Ohio Wesleyan University | Battling Bishop Athletics

2007 Season Preview

[ David Stefanik ] The Ohio Wesleyan men's cross country team turned in a second-place finish at the 2006 North Coast Athletic Conference championship meet, the Battling Bishops' best finish in the first 23 seasons of NCAC competition.

Despite losing a pair of all-conference performers from that squad, head coach Kris Boey thinks that the 2007 edition could be a better team.

"The returning runners are a year older, with successful cross country and track seasons under their belt," Boey said. "The guys had a terrific summer, and they have the experience and the desire to build on what we've done."

Junior David Stefanik (Wooster) was a second-team All-NCAC selection last year after finishing 14th in the conference championship meet, while senior Pete MacLeod (Hudson) won honorable mention laurels with a 17th-place conference finish.

Juniors Alex Havran (Woodinville, Wash./Overlake) and Clay Davis (Dublin/Coffman) each led the Bishops in one meet and scored in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet last year, while junior Gary Brenneman (Fredericktown) and sophomore Christian Schlabach (Wooster/Triway) also seek to make an impact and juniors Garret Andre-Johnson (Walnut Creek, Calif./Berkeley), Andrew Bloom (Powell/Worthington Kilbourne), and Scott Williams (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy) also are returning lettermen.

Seniors Joe Berlyoung (Elyria/Avon) and Phil Hardymon (Upper Arlington), junior Brandon Hunter (Twinsburg) and sophomore Matthew MacKenzie (Franklin, Mass.) also return from last season.

Four newcomers will make the race for the top 7 spots an interesting one. Freshman Cody Morrison (Caldwell) was a state qualifier in high school, classmate John Thatcher (Centerburg) was an all-district honoree in high school, and freshman Jeff Driscoll (Shreve/Triway) was a 3-time district qualifier in high school. Freshman Kyle Herman (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) also will be heard from.

"The NCAC is a very good cross country conference, and each year we aspire to earn a conference championship," Boey said. "We want to compete at the highest level and put ourselves in position to be successful in late October and mid-November."

The Bishops' season opens on Sept. 1 at the Dayton Invitational. The schedule includes major meets such as the Great Lakes Colleges Association meet on Sept. 8 at Kenyon, hosting the All-Ohio Intercollegiate Championship on Oct. 5, and the NCAC championship meet on Oct. 27 at Kenyon.