Boston College Athletics
Men's Cross Country Off and Running This Saturday
September 05, 2002 | Men's Track & Field
Sept. 5, 2002
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The 2002 Boston College men's cross country team begins the 2002 season this Saturday at the Central Connecticut State University Invitational.
This year's team will be led by senior captain Shawn Wallace, a talented cross country and track veteran for the Eagles. Wallace had a successful junior campaign, highlighted by a 26:00 finish on the hilly Van Cortland Park in the Bronx. Wallace also ran his personal best last year, finishing in 25:49 at Franklin Park in Boston. With experience, he has improved into a strong runner, and will look to compete for a top 25 finish in the BIG EAST Championships by running sub-25:00.
Along with Wallace, Head coach Randy Thomas will look to senior Brian Mahoney and junior Byron Gartrell to lead the Eagles on and off the course this year. Mahoney, who is coming off a successful spring season, is looking to make some noise in the BIG EAST. He ran a season best 25:57 to finish fifth for the Eagles at the Boston College Invitational in 2001. Gartrell, who ran the fastest 8K time last season out of all returnees with a 25:44, will look to improve on that time in the 2002 campaign. Coach Thomas believes that Mahoney and Gartrell will be able to go sub-25:00, along with Wallace. Rounding out the group of veterans will be senior Matthew Kootman, who was a BIG EAST qualifier in the 5K during the spring track season.
Thomas and assistant coach John Mortimer will also look to sophomores Ryan Burke and Trevor Rozier-Byrd to improve on successful freshman seasons. Burke turned it up towards the end of 2001, running a 26:43 at Franklin Park and a 26:57 at the BIG EAST Championships at Van Cortlandt Park. His BIG EAST performance was good for fourth on the team. Rozier-Byrd, who is coming off impressive indoor and outdoor track seasons, will look to figure in the scoring for BC this season.
Thomas will add seven freshmen to the roster this season, all with impressive high school resumes. Leading the newcomers will be Ryan Lowry and Drew Wiechnicki, both of whom Thomas believes can make a substantial impact on the squad. Lowry, a 4:18 miler, collected all-state honors at Detroit Catholic Central in Michigan. Wiechnicki, a native of western Massachusetts, has also collected all-state honors, as well as being named Berkshire County cross country MVP twice.
Thomas and his staff believe the 2002 men's cross country team can, and will, compete for a strong finish in the BIG EAST. The Eagles return many veterans who know what it takes to compete against the BIG EAST powerhouses. Disciplined, hard-working, and gutsy are all adjectives that can be applied to this year's squad. With this mix, the Boston College men's cross country will look to run their way to a memorable 2002 season.
