Men's Cross Country Team Travels to Navy
September 13, 2002 | Men's Cross Country
Sept. 13, 2002
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 2002 version of the University of Louisville men's cross country team will be a "team in transition" according to head coach Gene Weis.
Following a warm-up meet two weeks ago in Versailles, Ky., the Cardinals get into the meat of their schedule when they travel to Annapolis, Md., for Saturday's Navy Invitational. The 6000-meter race will feature 15 schools at the United States Naval Academy Cross Country Course.
"Last year's squad was maybe the hardest working group I've been around in years," suggested Weis. "We weren't very talented (only one scholarship athlete), but the guys were bright, had good leadership and worked very well together. The success of this year's team will be dependent on their ability to pull together in much the same way."
The Cardinals will be without the services of last fall's MVP Curtis Persinger, who will redshirt this year, but do return their top three finishers from the 2001 Conference USA Championships. Several freshmen that should be quite successful at the conference level in time will add depth to the squad.
Sophomore Brian Hurst and senior captain Mike Horan are expected to lead the team. Hurst was one of the top freshman finishers at last year's conference meet and recorded the team's top time for 8000 meters (25:25) last fall. He may be the pivotal athlete in the success of the current squad according to Weis.
"If Brian develops like his freshman campaign suggests, he could be something special," said Weis. "He is obviously still immature as a runner and may still be a year or so away, but he is definitely quite capable. Only time will tell."
Horan has been a team leader both on and off the course and is probably the squad's most consistent performer.
"If we have any success this fall, much of it will be because of Mike's direction and inspiration," Weis said. "He's a special guy, and we will be leaning on him a great deal."
Freshman Tim Kaiser, a Kentucky State high school champion, is expected to help immediately, while fellow freshmen Paul Markus, a multiple state high school champion, and Kyle Bowling could also help. Kaiser and Markus teamed up at Bishop Brossart High School and led the squad to the 2001 Class A State Championship.
"Tim is a very hard worker, a sharp guy, and is very focused and determined, which are all very good characteristics for a distance athlete," said Weis. "Paul is very talented but may take a bit longer to adjust to collegiate cross country. This is the first year since I've been here that we've actually recruited to develop the cross country side of our program rather than the track side. All three of these guys will be good in time; it's just a question of how quickly. They are definitely a solid foundation for our future success in this sport."
Seniors Chris Cox, Tim Franxman and Josh Gentry are also expected to contribute to the scoring five.
This year's squad will be looking at an exciting and challenging schedule. Along with this weekend's trip to the Naval Academy, the Cards will also compete at the Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, Ind., an event that annual attracts a majority of the nation's top-25 collegiate teams. The Conference USA Championships will be held at Southern Miss on Nov. 2.
The schedule also includes the second edition of the program's home event, the Cardinal Cross Country Classic, to be hosted on Saturday, Oct. 5. The meet will take place on the grounds of the U of L Shelby Campus and is expected to draw upwards of 15 participating schools.
"We've upgraded the schedule because we want to prepare our program for success in this sport, and this is yet another step in building that foundation, particularly for our young people," said Weis. "Realistically, we're another good recruiting class and a couple years development away from any true success in our conference, but this year's group can help us set the tone for that success with a finish in the top half at the Conference USA Championships. That would be quite an accomplishment for our current group."
