Boston College Athletics
Hopes High for Women's Cross Country Team
August 11, 1999 | Women's Track & Field
Aug. 11, 1999
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - It's hard to blame eighth-year Boston College cross country coach Randy Thomas for getting a little excited when it comes to discussing the upcoming women's cross country season. True, the program has lost the finest runner ever to compete at Boston College, Angie Graham. True, the BIG EAST represents the nation's most rugged and competitive conference year in and year out, but this is the year that Thomas believes his Eagles can ascend into the upper reaches of the BIG EAST.
Armed with a solid corps of returnees and a talent-laden recruiting class, Thomas has high hopes for the 1999 team, as the veteran mentor is confident that his squad's season will culminate in a berth in the NCAA Championships. "The team is now ready to be the top program in New England and one of the top six nationally," Thomas said. "I think this is the year that we can move into the Top 3 of the BIG EAST."
Thomas believes junior Lisa McIsaac will assume Graham's spot at the front of the pack. A runner who posted an eighth-place finish at the Boston XC festival, McIsaac is a leader that her coach is counting on. "Lisa made a significant improvement last year and has the emotional commitment to emerge as a team leader," Thomas said.
A pair of seniors, Kyla Barbour and Shannon Smith, will also look to add veteran leadership and work ethic to the prosperous program. Barbour, whose junior season was cut short by injury after just one meet, will aim to finish her tenure with a bang hoping to qualify for the season-ending NCAA Championships for the third time.
"The tougher the course, the better Kyla is," Thomas said. "She has a strong will and a strong mind. I am looking for her to be the runner she can be." Smith came on strong towards the end of the 1998 campaign with an 11th place showing at the NCAA District I meet despite only starting to train in late September due to an injury she sustained over the summer. Thomas is hoping that the Fairport, NY native will return to the form she showed in 1997, a season which saw her garner All-American honors.
Four sophomores - Meghan Cunniff, Katie Ryan, Celeste Sedo and Sharon VanTuyl--will look to add depth and an added year of experience to the Eagles. Ryan improved steadily during her rookie campaign, with a ninth place finish in the NCAA District I meet giving her confidence for the upcoming year. Following her district showing, Ryan finished 72nd overall in NCAA's with her time of 18:01.84 ranking her eight among freshman.
"Five of our top seven runners last year were freshmen," Thomas said. "The freshmen are now sophomores and have experience."
The incoming freshman class, which includes state champions from New Jersey in Cate Guiney and Maine in Erin Herbig, will look to blend with the talented upper-classmen to form a formidable unit. Guiney, seen by her coach as an athlete who can attract other national-level talent to The Heights, captured the New Jersey state title while posting a seventh-place finish at the Foot Locker Invitational, the nation's most pretigious scholastic cross country meet. Coming to Boston College with her talented twin sister Maggie, Cate is a runner that Thomas believes can run near the top of the pack from the beginning.
"Cate and Maggie will both be tremendous assets to our program," Thomas said. "Cate will be an instant presence at the front of the pack. She brings a national-level mentality to our program."
Laura Smith, a newcomer from Holden, Mass. will also be counted on to make an immediate impact. "I really think that this is the year BC can step into the Top 3 of the conference," Thomas said. "One through 10 this team has excellent quality, experience and depth."
