2008 Men's Cross Country Outlook
Guilford College's cross country teams usher in a new era as Heidi Pinkerton takes over as the Quakers' men's and women's head coach. She inherits nine returning letter winners, including the top female runner from 2007, sophomore Grace Normann, but will miss the top two men’s harriers from a year ago. ODAC cross country coaches picked Guilford's men sixth among 10 teams in their annual preseason poll. Pinkerton believes both squads can better their 2007 ODAC results by two places.
Pinkerton is recently removed from a distinguished college career as an NCAA Division I distance runner at UNC Greensboro. She hopes her age and experience will help her relate well with the team.
"I know these workouts and how they feel," Pinkerton said. "I know how it is to do a sport and school at the same time... it helps to have a coach who's been there."
On the men’s side, the Quakers benefit from a veteran side that works well together. Guilford hopes to improve on last season’s sixth-place finish at the ODAC Championships, which matched their best showing at the meet. Pinkerton hopes the top runners can get below the 30-minute barrier for the eight-kilometer distance. Captains Chris Walker, a senior, and Tyler Brown, a junior, should be two of the Quakers’ top runners this season. The men also return two runners from the 2006 squad, senior Kevin Smith and sophomore Max Karaffa, who provide Pinkerton depth and experience. Neither Smith nor Karaffa ran in 2007.
The Quakers' schedule opens with two six-kilometer races for the women, which will help them prepare for the league championships run over the same distance. Guilford competes twice at Hagan Stone Park in Greensboro and runs for the first time at NCAA Division II Wingate University. Virginia Wesleyan College hosts this year’s ODAC Championships and Guilford previews the course Aug. 30 when it runs in the Blue Marlin Invitational. Texas Lutheran University in San Antonio hosts the NCAA Division III South Region Championship Nov. 15.