Cooler morning temperatures may show that fall weather is slowly beginning to take effect in West-Central Indiana. Friday afternoon the fall sports season will come blasting onto the Wabash campus when the Little Giant soccer team plays arch-rival DePauw University.
The 5:30 p.m. home match against the Tigers is one of three varsity athletic contests scheduled to take place on campus this weekend. Saturday morning the cross country hosts the annual Wabash Hokum Karem before the soccer team returns to the pitch on Sunday to play the Holy Cross College Saints at 1 p.m.
A new energy has surrounded the Wabash soccer team this season, one easily noticed by second-year head coach Roberto Giannini.
"These players have become a team," he said. "They have become united. We're still not where we want to be. It's the first game of the season. If we come out focused and ready to play Wabash soccer, I think everyone watching today's match will enjoy what they see."
The Little Giants are led by All-Conference players Gary Simkus, George Padgitt, and Jon Funston. Simkus has led the team in scoring the past two season and in total goals for three consecutive years. He finished with nine goals in 2006, equaling his 2005 totals, and had 19 points in both seasons, as well. Padgitt picked up six goals and an assist as a sophomore in 2006. Funston played in a 17 games last season as a defender, tallying two assists.
The Hokum Karem, which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the Huntsman Track at Wabash, pairs two runners who run a one-mile loop three times. The first runner hands off a baton to the second runner at the conclusion of the first mile, repeating the exchange until both runners have completed three miles.
The event was created by former Wabash coach J. Owen Huntsman in 1962. The idea came to Huntsman as a way for runners to complete their conditioning prior to the start of the cross country season. The event became so popular that high schools began adding similar events to the season schedules.
"We're looking for a quality workout that gives the younger runners something familiar before they run their first 8,000-meter run," first-year head coach Roger Busch said. "They've all participated in the hokum karem format in high school. It also provides some friendly competition within the team and against DePauw. It's a great way to get ready for our first race."
Seniors Geoff Lambert, Ben Bly, Matt Maher, and Josh Vaughan will pace the squad this year. Junior Sam Compton-Craig earned Second Team All-North Coast Athletic Conference honors last season with an eighth-place finish at the conference championship meet. The Red Pack heads to Kenyon College next Saturday for the annual Great Lakes Colleges Association Cross Country Championships.
Photos
Top left - David Rosborough and his Wabash soccer teammates battle DePauw University Friday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. at Mud Hollow Field.
Bottom right - Junior Sam Compton-Craig ran a good race at last weekend's Alumni Fun Run. The Red Pack will be ready to compete at the annual Wabash Hokum Karem Saturday morning at 10 at the Huntsman Track.