Aug. 28, 2008
OXFORD, Ohio - Miami head coach Warren Mandrell, entering his 15th season at the helm of RedHawk men's cross country, is eager for Saturday morning to come. That is when his 2008 runners will begin a season-long journey that is aiming toward a Mid-American Conference Championship.
On Saturday morning, the RedHawks will compete in the Dayton 5K Challenge in Kettering. The meet offers something different to the competing teams, not only because of the 5K distance, but also because of the venue, Indian Riffle Park.
"The Dayton Meet has usually been a nice test to see where the guys are at the beginning of the season," explained Mandrell. "The team enjoys it a bit more because it is the only 5K that we will run during the season, everything from here on out will be 8K or 10K."
Mandrell continued, "It is also run on a course that many of the guys competed on in high school, since it is the site of the Mideast Meet of Champions, and it is fun to compare times as they get much faster."
The competition is another highlight of this early-season race as area's best teams strive for top billing.
"The meet brings in all of the southwest-Ohio teams with Cincinnati, Xavier, Wright State, and Dayton all involved for head-to-head bragging rights," stated the Miami mentor.
The RedHawks and Mendrell are hoping for another strong finish, as they have become accustom to in recent years.
Mandrell explained, "I believe that the team has won for the past five years, and hopefully will be in contention again. The guys have looked very solid in practice although we are racing a week earlier than we have the last four years because of the way the calendar falls this year. So I haven't had as much opportunity to see how they stack up."
The 2008-version of Miami University men's cross country has made some positive strides already. The MAC runner-up a year ago, Miami will look to add depth, something that you cannot have enough of in this grueling sport.
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Mandrell went on, "One thing for certain, however, is that we have some nice depth this year. I could see as many as 10 guys having a shot at a top-five position in any race."
The team leaders have emerged from last year's roster and Mandrell is looking for big things right off the bat.
"Our top three returners from last season, Sovacool, Untrauer, and Silver are all running well and have plenty of experience, and none of the group right behind them are true freshmen so the entire lineup is nicely seasoned."
Once the gun sounds in Kettering at 10:45 a.m., the 2008 season will be underway and hopefully it will also signal in the start of a successful year.
"I think we have the potential for an excellent season," Mandrell ended.
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