2008 Women's Cross Country Season Preview

The 2008 St. Thomas women's cross country team will look to claim its third consecutive MIAC championship and make its fourth consecutive NCAA national meet appearance. Coach Joe Sweeney's team comes in ranked 23rd in the Division III preseason national poll.

The Tommies have nosed out runner-up Carleton for the conference team title two years in a row and now have 15 of a possible 27 MIAC team titles. UST posted a 73-92 margin over the Knights in 2006. In 2007, in the second closest finish in the 27-year history of the race, the Tommies scored 74 to shade Carleton (76) and St. Olaf (80).

The 2008 conference meet will be held Nov. 1 at St. Paul's Como Golf Course. Sweeney has guided Tommie CC, indoor track and outdoor track teams to 60 team championships out of a possible 78 all-time, including eight in a row since March 2006.

The Tommies will also run nearby at a September race hosted by the University of Minnesota; travel to October races in San Franscisco and Chippewa Falls, Wis.; run the NCAA regional race in Oakland Acres, Iowa (hosted by Grinnell); and will look to make the NCAA Championships in Hanover, Ind.

Sweeney graduated three runners from the Tommies' 2007 squad that placed 25th at nationals. Senior All-American Katie Theisen leads a strong returning corps, and incoming freshman Emma Spoon, a Wisconsin large-class state cross-country runner-up, leads the newcomers.

Theisen will seek her fourth All-MIAC finish and will contend for a top-three individual placing. Last fall, Theisen placed second in the MIAC, fourth at regionals and 20th at nationals. In track and field, Theisen ran the mile anchor on UST's NCAA runner-up distance medley relay last March at the national indoor championships, and was the conference 3,000-meter steeplechase champion last May. She also won ESPN the Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-America honors for 2007-08 with a 4.00 grade-point average.

Fellow All-American Marie Borner of Bethel was the lone MIAC runner to beat Theisen in fall 2007.

UST junior Kelly Russ will look to claim her third consecutive All-MIAC honor as she placed 15th as a freshman and 11th last season. Last year in track, Russ was an MIAC runner-up at 1,500 meters; an outdoor nationals qualifier at 800 meters; and indoors ran on the NCAA runner-up distance medley.

Sophomores Raynee DeGrio (47th MIAC, 56th regionals) and Allie Metzler (30th MIAC, 73rd regionals) ran well in their first collegiate seasons.

Junior Alexandra Johnson has placed 55th and 52nd in her first two MIAC cross country meets.

Spoon has been a standout runner at Verona, Wis. She placed 21st at state as a freshman then improved to seventh, second and fifth in her last three state meets. Her best time at state was 14:39 for 4,000 meters as a junior.

Two other Tommie incoming freshmen also placed at last year's Wisconsin state cross country meet -- Maria Altepeter placed eighth in Division III in 15:41, and Abby Yeomans placed 29th in Division II in 15:49 (both 4,000 meters).

Sweeney has guided Tommie CC, indoor track and outdoor track teams to 60 team championships out of a possible 78 all-time, including eight in a row since March 2006.

UST starts its season Sept. 12 in Collegeville at the SJU men's and women's meet.

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