St. John's University Athletics
SEASON PREVIEW: 2014 St. John's Cross Country
9/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Sept. 5, 2014
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- 2014 Schedule
- Directions to St. John's University Oakdale campus
QUEENS, N.Y. - For the first time in a number of years, the St. John's women's cross country team returns a roster of experienced competitors as the Red Storm aims to open its 2014 campaign on the right foot as host of the SJU-Hofstra Fall XC Festival on Sunday, Sept. 7. Sunday's season-opener will be staged on the University's pristine Oakdale, N.Y., campus on Long Island and will feature a number of local colleges and universities.
"We will field one of our strongest cross country teams in school history this fall with the return of fifth-year pharmacy major Chelsea Trant and a strong junior class of Kerri Butler, Stephanie Van Pelt, Michelle Van Pelt, Veronica Thompson and Tiffany Evanego," said St. John's head coach Jim Hurt. "Australian freshman Izzi Batt-Doyle is one of the top junior runners in the world and should make an immediate impact for the Red Storm at championship meets. Fellow freshmen Marlow Schulz, Amy Orellana and Melissa Hidalgo, as well as sophomore Tiffany Perrier, will provide much needed depth to what should be a strong St. John's team.
The Red Storm will get its 2014 campaign underway in Sunday's SJU-Hofstra Fall XC Festival Women's 5K race which is scheduled for 10 a.m.
Poised to lead the way for St. John's this fall is fifth-year senior Trant, who returns to the squad after missing the 2013 campaign with an injury. As a junior in 2012, Trant finished as the Red Storm's top runner at four meets and secured All-East honors thanks to a 22nd-place finish at the ECAC Championships with a 5K time of 19:12. That season, Trant ran a personal best time of 22:46 for 6K in a standout race at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships at Van Cortlandt Park and was 79th at the BIG EAST Championship.
With Trant sidelined in 2013, the deep junior class including Butler, S. Van Pelt, M. Van Pelt, Thompson and Evanego gained valuable experience last season, traveling to some of the biggest meets in the country while setting personal bests across the board. All five will compete for scoring places this fall while looking to help the Red Storm contend at the conference and regional level.
Butler led St. John's on two occasions last season, including finishing 57th at the BIG EAST Championship in Kenosha, Wis., with a 6K time of 24:30.0 and fifth overall at the LIU Post Invitational in a personal-best 5K time of 18:50.04. Two of the Red Storm's most reliable contributors last season, S. Van Pelt and M. Van Pelt provided one of the highlights of the 2013 campaign by finishing ninth and 10th, respectively, in the Coaches' Association 5K race at the ECAC Championships. Thompson and Evanego, meanwhile, both accomplished career-best times at the 4K, 5K and 6K distances as sophomores, with the former enjoying a breakout season which saw her place 60th overall at the BIG EAST Championship.
Along with its core of veteran runners, the Red Storm will boast a talented group of newcomers in 2014, including freshmen Batt-Doyle, Hidalgo, Shulz and Orellana, who are expected to add depth to the squad and push for scoring places. Batt-Doyle, a native of Adelaide, Australia, recently hit the qualifying mark for the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and has extensive experience racing at the Australian Cross Country and Junior Athletics Championships. Additionally, a number of St. John's track & field standouts will complete a modified cross country season in preparation for the winter and spring campaigns, including junior Pariis Garcia, sophomore Perrier, and seniors Natasya Rodrigues and Claire Mooney.
For the second-consecutive year, St. John's will open its season as host of the SJU-Hofstra Fall XC Festival on the University's Oakdale campus on Long Island. The Red Storm and other local colleges and universities will race the 5K distance, with St. John's looking to improve on its eighth-place team finish from last season. The event will feature an Alumni Mile at 9:30 a.m., and, following the Women's 5K at 10 a.m., the Men's 5K is scheduled to go off at 10:30 a.m. Division I schools will be scored separately from Division II and Division III schools and awards will be handed out to the top Division I team, top Division II/III team combined and the top-15 overall men and women.
To keep up to date on all team news this upcoming season, follow on Twitter @StJohnsXCTF and by using the hashtag #SJUXC. To be added to the St. John's women's cross country fans e-mail list, send a message to Edouard.Boulat13@stjohns.edu with the subject: "St. John's women's XC e-mail."
Players Mentioned
