By Taylor Nigrelli
Assitant Sports Editor
The 2012 cross country season begins this morning at 11:30 as both the men’s and women’s teams participate in the Little Three Invitational.
Canisius College and Niagara University are also competing at the meet taking place at the St. Bonaventure Golf Course.
In 2011, the men’s team finished last and the women’s team came in second as Canisius swept the invitational for the fifth straight year.
The Bonnies enter the season with no seniors on the men’s or women’s team. The men’s team is led by sophomores Nick Masiello, Steven Kibbe, and Harley Thompson.
The team has only three juniors in captain Terrance Petty and transfer Christopher Spiker. Junior Peter Eller, is out for the season with a foot injury.
The men also added four freshmen with Joe Ferencik, Nick Konotopskyj, Caleb Lecker, and Kevin Sidoran joining the squad.
Sophomores Dan Egan, Matt Trifoso, Dan Myers, and Nick Taylor round out the roster.
The women’s team has only one junior in transfer Kady Weisner.
The team’s top returning runners are sophomores Hannah Robinson, Emily Steves, Morgan Mayo, Elizabeth Dickinson, and Taylor Greene. The women’s team also adds four freshmen in Kerry Caher, Rachel Dorogi, Aubrie Russell and Maggie Schunk.
Highlights of the upcoming season include a trip to Notre Dame for National Catholic Championships and a meet in Gettysburg, Pa. and Leesburg, Va. Atlantic Ten Championships will be held in Philadelphia on October 27th.
Both teams are picked to finish 16th in the A-10 preseason poll. The Bonnies will look to achieve their first non-last place finish since 1997.
The Bonnies have plenty of depth returning to their men’s team this year. Freshmen occupied the entire starting lineup used in the Atlantic 10 Championships last year. Masiello, rounded out the Thompson, Steve Kibbe, Egan and Trifoso were the Brown and White runners in the championship meet.
The Bonnie women also relied on their freshmen last season and more work will need to be done in their sophomore campaign. Dickinson, Robinson and Steves were three of the five runners for Bonaventure in last year’s final meet.
