EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams are putting the final touches on their preseason workouts as the 2012 season will begin on Friday, August 31. The Wasps will travel to Harrisonburg, Va. to compete in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Preview race, hosted by Eastern Mennonite.
The 2012 season will be the first for Head Coach Tom Antenucci, who comes to Emory & Henry as the first-ever full-time cross country coach. Antenucci, who will also serve as Facility Operations Coordinator in the King Center, comes to the College from Abingdon High School where he was Head Boys Track & Field Coach and Assistant Cross Country Coach.
On the men’s side, Emory & Henry returns three runners from a team that finished ninth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in 2011. This season, the Wasps are picked to finish 10th out of 11 squads. Seniors Matthew Williams (Stuart, Va.) and Madison Williams (Chapel Hill, N.C.) will provide leadership to a strong corps of young runners this season. Top freshmen for E&H coming into the season are Dylan Turner (Roanoke, Va.) and Nathan Fishell (Richmond, Va.).
“I'm very excited about our men's team this season,” said Antenucci. “Despite graduating our top runner from last year, Keran Billaud, the group of freshmen we've brought in will help us to improve on our ninth place finish from a year ago. Adding them to a team with three seniors will give us an excellent combination of youth and experience. I fully expect to have 4-5 runners breaking the 30:00 barrier for 8K this season.”
The women’s team is also in a period of change as the 2012 season is the first time since 2008 that the Wasps have had a roster of five or greater, the number needed to score as a team in a meet. Led by senior Kaitlyn Phibbs (Saltville, Va.), E&H brings in two freshmen that will make an immediate impact on the team in Gabbie Rhodes (Richmond, Va.) and Olivia Knight (Columbia, S.C.).
“When I was hired this spring, my biggest goal for our women's team was to field a full squad this season,” commented Antenucci. “We have already achieved this goal, and I am now looking for our team to start moving up the ranks of the ODAC. With only one senior this season, we have the pieces in place to start building a competitive program immediately. I'm really excited about the possibilities for these women, and expect huge improvements from each and every one of them.”
Emory & Henry will compete in six regular season races this fall including the annual Wasper 5K, which will be held on the E&H campus on Saturday, October 20 as a part of the College's Homecoming celebration. The 2012 ODAC Championships are set for October 27 at 11:00 a.m., in Harrisonburg, Va., on the same course as this weekend's preview event.
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