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SUNY Canton women's cross country team looks to strong recruiting class to fill void

Posted 8/29/14

CANTON -- The SUNY Canton women's cross country team continues to see tremendous growth under fifth year Head Coach Katie Kennedy. The team will look to a few key returners and a strong recruiting …

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SUNY Canton women's cross country team looks to strong recruiting class to fill void

Posted

CANTON -- The SUNY Canton women's cross country team continues to see tremendous growth under fifth year Head Coach Katie Kennedy.

The team will look to a few key returners and a strong recruiting class to fill the void left from top runner a season ago, Megan Mydosh.

"There is more talent and experience on our roster than any team I've coached in the past, and I'm very excited about the freshman runners," Kennedy said. "While the loss of Megan Mydosh will be tough, I'm looking for some of the younger runners to step up this season."

The Roos return three runners to the roster, one of which suffered a foot injury in the preseason. "We will miss team captain Jess Nagy, who is recovering from a foot injury," Kennedy said.

Meanwhile SUNY Canton welcomes five new members to the team including four freshmen and a sophomore. Below is a runner-by-runner breakdown from Coach Kennedy.

Juniors

Keara Byrne – "Keara, a team captain, has been my consistent number two runner for the past two years. I'm looking for her to step up and run the times she's capable of running. Keara has also been our top finisher at USCAA Nationals the past two years. She has the potential to crack the top 15 and be All-American this year."

Laura DiFrenza – "Laura is, without a doubt, the hardest working runner on the team. Since she started running cross country her freshman year, Laura has improved her 5K time by over 5 minutes. She is a strong leader and I'm pleased to have her as a team captain this season."

Sophomore

Bri Herd – "Bri is new to cross country running, but she's a hard worker and has a great attitude. I look forward to seeing how she competes this season."

Freshmen

Samantha Smith – "Sammie is a real talent. She stuck with most of the men's team on a recent hill workout. Along with Keara, she will be a frontrunner for us this season. She had the fastest time at our time trial and she's a real worker. She also has the potential to earn All-American status at USCAA Nationals."

Rachel Youngers – "Rachel is another worker and loves cross country running. She came from a strong high school program and put in some miles this summer. She's in good shape, and I think she'll reach her goals and run a PR this season."

Kim McCarthy – "Kim is a talented athlete and has a strong finishing kick. She was our third runner at the time trial. She's a great kid and has a positive attitude."

Patti Carpenter – "Patti comes from a strong high school running program. She was a race walker on the track, and I think she has a lot of potential as a cross country runner. She's strong, and much like the rest of her freshman class, is a hard worker."

With an extremely competitive incoming class and returning experience to lead the team the 2014 SUNY Canton women's cross country team is poised to make its mark this season.

"Our program continues to improve, and we had a good season last year – another invitational win at Johnson State and a top-10 finish at Nationals," Kennedy noted. "I'd like to improve our Nationals results this year and see at least one, if not two, of our women finish as USCAA All-Americans."