San Francisco, CA -- In back-to-back seasons, the Academy of Art University men’s cross country team placed five runners in the top seven slots at the Pacific West Conference Championships. Tremendous recognition one year, and a league title the second. The big question now: What will they do for a 2010 encore?
“The men are ready to up the ante this year,” Interim Head Coach Anne Ricketts said. “Of course we want to repeat as conference champions, but they know they can do more and this year is the year to do it. They are ready to get after it.”
Beginning on Sept. 4, the Urban Knights will take their first steps toward their third ultimate distinction in three years. The team remains entirely intact and psyched for another championship run.
“This year will be exciting for the men's cross country team,” Coach Ricketts said. “On top of our goal as repeating as conference champions, the men have decided to set their sights on making a splash at some bigger meets like Stanford and Western Washington. We want to be able to run right up there with some big Division I programs. I foresee the theme of this year as being teamwork. We want to define who we are as a team in our third year and start to create a legacy of excellence and commitment.”
After no seniors last year, there will be one for the men’s team this season.
Geoffrey Cheruiyot is the lone senior and one of seven returning runners to the Knights in 2010. The core supporting
Cheruiyot still has youth on its side as
Mark Bretan,
Shawn Daut,
Kennedy Kurgat,
Daveson Marindich,
Amos Maru, and
Simon Mutai will all assume junior status. Those seven athletes have been with the program since its inception and they understand the importance of that unity according to Coach Ricketts.
“At this point, the returnees know each other really well,” Coach Ricketts said. “They know each other's strengths, and they know each other's weaknesses. We talked about the importance of holding each other accountable and trying to push and encourage teammates in areas where they struggle. I think at this point they know how to race as a team.”
Joining men’s cross country from ART U’s 2010 track & field squad will be senior
Aric Armon and junior
Joey Villasenor.
Armon captained the track team and his top outing was a first place finish in the 100m at the 2010 SF State Distance Carnival.
Villasenor also succeeded in the SFSU meet where he placed 6th in both the 200m and the 400m events.
The Urban Knights’ 2009 campaign had its share of impressive performance well before the championship race took place. At the Sundodger Invitational on Sept. 19, ART U set the tone by taking 2nd place with
Maru outrunning the competition. He captured 1st overall and beat out runners from British Colombia, Simon Fraser, and Northwest Nazarene in the process.
Maru, the Knights’ top finisher all last season, led the way with a 16th place run only one week later when Academy of Art University went up against schools such as Stanford and UC Berkeley at the Stanford Invitational. Injuries hit late in the season effectively preventing ART U from placing five runners in the SF State Invitational, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it meant extra rest for the PacWest Championships on Oct. 31.
Coinciding on Halloween, the championships saw a downright scary performance from Urban Knights men’s cross country. Maru led the charge with a total of five Knights in the top seven for the second consecutive year. All five runners garnered All-PacWest First Team for their efforts and by the season’s end, Maru was named 2009 PacWest Conference Runner of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. The season was a success to say the least.
Battling injuries all season in 2009, the Academy of Art University women’s cross country team persevered through adversity for a chance to compete when it really counted. The Urban Knights captured 4th place at the Pacific West Conference Championships in their first year of PacWest competition and are set for another inspiring run in 2010. The journey begins Sept. 4 in Golden Gate Park.
“I think we will start to make a name for ourselves in the running community and for the first time, other teams will start to see what we can do,” Coach Ricketts said. “The women are motivated and gel together really well, so I think this year is also the start of tradition in terms of who we are as a team. The theme will have to be putting ourselves on the map.”
Returning to don the ART U black and red for their senior seasons will be
Irinel Zamfir and
Monica Anguiano.
Zamfir earned 2009 PacWest Newcomer of the Year after coming on strong to lead the Knights and close out the year. She posted the best Urban Knight finish in four of the final five meets, including a new personal best (19:25) at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational.
“I want to see Irinel enjoy an injury-free season first and foremost,” Coach Ricketts said. “Irinel has had a lot of success in the past so battling through injuries the past couple years has been hard for her because she always compares her performance to the past. I want her to let go of that, enjoy running and racing, and have a positive final season for the Knights. If she can do that, she will run fast, I know it!”
