July 10, 2003

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Despite the graduation of last season's top two runners, the 2003 Lewis University men's cross country team appears to have enough talent and depth to contend for top spots in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region.

"Our preseason goals are to successfully defend our GLVC title and get back to the national meet as a team after a year's absence," head coach Bob Schultz said. "It hurts to lose a pair of all-region and all-conference performers like Mike Cropper and Tomasz Baginski. But our No. 3 through No. 10 runners are back, and that gives us good reason to be optimistic."

Junior Braulio Benitez and senior Juan Carrillo are the Flyers' top competitors. Benitez earned all-region honors by placing 14th at last year's Great Lakes Regional, and Carrillo made the All-GLVC team with an eighth-place finish at the GLVC Championship. Schultz expects sophomore Larry Cardenas (13th in GLVC, 39th in region) and senior Willie Nelson (15th in GLVC, 54th in region) also to be in the top five.

Lewis' returning group also includes senior Brad Rackow; junior Erik Donovan; sophomores John Archer, Brad Fox, Darren Orange, Chris Sievers, Josh Thompson and Nick Wyatt; and redshirt freshmen Mike Eck and Dustin Long.

Freshmen Andy Tremble and Larry Anzalone are the Flyers' top newcomers. Tremble finished fourth in cross country and was the Class A two-mile state champion in Illinois last season, while Anzalone qualified for state competition in cross country and track.

Schultz expects competition in the GLVC to be very spirited. "Most of the teams have a good returning nucleus," he said. "Southern Indiana, Southern Illinois Edwardsville, Indianapolis and Wisconsin-Parkside should be especially tough."