Men's Cross Country on the Rise

The 2009 Norwich University men's cross country team has some big goals this year to accomplish.

The team's main goal is to win GNACs (Great Northeast Athletic Conference). This is the conference championship.

"The roster suggests that the Cadets have a good mix of veteran and novice runners and will compete for a GNAC championship in October," said Captain John Pomeroy, a 25-year-old senior civil engineering major from Stafford, Va.

"In some ways we have 20 to 30 years of experience but we have seniors who are beginners," Paulwan said.

"We have a good mix of experienced and new runners but we have four to five really strong freshmen who can make an immediate impact," Pomeroy said.

"We have three or four freshmen who will compete to be in our top seven," said Michael Christopher, 21, a junior mechanical engineering major from Hazlet, N.J. "We have a lot of new talent this year."

"The Cadets have doubled the members from last year's squad. The team has 10 to 15 new runners from last season," said Mike Monaghan, 22, a senior from Philadelphia.

Coach Ramsey Paulwan said about the team, "I want to see more consistency."

"The cross country team will be running on a home course set for next season," Paulwan said. "The Paine Mountain course is uphill for 3 miles, than you turn around and run 2 miles down. You start and end at the field where there used to be a ski lift. It's a rocky start, has tree roots … Next year [we] will host [our] first competition because we need to invite teams to come and race against us," said Paulwan.

"Home field advantage will be knowing where the top of the hill is," said Pomeroy.

"The course will bring in a few more fans," said Sam Spinrad, 20, a sophomore history major from Kentfield, Ca.

"Maybe we can get a few more recruits," said Monaghan.

So far this season the men's cross country team has competed in four meets. In the Cardinal Classic it placed fourth, fifth in the Smith Co-Ed Invitational, third in the Panther Invitational, first in the Rivier Invitational and third in the Vermont state meet.

  "The Cadets biggest competition in the conference is Johnson and Wales University," Pomeroy said.

According to Norwich University's athletic Web site the Cadets finished second in the conference last season.