Anguiano steadily improved as the season wore on and she was one of just two Academy of Art University runners to compete in all eight meets. In fitting fashion, her top time came at the PacWest Championships.
“Monica has come a long way over the past year,” Coach Ricketts said. “Last year she improved her 5k time by over two minutes. I would like to see her start the season where she finished last year, and continue to see improvement. Already watching her in practice the past week, her form looks faster and stronger. I have a good feeling about her season.”
Stacey Toth, who returns for her junior year with the Urban Knights, also took part in every meet and consistently finished with times below 22:00 late in the season.
Toth will be joined by sophomore
Laura Wolfe from the 2010 ART U women’s track & field team.
Wolfe, a distance specialist, participated in six track meets and earned 16th in the 1500m at the UC Davis Woody Wilson Classic for her top result.
Academy of Art University also welcomes Kendall Long, a freshman out of West Ranch High School, whom Coach Ricketts is excited to bring in. In high school, she competed in cross country and soccer as well as track & field. Long awarded 2010 West Ranch Most Improved Athlete and was a Foothill league finalist in the 300m hurdles.
Junior Leticia Saldaña transfers to the Academy from Heartnell College after competing in both cross country and track & field at North Salinas High School. She captured various honors Tri-County Richard Chamberlin Award, Most Inspirational (2 years), and Most Dedicated.
“Also transfer Leticia Saldaña I predict will be in our top three, and her coming to the team helps motivate returnees to fight for their position,” Coach Ricketts said. “Before [this season], we didn't have enough women to simulate race situations, so it left us less prepared in races to run in a pack. Now every girl has a girl to run against in practice, and this will help us immensely in feeling more prepared mentally for races.”
Last season, the Knights did not qualify in their first three meets of 2009, but after they were able to finish enough runners in meets midway through, the team started coming together. Spring boarding from a Crystal Springs Invitational race (Oct. 2) in which
Zamfir led ART U for the first time, the momentum continued.
On Oct. 17, Academy of Art University posted a strong 7th place result out of 14 teams in the Bronco Invitational hosted by Santa Clara. The Urban Knights then defeated Notre Dame de Namur in convincing fashion as part of a dual meet shortly before the PacWest Championships. At Golden Gate Park for the finale, both
Zamfir and sophomore
Denisse Correa propelled ART U to a 4th place finish which looked almost impossible earlier in the year. Both earned All-PacWest Second Team honors for their performances.
“Stacey Toth, Irinel Zamfir, Denisse Correa, and Monica Anguiano fought so hard to make our season count,” Coach Ricketts said. “It must have been hard racing and knowing our score might not count. But they really wanted it and stayed focused on their goal. I was so impressed with their tenacity. These girls don't complain, they just do. They’re the kind of girls I want on my team.”
In 2010, both Academy of Art University squads will begin close to home with the University of San Francisco Invitational on Sept. 4 at Golden Gate Park. The Knights then go north to Sacramento State for the Hornet Invitational on Sept. 11 before heading south for the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 25.
“For the beginning of the season we decided to focus on local meets because there is so much amazing competition right here in the Bay Area,” Coach Ricketts said. “For the men, USF will be our first test to see how hard they worked over the summer and how we stack up against some strong teams like Cal and USF. Stanford is obviously a huge meet. Last year, we struggled as a team at that meet in extreme heat and battling injuries, so this year we want to go to Stanford confident, strong, and ready to be well into the top 10 teams overall. That's the goal.”
Staying in California for the next two meets, SF State Invitational and Bronco Invitational, ART U then travels outside the state for the Western Washington Invite on Oct. 23. That will be the final preparation before the PacWest Championships which take place in Turtle Bay, HI this year on Nov. 6.
“Western Washington will have some great Division II competition and will be a great tune-up,” Coach Ricketts said. “Hopefully it will be a confidence-booster two weeks before the PacWest Championships. The women have their sights set on winning conference, so Hawaii will be a focus throughout the season.”