Marquette University Athletics
Men's Cross Country Benefits from Youthful Exuberance
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
May 21, 1999
When your roster is filled with inexperienced athletes, a coach doesnt know quite what to expect. Such was the case for Marquette mens cross country coach Dave Uhrich heading into the 1998 season. His top runner from last season, Houston Barber, graduated, as did Casey Rakoczy, a runner who had placed among Marquette's top five at every race. Uhrich came into this season knowing that nine of his top 10 runners were freshman or sophomores. Beyond that, he knew very little.
Uhrich would find that his squad was talented but inexperienced, a combination that led to inconsistent individual performances but balance on the team. Instead of relying on one or two runners to carry the load, MU had a number of runners capable of leading the way in a particular race. In Marquette's five races, the Golden Eagles had three different top finishers. Only two runners finished among MUs top five at every meet, senior Nick Frank and sophomore Matt Dunlavy. The Golden Eagles' most consistent runner was sophomore Joe Herington. He was MUs top finisher twice and finished in the top three in his other two races. Freshman Jonathon Chenier was the only Golden Eagle to garner All-Conference USA honors after finishing 13th at the conference championship.
"I knew this could be a tough year with all the new faces, but I was encouraged by how our runners performed this season," Uhrich said. "They laid the groundwork for success in the next few years."
The season started with the National Catholic Championships in Notre Dame, Ind., on Sept. 18. Sophomore Joel Brusewitz, an All-C-USA performer last year, was Marquettes top finisher in what would prove to be the teams fastest time of the year, 25:19. MU placed three runners in the top-35 as the Golden Eagles took third place out of 27 teams. Two weeks later, Marquette traveled to California for the Stanford Invitational. In a 15-team field that included two top-20 teams, MU finished 11th. Herington was the Golden Eagles top finisher in a time of 26:06.
"Joe was a very pleasant surprise for us," Uhrich said. "He flirted with varsity last season and dedicated himself to achieve that this year. I always knew he had the ability to be one of our top runners and his hard work has paid off."
Marquette's best team finish came at the UW-Parkside Invitational. The Golden Eagles placed second out of 33 teams led by Heringtons 11th-place finish overall. Two other runners, Dunlavy and sophomore Adam Lindell finished in the top 15. Among the 74 Division I runners at the meet, Heringtons time of 26:34 was good for third. At the Conference USA Championship on Oct. 31 in Memphis, Tenn., the Golden Eagles finished fourth, ending a streak of three consecutive second place finishes. Chenier earned All-C-USA honors by virtue of his 13th-place finish.
Chenier led the way again at the teams final meet, the NCAA District IV Championship. His time of 33:36 on the 10K course was good for 85th place. Marquette tied for 18th in the 26-team field as its top five runners finished within 33 seconds of each other. It was that type of balance that Marquette displayed all season. Not once did MUs top runner finish more than a minute ahead of its fifth-place runner. Overall, eight different runners, three freshman, five sophomores and one senior, placed in the top five for the Golden Eagles. With so much talent coming back, Uhrich will have a better idea of what to expect next season.
