Central Michigan University Athletics
Men's Cross Country Preview
8/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Aug. 4, 2000
MOUNT PLEASANT--Depth is the key word surrounding the Central Michigan University men's cross country team.
Head coach Craig Fuller is looking to the Chippewas' depth to help the team win a second straight Mid-American Conference championship.
"I haven't looked forward to a season starting this much in a long time," Fuller said. "If our top returning athletes improve and some of the underclassmen step up, we can be one of the top teams in the conference."
Fuller is looking to the senior trio of Jason Jaloszynski (Shepherd), Jared Biniecki (Canton) and Gene Lebron (Albion) to lead the squad.
"The seniors could be the key to this year's squad," Fuller said. "If they can provide strong leadership, we have plenty of talent to back them up."
Jaloszynski earned All-MAC second team honors in 1999 after finishing 10th at the conference meet with a time of 25:12. He followed that performance up with a team-best 30th-place finish (31:46) at the district meet.
Biniecki won the steeplechase at last year's MAC outdoor championships and Fuller is hoping that the win will lead him to greater success in the cross country season. Biniecki is looking to improve on his 32nd-place place (25:55) finish at the MAC meet in 1999.
Lebron is aiming to finish up his CMU career with a strong senior campaign. He competed in five meets a year ago and posted a season-best time of 25:44 at the Pre-MAC Invitational.
Backing up the seniors is a talented group of sophomores and juniors that boast potential All-MAC performers.
Junior Ryan Lantzer (St. Louis) earned first-team All-MAC honors taking fourth (24:56) at last year's MAC finals. He placed in CMU's top five in all five meets he competed in.
Junior Pete Remien (Ishpeming) is looking for a strong season after seeing limited action in 1999. He took 20th at the Michigan Intercollegiates with a mark of 26:22.
Sophomores Luke Humphrey (Sidney), Jeff Davis (Temperance) and Richard Bauer (Howell) all gained valuable experience as freshmen and are expected to make large contributions in their second season.
Humphrey was CMU's top freshman at the MAC championships with a 15th-place finish in a time of 26:20. He also competed at the Pre-NCAA Invitational (26:20) and the district meet (33:12).
Bauer stepped up late in the season competing in the Pre-NCAA meet, the MAC finals and the district championships. He finished 21st at the MAC championships (25:36) and 35th at the district meet (31:54).
Adding to the squad's depth is an impressive group of newcomers. Freshmen Jake Flynn (Benzonia), Tristen Perlberg (Bay City), Kevin Sule (Hemlock) and Jacques Henning (Harbor Springs) along with transfer Matt Zissler (Hemlock/Northwood) have the skills to make an immediate impact.
"This is our best distance recruiting class in school history," said Fuller. "With the core of the MAC championship team returning, the future certainly looks bright."
Flynn is a three-time Class C cross country state champion and a member of the 1998 Footlocker cross country Midwest team while Perlberg won the state Division II title in the 3,200m (9:18.89) and took 21st at the Footlocker Midwest cross country meet.
Sule won the 2000 Division III state title in the 800m (1:54.4) and the 1,600m (4:12.6) and was a member of the 1999 Mideast cross country team. Henning, who was the Class C champion in the 1,600m (4:18.4) in 1999, will be competing in cross country for the first time because his high school didn't sponsor the sport.
Zissler transfers to CMU from nearby Northwood University where he took second place at the 2000 Division II NCAA outdoor national championships in the 800m (1:49.46) and fourth place at the 1999 Division II NCAA indoor finals in the 800m (1:51.20).
Once again, the Chippewas have a challenging schedule. CMU hosts both the Jeff Drenth Invitational on Sept. 1 and the Central Collegiate Championships on Sept. 29 to highlight the schedule.
Other key meets include the Roy Griak Invitational at the University of Minnesota on Sept. 23 and the Pre-NCAA Invitational at Iowa State University on Oct. 14.
The MAC championships are slated for Oct. 28 at Western Michigan University. Fuller expects the title race to be a battle among Eastern Michigan, Miami and Central.
The year closes out with the Great Lakes District meet on Nov. 11 at Eastern Michigan University and the NCAA finals on Nov. 20 at Iowa State.
