2008 season preview

January 11, 2008

NORTON, MA- With a batch of 19 underclassmen, the exceedingly youthful Wheaton College men's track and field team looks to build upon its 2007 achievements, as the Lyons had their best run of success in three years. A seamless combination of the immediate-impact recruits, returning standouts and under-the-radar contributors will be necessary for the program to capture its initial national title, and the first NCAA crown by any Wheaton men's team.

"This is probably the most talented team we've had, since we retained so many capable athletes from last year, but it's also our youngest," said 14th-year head coach Paul Souza, who also guides the women's squad and said both programs are in position to send the largest contingent of athletes in program history to the national championships. "Fortunately, we have a corps that has competed on the national level." Five current Lyons have drawn All-America honors, including two in 2007. Wheaton came in 22nd at last year's indoor NCAA Championship, its highest finish since 2004, and also sent its first representative to the outdoor national meet in three years.

Of Wheaton's 27 athletes, 10 are freshmen, nine are sophomores and eight represent the junior class, leaving the squad devoid of seniors. The remaining five New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) squads averaged a team size of over 40 athletes in 2007. The Lyons, who finished fifth out of six teams at last year's league championship, might not have the depth to finish atop the NEWMAC, according to Souza, but that regional obstacle does not deter the coach from setting his sights on the national stage.

"The focus of this program every year is to win the NCAA Championship," said Souza. "I don't know if the men will ever win a conference championship, if only because we don't have a big enough team. But track is a different animal than most team sports, because we don't have to win the NEWMAC meet to go to nationals."

Souza is joined by fourth-year full-time assistant coach Marc Mangiacotti, while men's and women's cross country head coach Paul Carr is in his ninth year as a track assistant. Steve Carr and Kathrine Wallace '05 are each in their second season, while Jennifer Harlow '07 and Richard Jones are both in their first. Harlow, a national-champion high jumper, and Jones, a long jumper, are training for the Olympic trials in addition to assisting Souza.

Three juniors are serving as captains this season. Three-time All-American Jonathan Cunha (Lexington, MA/Lexington) and All-America sprinter Michael Wright (Baldwin, NY/Uniondale), owner of three program marks, are in their second years as captains, while sprinter Albi Skenderi (Glendale, NY/Grover Cleveland) is in his first. Cunha has been an All-America 400-meter runner and lays claim to two school records, one in the 400-meter hurdles, while Wright holds school standards in the 55- and 200-meter dash events.

Philip Kiley (Medfield, MA/Medfield) and 2006 All-American Victor Martinez (Exeter, NH/Phillips Exeter Academy) round out the remaining sprinters in the Class of 2009. Brian Dundon (Mansfield, MA/Mansfield) is a middle-distance runner, Kyle Greenidge (Dorchester, MA/Newton North) will compete in the long and triple jumps, and Dan Libon (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) returns as Wheaton's most veteran distance runner.

Sprinter Merzudin Ibric (Revere, MA/Phillips Academy) and hurdler Howard Powell (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) headline the sophomore class. Ibric earned All-America honors during the indoor 400-meter dash in 2007, while Powell set school records in the 55- and 110-meter hurdles, competed at last year's outdoor NCAA Championship and was named U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USFTCCCA) Division III New England Track Athlete of the Year. At the NEWMAC meet, Ibric won the 400M, and Powell topped the 110M hurdles field.

Miles Souza (Norton, MA/Saint Sebastian's School), Stephen Wakely (Woodstock, CT/Woodstock Academy) and Calvin Webb (Towson, MD/Towson) are slated to compete in middle-distance events, Efrain Arias (South Boston, MA/Fenway) and Mark Cimino (Danbury, CT/Danbury) are both sprinters, and Michael Latner (Torrance, CA/West) and James MacCarthy (Oakton, VA/James Madison) will pole vault. Arias, Latner and MacCarthy are all newcomers to the program.

The freshman class includes five who gained college experience last fall as cross country runners, and four hit the track as distance athletes: Matt Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro), Nick Kacher (Waltham, MA/Waltham), Natan Levy (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Pine Crest School) and Brandon Waltz (South Thomaston, ME/Rockland District). Fellow cross country member Colin Fahey (Waltham, MA/Weston) will join Eric Driscoll (Lexington, MA/Lexington), a starting midfielder on the men's soccer team, in middle-distance events.

Sprinters Raiyan Banaji (Mumbai, India/American School of Bombay), Nick Colantuono (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) and Mark Williamson (Vienna, VA/James Madison) join high jumper Marcus Kohlman (Milton, MA/Milton), the lone freshman field athlete, to complete the Class of 2011.

"This is one of the best recruiting classes we've brought in," said Souza. "We expect the guys who are talented enough to do at least what they did in high school. If that's the case, we have a couple kids who performed well enough in high school to place at the NCAA Championship. You never know how freshmen are going to react to the training, as some adapt to it right away and you see big gains, and some get worse before they get better because the training beats them up. It really depends on the individual."

As for Wheaton's relay teams, Souza said they have yet to be formed, but the lineups should be determined early in the season.

Wheaton begins its indoor campaign on Sunday at the Dartmouth Relays in Hanover, New Hampshire, as the Lyons will compete in four different states during their first five meets. The two-day NCAA Division III Championship will begin on March 14 at Ohio Northern University. This year's NEWMAC Championship occurs on April 26 at Smith College, and the national meet will take place from May 22-24 at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/11/08.
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News Headlines

Wheaton reorganizes track and field staff, Souza and Mangiacotti named co-head coaches (more)

Three Wheaton track and field athletes earn national academic honors, both men's and women's squads draw accolades from USTFCCCA (more)

Track teams finish competition at two-day NCAA Championship, Powell notches first indoor All-America showing in 55M hurdles (more)

Upcoming Schedule

11-Jan Sun Dartmouth Relays 9:00am
16-Jan Fri Sorlien Invitational 12:00pm
23-24-Jan Fri-Sat Terrier Classic 11:00am