Lancaster, PA - October 24, 2000 -- The eighth annual Centennial Conference cross country championship figures to look like the previous seven.
Haverford's men and a wide-open women's race.
Western Maryland College's golf course will be the site for the Conference meet on Saturday, October 28. The men's race, covering 8,000 meters, begins at 11 a.m., while the women's 5K competition gets underway at noon.
Seven times the Haverford men have gone to the post at the Centennial meet... and seven times the Fords have (pardon the pun) run away from the field. Haverford is ranked ninth nationally and has the talent to break the team scoring record of 20 points set by - the Fords - in 1994. As a matter of fact, if Haverford does not score in the 20s it will be a shock, as the "Goats" have scored 26 or fewer points each of the last six meets.
After taking a year off, Haverford senior Jason Bernstein (Highland Park, IL / Highland Park) once again is the man to beat. He shoots for his second individual title, capturing the gold medal in 1998. Bernstein (pictured)finished second at the NYU Invitational. But hot on his heels will be teammates J.B. Haglund (Brentwood, TN / Brentwood) and Stephon Petro (Columbia, MD / Oakland Mills), who helped the Fords to an eighth-place finish at the Lehigh Paul Short Invitational, besting numerous Division I opponents, including Villanova.
Also keep an eye on these runners with a shot at the gold - Swarthmore senior Marc Jeuland (Chicago, IL / Lincoln Park), who won the Allentown Invitational and finished second at Dickinson and Red Devil junior Brad Haywood (Rowayton, CT / Fairfield Prep), who finished first at Rochester, fourth at WMC and seventh at Dickinson.
Others to watch include Dickinson senior Nate Boice (Millbrook, NY / Millbrook) and junior Nick Grover (Bradford Woods, PA / North Allegheny), who finished third and seventh, respectively, at WMC's Invitational earlier this fall; Franklin & Marshall senior Jordan Romano (West Chester, PA / Henderson); Gettysburg senior Jon Catlett (North Chatham, NY / Albany Academy), who placed second at Lebanon Valley; Johns Hopkins senior Drew Kitchen (Fort Wayne, IN / Homestead); Muhlenberg junior Will Elson (Nyack, NY / Saddle River Day, NJ), who was second at William Paterson, and sophomore Brendan Gallagher (Brookfield, CT / Brookfield), Ursinus junior Brian Penderghast (Harleysville, PA / Souderton) and Western Maryland freshman Jimmy Thayer (Woodbridge, VA / Potomac).
Whan handicapping the women's race, history is no hope. Haverford has won three team championships, but has come up empty since 1996. Dickinson has two titles (1997-98), but was upset by Western Maryland last fall. So who's the favorite this year?
Start with the Fords, who ran to a fourth-place finish at the Dickinson Invitational, besting six Centennial teams, including the host Devils. Look for sophomore Kristin Wilson (Danvers, MA / Danvers) and freshman Prentiss Clark (Chevy Chase, MD / Bethesda-Chevy Chase) to be near the top of the pack near the finish line. Wilson was third at NYU, finished eighth at Dickinson and second at the Seven Sisters championship, which was won by the Fords.
The Red Devils will also be heard from, as the trio of Alex Forte (Easton, CT / Joel Barlow), Rachel Leverenz (Accident, MD / Northern) and Sian Fernas (Atco, NJ / Paul VI) could all earn first-team All-Conference honors by finishing in the top seven. Forte won the Lebanon Valley and NYU Invitationals and was fifth at Dickinson and third at Rochester. Leverenz was second at Western Maryland. The Red and White bested Haverford at NYU, setting up the rubber match.
Western Maryland and Swarthmore could also factor in the team chase. The Green Terror will look to Jill Krebs (New Windsor, MD / South Carroll) and Diana Pool (New Windsor, MD / Westminster) in its quest to repeat as champions on its home course. Krebs won the race at Shepherd, was second at Frostburg, third at Dickinson and seventh at William & Mary. The Garnet returns 1999 Centennial Runner of the Year Joko Agunloye (Brooklyn, NY / Hillcrest), who looks to become the first female since Haverford's Meredith Unger in 1995-96 to repeat as individual champion. Agunloye (pictured)won the Seven Sisters championship and finished second at Dickinson.
Other runners to watch include Bryn Mawr junior Krissy Falk (Duluth, MN / Marshall School), who finished sixth at Muhlenberg; Franklin & Marshall sophomore Emily Hughes (Springfield, VT / Springfield); Gettysburg freshman Kelly Zuknick (Gambrills, MD / Archbishop Spalding); Johns Hopkins junior Stephanie Black (Wexford, PA / North Allegheny); Muhlenberg junior Katie Garrett (Upper Saucon, PA / Southern Lehigh); and Ursinus junior Lindsey Glah (Pottstown, PA / Owen J. Roberts).