Fort Lewis College’s cross country season is right around the corner, with practices beginning Monday and the first meet in Alamosa is on Sept. 6.
Therefore, it’s not too late to continue the “Offseason Acquisitions” series showing off FLC fall sports’ incoming recruiting classes of freshman and college transfers.
Skyhawks men’s cross country head coach Dalton Graham and FLC women’s cross country head coach Gracen Key were busy in the offseason. Graham brought over 10 new athletes while Key brought in at least a dozen freshmen and one transfer.
Recruiting in cross country might sounds simple. Recruit the runners with the best times, right? Well, there’s always more to the story, according to Graham.
Not all the kids are doing those times with the same workloads. If a kid is running fast off 75-mile weeks, they might be closer to having tapped out their potential and Graham and the staff might have to be creative with how they manage that runner in the next four or five years, according to Graham. He won’t turn away a kid that’s fast with high mileage.
“So getting the background of what their mileage is like … do they have training partners,” Graham said. “Do they have a club coach? What quality is going into the training or if they're training alone all the time, there's a big ceiling there. So, if they're not in an area where they can race people and they're winning all the time, they're not really getting fast races. There's a lot that goes into the exposure they get with fast races or good training partners. So getting a feel for that when there needs to be a deeper explanation.”
While there is so much race data online for coaches to look at when it comes to recruits, each time isn’t made equally. Graham knows some courses might not be measured accurately and that all cross country courses aren’t made equally. Some courses may be super fast, like on a cart path on a golf course, and some others may be super muddy.
It’s also important for Graham to see how people race at a championship-level meets or some of the bigger meets. Who are they beating? Who are the five people behind them and in front of them?
Graham has a freshmen class with runners from close by and from further away in the Midwest or the West Coast. AJ Bonanno is from Durango and Cody Sullivan is from Rio Rancho, New Mexico, while Jackson Green is from Woodinville, Washington, and Brody Geyer is from Yorkville, Illinois.
FLC benefits from being a nationally known Division II program after strong results at national championship meets on the women’s and men’s side, according to Graham. Therefore, a lot of kids reach out from all over via Instagram or with the program’s online questionnaire.
Graham thinks the strength of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference also helps out, with kids possibly reaching out to all schools in the conference for the chance at high-level competition.
While Graham is excited about his freshmen class, the plan to start is to redshirt them all.
“It's a lot; there's so many new variables,” Graham said about the freshmen. “There's a new bed to sleep on; there's new roommates; there's new night routines; there's new food; there's new training; there's new elevation, a new place to train, new classes and new stress with new social groups and new teammates. You’re living on your own for the first time; there’s a new coach; there's so much. So, let's take the travel and racing-pressure off.”
However, there are a few freshmen who have caught his eye. Sullivan is a freshman who ran 15 minutes and seven seconds for 5 kilometers at 5,000-feet altitude and ran races consistently under 15:30 at altitude. Graham thinks he could be ready to burn that redshirt if needed.
Another freshman who could contribute right away is Bobby Kiesewetter from Arvada, Colorado. He ran a 15:19 5K in high school and has consistently ran sub-15:40.
Key is also excited about her large freshman class. She thinks this class will be instrumental in getting the women’s cross country program into a consistent top-10 program in Division II. Key knows that can be done with a few front-running All-Americans or with a larger group of runners who are consistently finishing inside the top 75 or top 100.
“At the end of the day, are they going to be positive additions to our culture,” Key said. “Are they going to contribute positively to what we're trying to build here … I expect them to buy-in and have that same vision for the team and their own individual goals. I'm committed to helping them achieve those as well. But, the biggest thing is what are you going to be like as a teammate? What are you going to be like as a student? GPA is a big thing. I don't think I have anyone that's under a 3.2 GPA coming in from high school.”
Key also wants her newcomers to enjoy themselves as much as they can. She recognizes that running isn’t a glamorous sport and it can be a grind to run so many miles. However, if the women commit themselves, they’ll be a part of something bigger.
Like Graham on the men’s side, Key plans on redshirting all her freshmen. The freshmen have to earn the uniform and be ready to compete because training is one thing and racing is another, according to Key.
Carysa Marquez, from Albuquerque, is a freshman Key is excited about. She was Key’s first commit of the season and is strong over a lot of different distances. Key is also excited about Senoya Bugher from Sherwood, Oregon, and Caroline Laughlin from Greenwood Village, Colorado. Key also thinks Laughlin will have a range of distances and will be a vocal leader for the team.
Key related to her lone transfer’s story. Ava Potts is a senior transfer from Division I Arizona State who has struggled with injuries throughout her career. Key also struggled with injuries as a runner at West Texas A&M University.
“I do have a soft spot in my heart for the injury-prone people, because that was my life,” Key said. “It was just something that I desperately wanted … to give me training that like would cater to my strengths and not really expose my weaknesses … I'm always encouraging the women, especially injury-prone people, to listen to their bodies.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
