The Webster University men's and women’s cross country teams, coming off one of Webster’s strongest seasons ever, look forward to continued growth and improvement during the 2010 season, The young Gorlok squads, coming off their first-ever appearance at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships, will be bolstered by a strong recruiting class in 2010.
The women's team was led by a pair of freshmen, and will benefit from that experience this year. In 2009, freshmen Jane McKibben (Lindbergh H.S./Saint Louis, Mo.) and Jessica Parkman (Peru H.S./Peru, Ind.) won St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Conference honors. Freshmen Eroica Stackhouse (Tipton H.S.,/Tipton, Ind.), a sectional qualifier in both cross country and track, and Stephanie Ripperda (Mt. Olive H.S./Mount Olive, Ill.), high point scorer for her high school team, will be counted on to contribute this fall.
Two more freshmen joining the squad, Julie Greenough (Lutie H.S./Theodosia, Mo.) and Heather Heisse (Buchanan H.S., Troy, Mo.), will challenge for a top five spot. In preparation for the SLIAC conference meet, the team will compete in challenging non-conference meets including Augustana’s Brissman-Lundeen, Rose-Hulman’s meet on an NCAA Division I national championship course, and at Rhodes College on an overnight trip to Memphis. The goal for 2010 is to challenge for the SLIAC championship and to take a full women’s squad to the NCAA Regional for the just the second time.
The men's team, like the women's, face an increasingly competitive SLIAC while competing in the toughest region in the NCAA III. A group made up almost entirely of freshmen held their own last season, and will look to that experience to lead them in 2010. Returnees Blake Harris (SO, O’Fallon H.S./O’Fallon, Ill.) and David Koppelmann (SO, Owensville H.S./Gerald, Mo.) will be counted on to carry much of the load. They will be joined by Derrick McKee (JR, Timberland H.S./Wentzville, Mo.), who returns from studying overseas, Dan Henkey (SO, Affton H.S., St. Louis), trying to regain his form after injuries his first year, and Tony Morales (JR, Parkway West H.S., St. Louis).
Helping bolster the team are freshmen recruits Scott Barker (Mexico H.S./Mexico, Mo.), Alex Schoenstein (Castle H.S./Newburgh, Ind.), and Alex Moore (North Callaway H.S./Auxvasse, Mo.). All three are versatile runners with the talent to contribute immediately to the top five scoring positions. The men will also compete in Augustana’s Brissman-Lundeen, Rose-Hulman’s meet on an NCAA Division I national championship course, and at Rhodes College on an overnight trip to Memphis. The goal for 2010 is to challenge for the SLIAC championship and to take a full men’s squad to the NCAA Regional for the first time in the program's history.
