www.shcbadgers.com

Facebook: SHCBADGERS

Twitter: SHCBADGERS

Instagram: SHCBADGERS

COACHING STAFF

Head Coach: Craig McVey (4th season)

Alma Mater (Year): Kansas State University, 1979

Office Phone: (251) 380-4081

Email: cmcvey@shc.edu

Assistant Coach: Donald Cooper (1st season)

Strength & Conditioning: Justin Goonan

Head Athletic Trainer: Brian Gronwold, ATC Office Phone: 251-380-3493

WOMEN’S TEAM INFORMATION

2015 SIAC Finish: Ineligible due to NCAA transition

Final 2015 NCAA Ranking: n/a

No. of runners returning/lost/new: 7/2/5

MEN’S TEAM INFORMATION

2015 SIAC Finish: Ineligible due to NCAA transition

Final 2015 NCAA Ranking: n/a

No. of runners returning/lost/new: 3/6/7

WOMEN’S 2016 ROSTER

Player

Chelsea James Jr 1L

Elizabeth Kilpatrick Jr. 1L

Nicole Kotval Jr 1L

Kori Lackey Jr. 1L

Anastasia Walloga Jr 1L

Gabrielle Hantak R-So. SQ

Kara McKinney So. 1L

Lauren Fischer Fr. HS

Amelia Hoffeld Fr. HS

Jessica In Fr. HS

Kylie Purdy Fr. HS

Meghan Sullivan Fr. HS

WOMEN’S 2015 RESULTS

New Orleans, La./Academy of the Sacred Heart

Crested Butte, Colo./Crested Butte Community School

Baton Rouge, La./St. Joseph’s Academy

Slidell, La./Slidell HS

Houston, Texas/Incarnate Word Academy

St. Louis, Mo./Rosari-Kain HS

Fairhope, Ala./Fairhope HS

Marietta, Ga./Pope HS

Covington, La./St. Scholastica Academy

Buras, La./South Plaquemines HS

Trussville, Ala./Hewitt Trussville HS

Hattiesburg, Miss./Sacred Heart Catholic HS

September 4 – University of Southern Mississippi Invitational hosted by the University of Southern Mississippi at Tatum Park, Hattiesburg. Miss. (5,000 meters). Team: Spring Hill College, 3rd of 4 teams (87 points). Individuals: (28 runners) 7/7 (Place/Points), Nicole Kotval 20:36.17; 10/9, Katie Dolan 21:48.65; 16/15, Amie Gilbert 22:56.94; 21/20, Elizabeth Kilpatrick 24:25.49; 24/23, Kara McKinney 26:22.86; 25, Anastasia Walloga 26:34.08; 27, Kori Lackey 28:21.56; 28, Chelsea James 31:58.12.

September 12 – AllState Sugar Bowl Cross Country Festival hosted by Loyola University (La.) at Lafreniere Park, Metairie, La. (5,000 meters). Team: Spring Hill College, 3rd of 5 teams (62 points). Individuals: (59 runners) 20/5 (Place/Points), Katie Dolan 22:50.3; 21/6, Amie Gilbert 23:10.2; 33/14, Kara McKinney 25:36.9; 36/16, Elizabeth Kilpatrick 26:35.7; 43/21, Anastasia Walloga 27:33.5; 47, Kori Lackey 28:37.0; 55, Chelsea James 31:35.4.

September 19 – Montevallo Falcon Classic hosted by University of Montevallo at Montevallo Cross Country Course, Montevallo, Ala. (6,000 meters). Team: Spring Hill College, 5th of 8 teams (121 points). Individuals: (66 runners) 7/7 (Place/Points), Nicole Kotval 24:52.84; 24/20, Katie Dolan 26:42.53; 36/29, Amie Gilbert 28:58.64; 40/32, Kara McKinney 30:03.65; 41/33, Elizabeth Kilpatrick 30:09.22; 47, Anastasia Walloga 34:06.14; 48, Kori Lackey 34:06.57; 49, Chelsea James 34:59.48.

October 3 – 10th annual Foothills Invitational hosted by Jacksonville State University at Oxford Lake & Recreation Center, Oxford, Ala. (5,000 meters). Team: Spring Hill College, 4th of 6 teams (79 points). Individuals: (60 runners) 9/7 (Place/Points), Nicole Kotval 18:53.04; 30/12, Katie Dolan 21:10.58; 36/18, Amie Gilbert 22:25.34; 39/20, Kara McKinney 23:37.12; 41/22; Elizabeth Kilpatrick 24:17.45; 48, Kori Lackey 25:48.50; 49, Anastasia Walloga 26:22.08; 53, Chelsea James 28:29.65.

October 9 – Disney Cross Country Class hosted by ESPN at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando, Fla. (5,000 meters). Team: 27th of 34 teams (731 points). Individuals: (304 runners) 40/37 (Place/Points), Nicole Kotval 19:18.80; 134/110, Katie Dolan 21:20.20; 237/184, Kara McKinney 24:07.40; 247/190, Elizabeth Kilpatrick 24:42.20; 277/210, Anastasia Walloga 26:38.90; 278, Kori Lackey 26:42.20; 282, Chelsea James 27:46.20.

