Central Michigan University Athletics
1999 Season Outlook
2/13/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Aug. 3, 1999
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - A taste of the competition at the NCAA Championships last season wasn't enough to satisfy the appetite of the Central Michigan University men's cross country team. The Chippewas are hungry for more.
"After qualifying for nationals last year, the team is inspired to go back to the NCAA Championships," veteran coach Craig Fuller said. "Those guys who didn't compete at nationals last year went on their own to watch, so the whole team felt the experience. We don't think it's an unrealistic goal now and we're ready to go back for more."
The Chippewas return seven letterwinners in 1999 from a squad that finished third at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships and 20th at the NCAA Championships last season. Central will look to replace four letterwinners from that team, most notably All-American and MAC champion Richie Brinker and second team All-MAC performer Jeremy Hurley.
Leading the Maroon and Gold towards the finish line in 1999 are seniors Ryan Watson (Cedar Springs) and Jacob Brundage (Sheridan).
Watson is in his second season at CMU after transferring from Saginaw Valley. He will be one of the pace setters in the MAC this season after placing fifth at the 1998 MAC championships and earning All-American honors at nationals with a 33rd-place finish.
"Watson is being counted on to carry the torch after Brinker," Fuller said. "Ryan is as talented a distance runner as we've ever had at CMU and with the training he's put in, he could run extremely fast this season."
Brundage was second team All-MAC in 1998 with an 11th-place finish and added two top five finishes during the season.
"Brundage has been providing great leadership and has learned a lot from Brinker the past few years," Fuller said. "Jacob is set for a great year and he will be key to our success."
The biggest key to the season, though, will be the host of other returnees who will fill the lineup. The Chippewas know they need a team effort of five runners to make an impact.
Senior Kevin Brokaw (Traverse City) and juniors Jason Jaloszynski (Shepherd) and Jared Biniecki (Canton) are looking to crack the lineup. Gene Lebron (Albion/Jr.) has battled injuries during his career, but he will be in the mix along with a host of others including Rick Bauer (Howell/Fr.), Jeff DeLong (Muskegon/Jr.), Ryan Lantzer (St. Louis/So.), Josiah Middaugh (East Jordan/Jr.) and Pete Remein (Ishpeming/So.).
True freshmen would could develop into contributors are Luke Humphrey (Sidney) and Jeff Davis (Temperance).
"We have a lot of possibilities for our lineup because of our depth," Fuller said. "All it will take for us to be successful is for a couple guys to have a fantastic year and then the rest of the team will naturally follow that lead."
Central Michigan faces a challenging schedule in 1999. CMU begins the season on Sept. 11 at the Detroit Invitational and other highlights include the annual Jeff Drenth Invitational (Sept. 25/CMU's University Park) and the MAC Championships (Oct. 30/Kent).
A big race will be the Auburn Invitational on Oct. 1 where CMU will face many teams from the South Region. "We will face a large field at Auburn, including several nationally-ranked teams that we normally wouldn't compete against," Fuller said.
As was the case in the past, Central will focus its attention on peaking at the end of the season, particularly the Auburn, Pre-National, MAC and district meets. "The more you race early the less you have late in the season, " Fuller said. "If we do well at those four meets, then nationals would take care of itself."
The Chippewas will also make a run at the MAC title, however Fuller sees the conference stacked again this season.
"To have three teams in the national rankings last season was great for the MAC," he said. "It made us a better team, even if we didn't win the conference.
"We had four people make all-conference and we didn't win the title. That shows you that you need to have a complete five on that day if you want to win."
Central has finished third or fourth at the MAC championships for the past eight years and if the Chippewas are looking to finish among the top two they must challenge favorites Miami, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan.
"I see us right up there," Fuller said. "One advantage we may have is that the Kent course is a little hilly and the distance is longer. We are more suited for that type of course. The race won't get into a track stride like in recent years and that should play into our favor.
"We will have to continue our improvement, though, if we are going to contend. The conference was extremely deep last season and if we're right up there in the conference race this year, then we'll have another shot at going to nationals."
