Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Thumbtastic! (Episode 11 Preview)
As most OAC teams gear up to report back to campus on Monday we hyped the occasion by picking the brains of five Ohio Northern seniors. Can the Polar Bears fight for a spot on the podium this November? Will they battle Calvin for a Great Lakes Championship? How do they feel about their recent head coaching hire?
After nearly an hour and thirty minutes of recorded interview time you can expect to see quite the ONU jukebox grace the front page sometime next week. Until then, we'll leave you with a little preview.
After nearly an hour and thirty minutes of recorded interview time you can expect to see quite the ONU jukebox grace the front page sometime next week. Until then, we'll leave you with a little preview.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Season Preview
Going into the 2008 Cross Country season, the ONU men look to be heavy favorites to repeat as OAC Champions. This is a team that I think will present Calvin with their first real challenge in the region since the 2002 Mount Union squad, a team that should finish in the top 10 nationally, and a team that on the right day could be standing on the podium.
ONU returns 9 of its top 10 runners from the 2007 OAC Championships, including its top 6. Highlights from last season included taking the DIII title at All-Ohio, as well as finishing 4th overall, winning the OAC title, finishing as the Great Lakes Regional runner-up, and placing 17th at Nationals, only 49 points out of 10th place. Losing only 7th man Rob Leslie from last year’s team, ONU will look to match or improve upon each of these finishes in 2008.
The Northern men will be led by last season’s OAC Champion and All-American James O’Brien. O’Brien, a five-time All-American on the track, including two national titles in the 800, placed 1st at OAC, 5th at Regionals, and 34th Nationals last season. This season O’Brien, a senior, will look to repeat as OAC Champion, challenge Calvin’s Jed Christensen for the Regional title, and improve upon last year’s finish at Nationals.
The remainder of ONU’s top 5 will be filled out by seniors Thomas Adam, Paul Lewis, and Eric Porter, and junior Alan Bowsher.
Adam, a two-time OAC Champion on the track, finished 11th at the past two OAC Championships, and placed 24th and 14th at the past two regional meets. Despite struggling through injury and illness through most of the 2008 track season, Adam was still able to capture the indoor 5k title. After recently having his tonsils removed, Adam is looking forward to an illness free cross country season in 2008.
Lewis goes into 2008 looking to become a four-time All-OAC finisher in cross country after placing 10th, 2nd, and 8th over the past three seasons. He is also a two-time All-Regional finisher, placing 32nd, 13th, and 41st over the past three seasons. Lewis is also the 2007 OAC 10k runner-up (finishing 2nd to Adam). After spending last summer in South America, Lewis is remaining in Ohio this summer, looking to come into this season in much better shape than last year.
Porter had a breakthrough season in cross country last year, placing 6th at the OAC Championships, and 33rd in the Region. Additionally, Porter won the Hanover and Geneseo Invitationals last season. Despite feeling the effects of a heavier training regimen, Porter went on to have a solid track season, and looks to be well adjusted to the higher mileage coming into the 2008 cross country season.
Bowsher showed dramatic improvement last year, becoming a staple in ONU’s top 5 and posting a very impressive season on the track. Bowsher placed 12th at last season’s OAC Championships and 21st at Regionals, before finishing as ONU’s third runner at Nationals. On the track, Bowsher finished 3rd in the Indoor 3k, 2nd in the Indoor 5k, 2nd in the Outdoor 10k, and 3rd in the Outdoor 5k at the OAC Championships.
The remainder of ONU’s top 10 looks to be filled out by Brent Hiser, Eric Thatcher, Ben McPheron, Jacob Schoenlein, and Nick Edmonds. Hiser, a junior, was ONU’s 6th man basically all of last season. Thatcher, a senior, has been hurt during the past two cross country seasons, but has placed 2nd twice in the 3k Steeplechase at the OAC Championships. McPheron and Edmonds, both juniors, and Schoenlein, a sophomore, all posted solid marks in 10k last season, and will be looking to carry that improvement onto the grass this season.
As far as new recruits, I don’t really want to get into specifics at this juncture, but rest assured, ONU has a very strong class coming in.
ONU returns 9 of its top 10 runners from the 2007 OAC Championships, including its top 6. Highlights from last season included taking the DIII title at All-Ohio, as well as finishing 4th overall, winning the OAC title, finishing as the Great Lakes Regional runner-up, and placing 17th at Nationals, only 49 points out of 10th place. Losing only 7th man Rob Leslie from last year’s team, ONU will look to match or improve upon each of these finishes in 2008.
The Northern men will be led by last season’s OAC Champion and All-American James O’Brien. O’Brien, a five-time All-American on the track, including two national titles in the 800, placed 1st at OAC, 5th at Regionals, and 34th Nationals last season. This season O’Brien, a senior, will look to repeat as OAC Champion, challenge Calvin’s Jed Christensen for the Regional title, and improve upon last year’s finish at Nationals.
The remainder of ONU’s top 5 will be filled out by seniors Thomas Adam, Paul Lewis, and Eric Porter, and junior Alan Bowsher.
Adam, a two-time OAC Champion on the track, finished 11th at the past two OAC Championships, and placed 24th and 14th at the past two regional meets. Despite struggling through injury and illness through most of the 2008 track season, Adam was still able to capture the indoor 5k title. After recently having his tonsils removed, Adam is looking forward to an illness free cross country season in 2008.
Lewis goes into 2008 looking to become a four-time All-OAC finisher in cross country after placing 10th, 2nd, and 8th over the past three seasons. He is also a two-time All-Regional finisher, placing 32nd, 13th, and 41st over the past three seasons. Lewis is also the 2007 OAC 10k runner-up (finishing 2nd to Adam). After spending last summer in South America, Lewis is remaining in Ohio this summer, looking to come into this season in much better shape than last year.
Porter had a breakthrough season in cross country last year, placing 6th at the OAC Championships, and 33rd in the Region. Additionally, Porter won the Hanover and Geneseo Invitationals last season. Despite feeling the effects of a heavier training regimen, Porter went on to have a solid track season, and looks to be well adjusted to the higher mileage coming into the 2008 cross country season.
Bowsher showed dramatic improvement last year, becoming a staple in ONU’s top 5 and posting a very impressive season on the track. Bowsher placed 12th at last season’s OAC Championships and 21st at Regionals, before finishing as ONU’s third runner at Nationals. On the track, Bowsher finished 3rd in the Indoor 3k, 2nd in the Indoor 5k, 2nd in the Outdoor 10k, and 3rd in the Outdoor 5k at the OAC Championships.
The remainder of ONU’s top 10 looks to be filled out by Brent Hiser, Eric Thatcher, Ben McPheron, Jacob Schoenlein, and Nick Edmonds. Hiser, a junior, was ONU’s 6th man basically all of last season. Thatcher, a senior, has been hurt during the past two cross country seasons, but has placed 2nd twice in the 3k Steeplechase at the OAC Championships. McPheron and Edmonds, both juniors, and Schoenlein, a sophomore, all posted solid marks in 10k last season, and will be looking to carry that improvement onto the grass this season.
As far as new recruits, I don’t really want to get into specifics at this juncture, but rest assured, ONU has a very strong class coming in.
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