Fact Sheet
This season, the Rowan University men’s cross country team consists of several young runners along with a small group of veterans. The Profs have no seniors and only five juniors on the roster. They graduated five seniors from last year’s squad. Rowan won the 2008 Collegiate Track Conference (CTC) Championships and the University of Delaware Invitational. The Profs took second place at the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championships and they finished 15th at the NCAA Atlantic Regional.
“We have a nice young team this year made up of juniors, sophomores and freshmen,” said head coach Bill Fritz. “The sophomores and freshmen have trained the most and they have talent. The juniors will provide stability and they are in very good shape. They have two years of racing under their belt.”
“The freshmen are getting experience and they have ability,” continued Fritz. “Even though the team is young, they will not miss a step. We should be better than we have been the last couple of years.”
The men’s cross country team lost Greg Kuczynski, Mike Rivera, Andrew Vasta, Eric Thomas and Dan Ratty. Kuczynski earned NJAC All-Conference honors four straight seasons and Rivera was on the second team his senior year. All five runners earned four letters and they were major contributors.
Fritz will rely on his junior captains Brian Quilty (jr. Brick, NJ/Saint Rose) and Jeff Terebey (jr. Shamong, NJ/Seneca) to guide the young team. Last year, Quilty earned All-Conference second team honors with a 14th place finish (26:43.64) at the NJAC Championships. He finished 15th (20:19.98) at the CTC Championships and 16th (27:57.71) at the DeSales Invitational. Terebey came in 20th (27:07.56) at the conference championships. He took 10th place (29:16) at the Delaware Invitational.
“Brian trained tremendously hard his sophomore year and this past summer,” Fritz stated. “He has made himself into a good collegiate runner. Brian will be in the top 10 to 15 in any race. Jeff has a lot of experience from last year as the eighth man. He ran all the big races, stepping in for runners that went down. He trained hard over the summer. If they both run their race, they will get good results.”
The junior class also includes John Fessler (jr. Rancocas Valley, NJ/Rancocas Valley Reg.), Nick Huddy (jr. Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Egg Harbor Twp.) and Ryan Hoxworth (jr. Vineland, NJ/home schooled). Fessler ran in four meets last season. He came in 12th (30:08) at the Delaware Invitational. At the Paul Short Run JV, Fessler had a time of 29:16 on the 8K course. Huddy returns to the team after a one year hiatus because of an injury. Hoxworth is a transfer from Cumberland County College.
“John has made tremendous strides since his freshman year,” commented Fritz. “He is trying hard and he is a month away from contributing. His physical condition is holding him back. Huddy is a middle distance runner from track. He needs to get tough and hang in the race early and focus for the full distance.”
The Profs have several sophomores with experience. Eric DuBois (so. Pittsgrove, NJ/A.P. Schalick), Jake McCormack (so. Cliffwood, NJ/Matawan Reg.), Ben Chapman (so. Beverly, MA/Beverly) and Kunal Sharma (so. Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill W.) all competed in their rookie season. DuBois ran in every meet and three times he was named the NJAC Rookie Runner of the Week. He finished third (19:50.54) at the CTC Championships and fourth (27:48) at the Delaware Invitational. DuBois was 16th overall (26:45.87) at the conference championships. This season, he missed the first two meets because of an injury.
Chapman competed in four meets and he had an 11th place finish (29:21) at the Delaware Invitational. McCormack had his best time of 28:15 at the Paul Short Run JV. Sharma finished 12th (26:35.15) at the NJAC Championships for All-Conference second team honors. He did not run at the Sea Gull Invitational or the Fordham Fiasco because he started the preseason training late.
“Eric, Jake and Ben all did summer training,” Fritz stated. “Jake and Ben looked good and strong at the time trial and at the first meet. They are very highly motivated. We hope to get Eric and Kunal back to normal soon.”
Rowan also returns veterans Dale Holzer (so. Erial, NJ/Timber Creek) and Pat Rindt (so. Aberdeen, NJ/Matawan Reg.). They are joined by Pennsylvania College of Technology transfer Stephen Hoffman (so. Ocean City, NJ/Ocean City). Last season, Holzer ran a time of 24:15 at the CTC Championships. He also competed at the DeSales Invitational and the Paul Short Run JV. At the Delaware Invitational, Rindt came in 23rd (32:39).
“Last year, Holzer was at the bottom of the pack,” said Fritz. “He has trained and lost weight. Dale is on the up-swing and by the end of the year he should crack the top seven. Pat has one year of experience and will improve his results from last season. Hoffman looks very good. He is highly motivated and will be a good runner for us.”
The newcomers that will contribute in their first season are Stephen Mennitt (fr. Edison, NJ/Edison) and Mike Carotenuto (fr. Port Monmouth, NJ/Middletown N.). At the Sea Gull Invitational, Mennitt took third place with a time of 26:32 over the 8K course. He was selected the NJAC Rookie Runner of the Week. Carotenuto came in 21st in 28:10. The freshmen recruits also include Jake Brown (fr. Laurel Springs, NJ/Highland Reg.), Andrew Gulya (fr. Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens), Ryan Montaperto (fr. Aberdeen, NJ/Matawan, Reg.) and Evan Stone (fr. Marlton, NJ/Cherokee).
“Mennitt is a very smooth runner,” Fritz praised. “He got off to a great start and looks really good. Stephen has been strong in the workouts. He will make the transition to college smoothly. Carotenuto is very tough mentally. He has the build for running and will be strong. Mike has a lot of potential and promise. Brown has the ability to do college training, now he must attain college results.”
“In September and October, we will get ready for the conference and regional meets,” Fritz stated. “The team is headed in the right direction. We need to get Eric and Kunal back so we can put the best guys out there.”