Ten runners return this season from the 2008 Wabash cross country team that finished third at North Coast Athletic Conference Championship meet. The Little Giants are looking for big things in 2009, as are the other conference coaches with a second place pick in the preseason NCAC poll.
Defending men's champion Allegheny was the top pick by the coaches, receiving all 10 first-place votes. Wabash was second with 82 total points, followed by Denison (71 points) in third, one point ahead of fourth-place Oberlin (70 points). Kenyon (65 points) was fifth, followed by Ohio Wesleyan (60), Wittenberg (39), Wooster (33), Earlham (19), and Hiram (11).
Junior Seth Einterz earned First Team All-NCAC honors last season after finishing fifth overall at the championship event. He went on to grab a 17th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Regional to become the first Wabash runner to compete at Nationals since 2001. Einterz earned Second Team All-NCAC honors with an eighth-place finish at the 2007 NCAC Championships.
Head Coach Roger Busch talks about his 2009 cross country team.
"Fortunately Seth is coming into this season healthier than he ever has," head coach Roger Busch ’96 said. "He spent 11 weeks out of the country this summer and wasn't in the best environment to train, but he did get in a few weeks late in the summer, which is more than he had the prior two seasons. He made it to Nationals last year after battling through mono during the summer, qualifying with basically three months of training in August, September and October. This year he looks good and he's healthier than he's ever been. And he should have five guys who had some good summers who can support him up front in our key meets."
Sophomores Kevin McCarthy and Donavan White are also back for Wabash this season. The duo finished in the top-25 at the conference meet in 2008, with senior teammate Micah Milliman grabbing 26th place.
Fellow senior Grahm Johnson returns to action in 2009 after recovering from an injury last season. Sam Prellwitz is the third senior member who will provide leadership for the other 16 runners on the roster.
Juniors Justin Allen, Jacob Surface, and Michael Richmond join third-year Einterz, while Brian David, Colin Dunlap, Kenny Farris, Michael Gough, and Matt Meyer are back for their second season.
Five freshmen join the team this season, including the first international student recruited by Busch. Muchohi Mwaura is a 21-year-old rookie from Nairobi, Kenya who has not competed for the past two years, but enters his first year as college runner. Anton Crepinsek, Charles Hintz, Garrett McCarthy, and Jake Waterman will also compete for their first season.
The Little Giants start the season this Saturday with the Charlie Finch ’51 Annual Alumni Run at 10 a.m.
Photo - Junior Seth Einterz and the rest of the team spent the first few days of training running along the trails of nearby Camp Talitha.
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