2007 Women's Cross Country Preview
8/30/2007 12:00:00 AM
TUSCALOOSA - Alabama’s women, under the direction of coach Randy Hasenbank, is in a rebuilding phase with a squad that is made up of six freshmen, four sophomores and four juniors. Hasenbank, in his second year as the Tide’s mentor, will rely on a mixture of youth and experience to make up the top-5.
Lost to graduation are four members of last year’s top-six, including 2006 NCAA Championship participant Julia Hicks. Leading the Tide’s youth movement will be junior Katie Davis, who sat out last season due to injuries. As a freshman in 2005, she was among the Tide’s scoring five all season.
“Katie is one of the veterans who we really need to take a big step forward this season and take a leadership role,” Hasenbank said. “For us to be successful this season, she needs to be an impact performer.”
The Tide will also be dependent on sophomore Ashley Ard and junior Farrah Stewart. Both women were regulars in the Tide’s scoring five a year ago, finishing third and fourth respectively for the Tide at the NCAA South Regional Championships.
Alabama will also look for junior Jen Gray and sophomore Rue Chitwood to step and make an impact on the Tide’s lineup this season. Sophomore Anna Day and will also add depth and should continue to develop as the season goes on.
“Ashley, Farrah and Jen have all benefited from competing in the Southeastern Conference and training at this level,” Hasenbank said. “I look forward to seeing what they can do this season.”
Among the Tide’s six freshmen, Jordan Harper, Haley Moody and Kelsie Slater all have a chance to see action among the Tide’s top five or six competitors as rookies. Harper was one of the top runners in the state of Alabama last year while Moody earned a berth at the Nike Indoor National Championships, no small feat in itself. Slater will see action on the track in the steeple chase and the 1500-meter race and should be solid in cross country.
“Our freshmen, especially Jordan, Haley and Kelsie, have a great opportunity to come in and really help us out,” Hasenbank said. “If they come in ready to work and have a great attitude from the word go, and I think all these young ladies have that mentality, they can be very successful this season.”
The Tide’s other rookies, Meghan Hawkins, Jenna Hughes and Megan Williams are on the developmental track and will benefit greatly from a year of collegiate training and competition.
The Tide women will open the season for the umpteenth year in a row with the Belmont Opener, a 4K race that will give them a good place to build from. Hasenbank and company will then race every other weekend, following up the opener with 5K races at the Crimson Classic at home and Loyola Lakefront in Chicago. The Tide returns to the Chile Pepper in mid-October for its first 6K of the season and will follow that up with stops at the SEC Championships and the NCAA South Regional in Gainesville.
“This is a schedule that will allow us to build through the season and hopefully peak at the right time for a strong postseason,” Hasenbank said.
