The men’s and women’s cross country teams are both trying to overcome key losses to graduation that would hurt any team’s chances of success.
For the girls it’s former leaders Maggie Fitter and Janel Haggerty who need to be replaced.
Both runners earned All-American honors during their time at Keene State and leave big shoes to fill. The boys said good-bye to standout Thomas Pacquette this Spring, undoubtedly one of their best runners. So where does that leave them?
In surprisingly good shape, as both teams found out after winning their first meets of the season last week. It was easy to see what the team’s lost- not because of a dip in performance but because of whom they were racing against.
In the annual Keene State Alumni Invitational meet, former runners faced the current team in coach Peter Thomas’s unorthodox method of inspiring competition.
It’s hard to believe the alumni walked away anything but impressed with what they saw.
“We looked good, both teams performed the way I wanted them to,” Coach Peter Thomas said.
“We gave them time parameters to run between and they did that and it was encouraging.”
They didn’t lose everybody. The boys get back senior Ryan Widzgowski, who’s looking to improve from his All-American junior year.
Widzgowski leads a young team highlighted by Sophomore Ryan Brady, who exploded onto the scene last year to become the Little East Conference’s rookie runner of the year.
The girls are hoping something similar happens with one of their eleven freshmen entering their first season at KSC.
“We’ll have better overall depth this year,” Thomas said.
“I think a variety of kids can fill that slot [left by Fitter and Haggerty] in another years time.”
The lone four seniors on the team are in a good position not only to succeed but to teach their young team the importance of hard work and poise at the college level.
Joining the upper classmen once healthy will be talented junior Kait Wheeler, who is recovering from an injury to start the year.
It’s easy to see that there are many similarities between the two teams this year.
Someone in a good position to pick up on those similarities is Thomas, the coach of both of them.
Thomas has seen his share of adversity in his 29 years coaching at KSC and it’s likely he won’t have anyone feeling sorry for themselves as they head into the Dartmouth Invitational to face division one competition this weekend.
“Running against D-1 teams gives them a dose of reality,” Thomas said. “It’ll keep their heads on their shoulders.”
Zach Winn can be contacted at zwinn@keene-equinox.com