Spring Break
Future of men's cross resides in sophomore pack, which had impressive nine second gap
Pack running carries cross teams at A-10s
Garrett Sheehan
Issue date: 11/5/03 Section: Sports
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Rhody finished one place ahead of its preseason ranking and totaled 218 points for the meet. GW (184), Massachusetts (191) and Xavier (198) placed just ahead of URI.
"Our real strength was everyone grouped up very well," URI coach John Copeland said. "They ran intelligently and really tough."
Sophomores Kyle and Andrew Poland, Cole Henault and Shaun Horgan all put together solid races, lifting the Rams into contention by finishing within nine seconds of each other.
"[The pack] is exactly what we wanted," Kyle Poland said. "We knew if we had that we'd be competitive with the other guys."
The Polands and Henault, top runners on last year's team, have improved significantly in one year with the added experience and training. Kyle placed 38th overall in 26 minutes, 56 seconds for the five-mile course. Andrew finished 41st in 27:04 and Henault was 42nd in 27:05.
"It was a huge difference from last year," Andrew Poland said. "Last year it was totally new to us."
"This year we felt like we belonged there, like we were competitive with the other guys," Kyle Poland said.
"Kyle and Andrew looked like they were in trouble the first mile," Copeland said. "They got themselves together and maintained control all the way.
"Cole has been our workout leader all year long," he added. "Our major goal was to get a superb race out of him. He really did a great job."
Horgan, a first-year runner for the team, continued his consistent season, placing 43rd in 27:05.
"He went out relaxed and started picking people off," Copeland said.
"The possibilities with Shaun are endless," senior captain Pete Anzovino said. "Who knows how much he can do and how good he can be?"
Anzovino was URI's fifth man. He crossed the line in 91st place in 29:29. John Hoffman was next in 92nd place in 29:36. Martin Donovan finished in 94th place in 29:45 and freshman Dennis Sheppard, who has been one of the team's better runners at times, wasn't feeling well and placed 96th in 30:10.
"Our goal for next year is 150 points. I don't care where we place at that point," Copeland said. "Sheppard is definitely going to help us next year."
"It's only going up for the next two years," Anzovino said. "Regardless of what we get for recruits the next two years, we have six solid guys who are only going to get better."
Before they get a crack at their next cross season, the men will be looking to bolster the depth of the track team, which is one of the best in the A-10.
"I think those guys have made a statement that they're ready to contribute [on the track]," Copeland said.
"I think they're really excit-ed about track because they try and equate their improvement with cross to how they're going to do [in track]," Anzovino said. "They could definitely see the progression they made from last year."
