Aug. 27, 2009
2008 was a season of successes for the Boston University women's cross country program. The team captured meet wins at the Ted Owen Invitational and the Central Connecticut State University Mini Meet and produced the winner of every regular-season race. Individually, Andrea Walkonen won the America East Championship, became the first Terrier female cross country runner in over a decade to garner All-America accolades and joined Erin Lagasse and Sarah Mosser as a regular season meet winner. After setting the bar high last season, the 2009 Terriers have their sights set on a conference championship and the chance for the team to join Walkonen at the NCAA Championship meet.
The undisputed leader of the 2009 BU squad is Walkonen, who will be a graduate student this fall and will be entering her sixth season with the cross country program. Last season, the Jaffrey, N.H., native placed first at the Ted Owen Invitational, the New England Championship and the America East Championship before finishing second in the NCAA Northeast Regional race and 21st at the NCAA Championships. Walkonen also earned national recognition during the indoor track season, posting the second-fastest time in the nation in the 10k race. With two America East titles, two New England titles and an All-America nod on her resume, Walkonen has her sights set on a return to trip to the NCAA Championships this fall. "She is a good competitor and she has great stamina," said Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Robyne Johnson. "She just never seems to get tired."
The lone senior on the team is Mosser, a native of East Aurora, N.Y., who looks to team with Walkonen for a devastating one-two punch. Mosser took home the title at the CCSU Mini Meet, completing the two-mile course in 11:09 and earning America East Performer of the Week honors as one of three Terriers in the top five. An eighth-place finish at the America East Championships helped the Terriers to second place at the event and both Johnson and head coach Bruce Lehane have high hopes for Mosser this season.
Kathleen Davies and Molly James are the two juniors on the 2009 Terrier roster and will look to remain impact runners for the Terriers. Davies capped a solid sophomore season with a 12th-place finish at the conference championships helping the team to its runner-up result. Davies was also the second BU runner to cross the line at the CCSU Mini Meet, finishing third overall, and was the fourth-best Terrier at the New England Championships, finishing 53rd overall in the race. After taking the indoor and outdoor track seasons off, Davies is energized and ready to improve upon her sophomore results.
Like the men's team, sophomores are plentiful on the women's cross country roster with six of 15 runners being second-year students. Katie Matthews and Sarah Healy headline the sextet having showed great promise in their freshman seasons. Matthews showed steady progress through her rookie campaign and notched a 16th-place finish at the America East Championships, the fourth-best Terrier result. Over the summer, the Rocky Hill, Conn., native continued to progress, finishing third at the Junior Nationals, posting a time of 17:28 in the 5k event.
Healy is continuing the process of transferring her skills from the track to the cross country course and will aid fellow sophomore Mariko Takahashi, whose sophomore season will be her first as a cross country runner, in the transition as well. Johnson and Lehane see enormous potential in the sophomore class and hope the track skills portrayed by many will transfer to cross country. "Our competitive stature will hinge quite a bit on Mariko and Sarah," said Lehane. Luri Lee, Anna Lukes and Madeline Steiner round out the group of sophomores who will be looking to boost BU's chances at a conference championship.
Lehane and Johnson welcome five freshmen to the 2009 roster, a handful of whom have accomplished records on the track and will be looking to make an impact on the grass and hills. Newcomers this fall include Danielle Bowen, Kristin Cole, Nikki Long, Tenny Ostrem and Marita Stressenger.
While the women's cross country team will compete in what Lehane calls "a traditional schedule," the Terriers will race at their home course of Franklin Park three times in 2009, the final time coming at the NCAA Northeast Regional. BU begins its season on Sept. 12 with the Vermont Invitational and returns to Burlington in October for the America East Championship. The Terriers will likely also send runners to the Central Connecticut State mini meet, held in New Britain, Conn. The big challenge for BU has been and remains Stony Brook who captured its second straight conference title in 2008, placing four runners in the top six at the conference championship. "We are going to have to compete well just to hold our spot," said Lehane of the tough conference competition. "But I think we also have some momentum from last season."
With a selection of fresh faces to compliment the veteran runners, the women's cross country team looks to capture it's fifteenth conference title in 2009 and hopefully send the full squad with Walkonen to the NCAA championship meet.
