Following mixed results at the SUNYAC Championship two weeks ago, the Plattsburgh State cross country is aiming to exact some revenge at this weekend’s NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional Championships.
“Regionals is a chance for us to not only see how we fare against the best of the best in our region, but it also gives us a chance to race the SUNYAC teams again, and a chance to beat those teams on the men’s side,” head coach Andrew Krug said.
After finishing a disappointing eighth out of nine teams, the men have some targets that Krug thinks they could take down in the regional race held at Rowan University.
“Fredonia beat us [at SUNYACs], and I think we’re a better team than Fredonia,” Krug said. “Oswego ran really well at SUNYACs, but I think we match up well with them, as well as Cortland.”
Sophomore Arthur Horan knows that the team will be driven.
“It’s a pretty big drive,” Horan said. “We placed terribly, and we don’t want our final note of the cross country season to be one of the worst teams in SUNYACs.”
The women are coming off of a fifth place team finish in SUNYACs. It was a placement that Krug was happy with, but still thinks could be improved on, eyeing Brockport as a target.
“I think we have a chance to beat them if everything falls into place,” Krug said.
To do it, they will need the continued help of junior Kristina Watrobski.
Watrobski, who finished 13th out of 104 runners in the muddy SUNYAC race, was named all-conference at the event.
Adding to the difficulty of the weekend is the fact that the Cards will be running a new course.
PSUC will be running the Gloucester County Dreamland Equestrian Center course today bto at least get a look at the course before tomorrow’s race.
“At this point of the season, there’s nothing you can do training-wise to help you out,” Horan said. “The best you can do is gain intel.”
Krug is excited for the team to have a chance to see somewhere new, but hopes the weather will hold up.
“Brand new spot, so it’ll be interesting to see what the course looks like,” Krug said. “Hopefully it holds up, with the rainy conditions that the Northeast has had.”
Whether the weather holds up or not, all that the Cards can do now is race.
“A lot of the earlier races are pieces of training,” Krug said. “Now, our training is done. I like to tell [the runners], ‘The hay is in the barn.’ All of our work is done, now we get to see what we have and race at a high level. Doing that on a stage where everyone else is prepped and ready as well, makes it super exciting.”
Email Ben Watson at
cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
