Sep 5, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Once again, the words "depth" and "youth" have come up when discussing the Tigers cross country program. Much like the women's team, the men's team is young. But they proved last year that their youth matters little, and this strong group of returners and newcomers are looking fit to pick where up where last year's team left off.
"Right now we probably have 12 to 15 guys that can be in the top seven on any given race, so there's definitely some major depth up front," said third-year Head Coach Joe Lynn. "We know what the task is at hand, and we're just going to work hard and control what we can control, and hopefully be in a position come November to accomplish our goal and make the NCAA Championships."
The Returners
Leading the way for the Tigers is fifth-year senior Hayden Legg (Mexico, MO), who led Mizzou at the SEC Championships last season, earning a spot on the All-SEC Second Team. He continued his exciting year into the track season, sporting the black and gold for the Indoor and Outdoor SEC Championships and qualifying for the NCAA West Preliminary Round in the 10,000 meters.
Also returning is NCAA West Preliminary Round qualifier, junior Sam Dickerson (Moberly, MO). Dickerson had some key performances for the team in the fall before having a break-out season during outdoor track in the steeplechase. Dickerson has been a consistent top seven runner for the Tigers in his first two seasons and will look to continue to do so this fall.
"Hayden has been one who's worked his way up the ladder and through that hard work and consistency has established himself as one of the all-time greats here at Missouri," said Lynn. "Sam had a great summer of training and has continued forward in mileage, so he's definitely one that we look at to help lead the guys."
Joining Legg as the lone seniors on the team is Merid Seleshi (Ontario, Canada), who was a consistent top five performer for the Tigers last year. Other key returners for the upperclassmen include redshirt sophomores Kenny Cushing (Wentzville, MO), who was a 1500-meter finalist at the SEC Championships that past May, and Chris Spudic (Mt. Prospect, IL), who transferred to Mizzou from Harper College where he was NJCAAA Steeplechase National Champion and five-time All-American. Redshirt junior Eric Dillon (Ontario, Canada) is also back in action after solid cross country and indoor track seasons last year, and a strong summer of training. New on the cross country roster is junior Jon Hughes (Center, MO), a mid-distance athlete for the Tigers who was a member of the 2011 Indoor All-Big 12 4x400m team.
Also back for the Tigres are a trio of sophomores who made major impacts for Mizzou last fall. Tyler Schneider (Schaumburg, IL), Evan Chiplock (Saginaw, MI), and Joe McKenna (Madison, WI) each earned All-SEC Freshman honors for their efforts at the 2012 SEC Championships. Schneider, who was a two-time Freshman of the Week honoree last year, finished 38th at the SEC Championships, just behind Chiplock (35th) and McKenna (32nd).
A large group of redshirt freshman will be in action for the first time this fall. The talented group includes Drew White (Crystal City, MO), Jordan Cook (Columbia, MO), Shannon Hall (Kansas City, MO), Ian McGinn (Brighton, MI), Tyler Rusboldt (Chesterton, IN), and Dan Roe (Arlington Heights, IL), who all qualified for the USATF Junior Championships. Joining this group is Will Crocker (Belvidere, IL), who competed in uniform during the indoor and outdoor track seasons and represented the Tigers at the SEC Championships, three-time Illinois All-State finisher Tim Johnson (Palatine, IL), four-time New Jersey All-State 4x400m finisher Joe Pellegrino (Cherry Hill, NJ), five-time Illinois State Championships qualifier Tom Rotondi (Mokena, IL), and mid-distance specialist Adam DeSplinter (St. Charles, MO).
The Freshmen
"This freshman class is very deep and very talented. The potential is definitely there for some of them to have a major impact this year, and I'm excited to see what these guys bring to the table for us in the future after they get a year in under their belt," said Lynn about the group of 12 newcomers who join the Tigers this year.
Already making their presence known with the front pack during the early season workouts are TJ Carey (Lake Orion, MI) and Chris Mooneyham (Springfield, MO). Carey was a 2012 Nike Cross Nationals qualifier and the 2013 Michigan State Champion in the 1600m while at Lake Orion HS. He picked up four All-State honors in cross country, including as Runner-Up in 2012, and was a two-time Runner-Up at the Track & Field State Championships in the 4x800m relay. Mooneyham was the 2013 Missouri State Champion in the 3200m and the 2012 Cross Country State Championships Runner-Up while at Glendale HS.
"The freshman class as a whole has really shown the potential is there to step into the role of helping us at the conference and national levels both this year, and into the future as they continue to grow with experience," said Lynn.
Chandler Dye comes to Mizzou from North Dakota State University, where he competed primarily in the 800m and mile. Before he became a Bison, though, Dyson competed for Rosemount HS in Minnesota, where he was a member of three State Champion Track & Field teams and was himself an All-State competitor.
Sheldon Keence (St. Charles, MO) and Alex Pierce (Shorewood, IL) come to Mizzou after earning State Championship titles this past spring. Keence won the Missouri title in the 3200m, and finished as runner-up in the 1600m, while Pierce was an Illinois Champion in the 4x400m relay. Marc Dubrick (DeKalb, IL) was a two-time Illinois State Championships qualifier while at DeKalb HS, Brian Hernan (Manchester, MO) was a two-time Missouri State Championships qualifier while at Parkway South HS, and Billy Leighton (Cape Girardeau, MO) was a three-time Missouri State Championships qualifier while competing for Cape Girardeau Central HS.
Other freshmen to watch out for are ten-time Colorado State Championships qualifier in cross country and track and six-time All-State finisher, Ben Goodman (Colorado Springs, CO), 2012 Missouri Cross Country State Championships qualifier Kyler Haumann (Ozark, MO); 2013 Illinois All-State 800m specialist, Grant Inskeep (Dunlap, IL); three-time California State Championships qualifier and 2012 All-State in the 800m, Cody Johnson (Ben Lomond, CA); and two-time Missouri All-State finisher in the 800m and 4x800m, Cain Winebrenner (Kansas City, MO).
The Schedule
The Tigers have a tough schedule this season, hitting a number of the premier invitationals in the nation to prepare for the championship season in November. First, though, the team will head to Fayetteville on September 6th to go head-to-head with the University of Arkansas. The Tigers will then return to action at the Roy Griak Invitational on September 28th in Minneapolis, MN, then the prestigious Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, IN, on October 4th. Finishing up the regular season is a trip to Madison, WI, for the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational on October 19th.
"Late-September and October are important for us with hitting three of the more prestigious meets in the country, and we'll need to be ready to perform consistently well at those," said Lynn. "Our schedule is set up to score us some points and make it to the NCAA Championships, and the guys are excited about it. We're focused on just doing what we need to everyday to be ready to compete at the highest level come November."
The University of Florida will play host to the SEC Cross Country Championships on November 1st. Two weeks later, the team will travel to Ames, IA, for the NCAA Midwest Regional competition where the Tigers will look to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, IN, on November 23rd.
For the latest on your Tigers, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MIZ_TrackField.