October 24 – Sand Shark Invitational hosted by University of South Carolina Beaufort at Sgt. Jasper Park, Hardeeville, S.C. (5,000 meters). Team: 21st of 28 teams (583 points). Individuals: (264 runners) 32/32 (Place/Points), Nicole Kotval 19:30.35; 81/77, Katie Dolan 20:30.10; 181/144, Kara McKinney 23:05.78; 203/155, Elizabeth Kilpatrick 23:52.74; 233/175, Anastasia Walloga 25:43.56; 250, Chelsea James 27:19.58.

WOMEN’S 2016 ROSTER

MEN’S 2016 ROSTER

Player Class Exp. Hometown/Previous School(s)

Kent Cheramie Jr 1L

Harahan, La./Brother Martin HS

Cobe Kirkikis Jr. HS New Orleans, La./Brother Martin HS

Brenton Jennings So 1L

Spencer Albright Fr. HS

Red Level, Ala./Straughn HS

Covington, La./Saint Paul’s School

Joe Butler Fr. HS Kirkwood, Mo./Saint Louis University HS

Cade Dernlan Fr. HS St. Louis, Mo./Saint Louis University HS

Robby Letson Fr. HS Pelham, Ala./Pelham HS

Julian Sparks Fr. HS

Round Rock, Texas/St. Dominic Savio

David Toups Fr. HS Baton Rouge, La./Catholic HS

MEN’S 2015 RESULTS

September 4 – University of Southern Mississippi Invitational hosted by the University of Southern Mississippi at Tatum Park, Hattiesburg. Miss. (5,000 meters). Team: Spring Hill College, 2nd of 3 teams (53 points). Individuals: (21 runners) 3/3 (Place/Points), Jordan Travis 16:55.19; 11/10, Phillip Travis 18:43.58; 13/12, Terence Hinton 20:14.46; 14/13, Brenton Jennings 20:26.91; 17/15, Chibueze Emefo 22:12.67; 18, Jonathan Thomas 23:07.86; 21, Kent Cheramie 28:56.50.

September 12 – AllState Sugar Bowl Cross Country Festival hosted by Loyola University (La.) at Lafreniere Park, Metairie, La. (5,000 meters). Team: Spring Hill College, 1st of 5 teams (45 points). Individuals: (53 runners) 14/1 (Place/Points), Jordan Travis 17:23.5; 29/7, Phillip Travis 19:24.4; 32/10, Brenton Jennings 20:01.6; 34/12, Terence Hinton 20:14.9; 37/15, Jonathan Thomas 20:20.4; 41, Chibueze Emefo 20:45.3; 52, Kent Cheramie 28:51.0.

September 19 – Montevallo Falcon Classic hosted by University of Montevallo at Montevallo Cross Country Course, Montevallo, Ala. (8,000 meters). Team: Spring Hill College, 5th of 9 teams (136 points). Individuals: (60 runners) 2/2 (Place/Points), Jordan Travis 28:03.30; 34/30, Terence Hinton 34:04.86; 35/31, Jonathan Thomas 34:42.40; 39/35, Chibueze Emefo 35:46.00; 43/38, Brenton Jennings 36:23.41; 44, Phillip Travis 36:46.13.

October 3 – 10th annual Foothills Invitational hosted by Jacksonville State University at Oxford Lake & Recreation Center, Oxford, Ala. (8,000 meters). Team: Spring Hill College, 3rd of 5 teams (88 points). Individuals: (47 runners) 16/12 (Place/Points), Jordan Travis 27:50.96; 30/16, Phillip Travis 30:34.46; 31/17, Terence Hinton 30:44.82; 33/19, Brenton Jennings 31:37.40; 38/24, 33:43.41; 41, Jonathan Thomas 35:40.62; 47, Kent Cheramie 43:17.63.

October 9 – Disney Cross Country Class hosted by ESPN at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando, Fla. (8,000 meters). Team: No Team Score. Individuals: (256 runners) 214, Terence Hinton 31:26.80; 230, Jonathan Thomas 32:39.30; 243, Chibueze Emefo 34:06.80; 256, Kent Cheramie 45:18.80.

October 17 – Choctaw Open hosted by Mississippi College at Choctaw Trails, Clinton, Miss. (8,000 meters). Team: 15th of 17 teams (429 points). Individuals (132 runners) 97/79 (Place/Points), Jordan Travis 31:34.59; 102/82, Terence Hinton 32:22.60; 103/83, Chibueze Emefo 32:24.27; 105/85, Jonathan Thomas 33:05.99; 124/100; Kent Cheramie 45:11.81.

October 24 – Sand Shark Invitational hosted by University of South Carolina Beaufort at Sgt. Jasper Park, Hardeeville, S.C. (8,000 meters). Team: No Team Score. Individuals: (276 runners) 234, Terence Hinton 32:33.63; 238, Chibueze Emefo 32:44.43; 240, Jonathan Thomas 33:09.04.

2016 SCHEDULE

September

September

October

October

October