Goucher Set to Host Landmark XC Championships

TOWSON, Md. — The Goucher cross country programs have had six regular season meets this fall, and all of those races were scheduled to help prepare the Gophers for this weekend.

On Saturday, Goucher will host the 2014 Landmark Cross Country Championships for the third time since the conference’s formation in 2007. The men’s 8K race kicks things off at 11 a.m., while the women’s 6K race is scheduled to begin one hour later. Both races will conclude at Gopher Stadium.

“I think we’re rested, and we’re stronger than we’ve been at any point this season,” head coach John Caslin said. “We should be peaking at the right time.”

The Gophers have competed in just one meet, Stevenson’s Mustang Twilight Tune Up last Tuesday, since hosting the Goucher Classic on Oct. 11. The rest is aimed at helping both teams compete at full strength for the conference event, and it could be particularly beneficial for a men’s squad which has yet to field its full complement of runners at a meet this season.

“We’re pretty excited about the men’s opportunity on Saturday,” Caslin remarked. “We’ve had some injury and illness issues with Isaac Jennings (Narberth, Pa./Harriton) and Liam Lanahan (Corvallis, Ore./Crescent Valley), but they’ve both been coming on pretty well, and Zachary Byrum (Stafford, Va./Brooke Point) has been solid all season long. With those three, and with the depth provided by our freshmen, they could be the surprise of the conference.”

One of those freshmen, Griffin Stein (Westport, Conn./Staples), has posted the top 8K time of the season for the Gophers in 2014, while Jennings led the team at both the Landmark and Mideast regional meets last fall.

Susquehanna University is the favorite to repeat for the men's title after scoring a conference record 22 points in 2013 on the way to securing its fifth Landmark title in seven years. When it hasn't been Susquehanna, Moravian took home top honors in the Landmark with championships in 2011 and 2012, and Greyhound senior Dillon Farrell will be looking for a three-peat as the men's individual champion.

On the women’s side, Goucher has been attempting all year to replace several of its top runners from last year’s squad which finished fourth in the Landmark meet. Newcomers Amanda Tascarella (Rocky Point, N.Y./Rocky Point) and Anna Sandacz (Jessup, Md./Annapolis Area Christian School) have helped fill that void, slotting in with Camille Jorgensen (San Diego, Calif./Patrick Henry) as the top three runners for the Gophers in each race they have participated in this fall.

“When you lose eight of your top 10 runners from the year before, there will always be growing pains,” Caslin said. “But this young group has been working really hard. Amanda has been solid all season for us, and Anna has really come on strong in the last five or six weeks.

“Camille is finally healthy,” he continued. “And we’re confident in the ability of Zoe Malkin (Watchung, N.J./Watchung Hills Regional) to add to our team score. It’s going to be up to one of the other younger team members to step up into that fifth slot.”

Moravian is one of five teams to win a Landmark women's cross country title, and the Greyhounds claimed their second conference title in 2013. Their top four runners earned All-Landmark honors and the top six finishers in last year's championship race are back for this season’s repeat attempt.

Elizabethtown, meanwhile, is hoping to keep its streak of conference championships going after earning the last seven MAC titles before moving on to the Landmark this fall. The individual championship will also be up for grabs following the graduation of 2013 winner, Katrina Woods from Juniata.

Admission is free for all spectators. The awards ceremony will be held in the Decker Sports & Recreation Center following the conclusion of the women’s race, and results for both races will be posted online as soon as they are made available. Click here for more information on Saturday’s meet.

Note: Portions of this article originally appeared on the Landmark Conference website