Athletics > Men's Cross Country > Season outlook

Central Cross Country Runner2007 OUTLOOK

There will be a new look to the Central men’s cross country team.

First-year head coach David Paulsen terms it “starting with a clean slate,” but he knows the Dutch face a challenge in replacing last year’s top four runners. Among the graduation casualties is four-time team MVP Adam Wolf, who last year became Central’s first NCAA Division III national men’s meet qualifier since 1994. Wolf helped power the Dutch to a third-place finish at the Iowa Conference meet and a ninth-place effort at the power-packed NCAA Division III Central Regional.

There’s no clear-cut favorite for taking Wolf’s well-worn spot as the team’s No. 1 runner. But Paulsen insists it’s not necessary for anyone to duplicate Wolf’s consistently swift pace.

“We just need five guys to run solid races,” he said. “We don’t need off-the-chart times.”

One of those five likely could be junior Jaron Byrum, who was the team’s third finisher once last season and was never lower than sixth. His 8,000-meter time of 27:32 at the Sept. 9 Les Duke Invitational was the best of any of this year’s returnees. Meanwhile senior Brett Dietrich, hampered by injury last year, put up the team’s career-best 8,000-meter clocking of 26:34 in 2005. Teddy Clark twice cracked Central’s top four last season. Sophomore Pierre Taylor was in the varsity lineup in six meets and was the team’s No. 5 runner at the regional. Also back is senior Chase Ungs, who has seen injuries sidetrack a promising career.

Paulsen thinks sophomore Alex Miller could make a leap forward as well after an encouraging debut track season in the 800 meters last spring. And sophomore Derrick Padovich could crack the lineup.

Newcomers will likely make an impact. Freshman Austin Vondracek, a Cedar Rapids Prairie High School grad, and Ellsworth transfer Tyler Husak of Montour bring the best credentials.

“Austin likes to put in high mileage, which is going to help him make the transition,” Paulsen said.

Paulsen, a 2004 U.S. Olympic trials qualifier in the 800 meters and an all-America performer at Northern Iowa, is accustomed to competing in Division I. But he said he’s never trained on a cross country facility that rivals Central’s on-campus course.

“The course is really looking nice,” he said. “It’s exciting to have that to train on. It’s nice to have a place to call your own rather than running on a golf course. And you don’t have to worry about scheduling.”

The Dutch will need to make good use of the facility to hang on to their No. 3 position in the conference race. Luther and Wartburg captured the top two spots last year and Paulsen doesn’t envision that changing this fall. Central’s revamped roster will have to hold off Loras, Buena Vista and Simpson.

Yet Paulsen senses that the lineup vacancies are creating a burst of enthusiasm.

“It opens things up a lot,” he said. “It’s exciting for the returning athletes and the freshmen to come in and be able to compete for a position. It’s going to be interesting to see how the top seven unfolds.”

The runners are eager, but none moreso than Paulsen.

“I’m really excited,” he said. “I’ve been chomping at the bit all summer. I’m anxious to get the kids back on campus and see how their summers went. I’ve been e-mailing them a lot and just trying to stay patient.”