2007 Men's Cross Country Outlook
Coach Jamie LaFollette has 14 letter winners returning for his second year in charge of Guilford’s newest team. He returns a core of runners, but will miss the top three men’s harriers of 2006.
On the men’s side, LaFollette points to a pack of similar runners, which should help Guilford score well and improve on last season’s sixth-place finish at the ODAC meet. Junior captain Chris Walker returns in good shape after missing most of 2006 with mononucleosis. Senior Jeremy Bante has one of Guilford’s 10-fastest times and extensive meet experience. Senior captain Brett McDonough is a three-year letter winner and joins sophomore Tyler Brown as part of the solid nucleus LaFollette believes will help the Quakers contend with some of the ODAC’s better teams. Newcomers like Jeremy Wang and Leon Odell will also contribute in their first seasons with the team.
With the returning harriers typically running within 30 to 50 seconds of each other, the Quakers should improve in 2007. The addition of four newcomers, including three freshmen, may also help Guilford’s cause.
LaFollette scheduled a pair of six-kilometer races to help the women prepare for the league meet run at the same distance. The Quakers compete in three races at Greensboro’s Hagan Stone Park and one in nearby Winston-Salem, N.C. Washington and Lee University hosts this year's ODAC Championships and the Quakers will preview the Dick Miller Course Sept. 8 when they run in the Generals Invitational. A trip to the NCAA Tournament is on the line when Guilford heads to Newport News, Va., Nov. 11 for the NCAA Regional meet.