RE: SOCON

you are right. This tends to be a forum for all socon runners, which includes UNCG.

New topic: what is the craziest workout your coach made you do?

Zig-Zags

What are Zig Zags? Distance workout? Sprint workout?

Zig-zags are a quickness workout used by the Saudi-Arabian national team. It develops foot speed, agility, and makes you look like a complete a-hole.

So what teams are gonna be going to the Eye Opener? It would make a lot of sense since that's going to be the course for SoCon. Anyone know anything about the course? Fast? Slow? Hilly?

this might be a dumb question to some but where is socon this year? wofford or app or somwhere else?

SoCon is hosted by Wofford this year and will be in Spartanburg, SC where the Eye Opener Invite is at the beginning of XC. Also, there is now an official release on the recruits for UNCG.

GREENSBORO NC – UNC Greensboro head track and field coach Linh Nguyen announced Tuesday the commitment of two male athletes to National Letters of Intent .Jermaine Coore (Somerset,NJ/ Franklin HS) and Joey Thompson (Columbia, MD/ Howard HS) will compete in both cross country and track and field and will enroll at UNCG next fall.

"I am very excited to be adding both Joey and Jermaine to our program for 2008,” said Nguyen. “Our goal this year was to add high-level talent that could make an immediate impact on our team and in the Southern Conference. Joey and Jermaine both fit that bill and have the ability to contend with the best runners in the SoCon in cross country and on the track as freshmen. They are not only talented, but extremely driven to be the best, both on and off the track.”

Coore brings impressive high school credentials with him from Franklin HS in Somerset, NJ and was named the Home News Tribune Athlete of the Year after taking home the 2007-08 1600 meters indoor state championship. He was also named to the All-State Star Ledger second team in the indoor 1600 meters.

"Jermaine has had a breakout senior year and has proven himself to be one of the best runners in New Jersey,” said Nguyen “I expect him to be in the running for SoCon Freshman of the Year honors in cross country and think he could be a threat for the conference title in the 1500 as a freshman."

Thompson was the Gatorade High School Player of the Year for Maryland in cross country during the 2007-08 season and was also named to the Washington Post All-Meet first team and earned Baltimore Sun All-Meet Runner of the Year honors. He has won six state titles including running a 16:16 5K to win the cross country state championship this season, in his first and only season of cross country. His time at the state meet was the seventh fastest time in meet history. Thompson also placed 19th at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional with a time of 16:02.

"Joey is arguably the best all-around runner in the state of Maryland,” Nguyen said. “He dominated the state in his first season of cross country and has won numerous state titles on the track. I think he can contend for SoCon Freshman of the Year honors in cross country and will be a threat in any event he runs on the track."

AGATE:

Jermaine Coore’s PR’s:

Track:

800m: 1:57

12000m: 3:10

1600m:4:13

3200m: 9:18

Cross Country:

5K: 15:47

Joey Thompson’s PR’s:

Track:

800m: 1:57

1600m:4:17

3200m: 9:19

Cross Country:

5K: 15:47

Eye Opener is a fair course. Some rolling hills, but nothing terrible. The worst part of the course is the finish, which is up hill, turn, and over 100 meters to the finish

never been to the eye opener course but looking at the results from last year it seems to be a fair to quick course. the meet was really small last year but i would expect most teams in the conference to show up to preview it since only furman and wofford ran it last year.

well it looks like the rumors of the two good recruits from up north were correct for uncg. this could help them be a solid contender for second place when you add these two to the rest of their team. on a side note it seems like recruits to the socon are getting faster and faster. app has a 4:13 kid and now uncg does as well. i remember divinie being a rare recruit because he broke 9:20. its nice to see the teams in the socon stepping it up in recruiting. hopefully it will help make the conference as a whole better. should be an interesting fall.

GREENSBORO NC – UNC Greensboro head track and field coach Linh Nguyen announced Tuesday the commitment of three female student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Jade Farlow (Albemarle, NC/South Stanly HS), Kerry Hartman (Centreville, VA/Westfield HS) and Jenna Paley (Charlotte, NC/Providence HS) will compete in both cross country and track and will enroll at UNCG in the fall.

"We are pleased with this year’s class,” said Nguyen. “Adding talent and depth to the women's team was our priority this year and I think we have achieved that goal with this group of young ladies. These women are quality student-athletes who I expect to contribute to the program immediately and help move our team towards the front of the Southern Conference. Our team is extremely young and these women only add to what should be a strong core of runners for the next several years. I look forward to getting them on campus this fall."

Farlow brings impressive credentials from South Stanly HS in Albemarle, NC. She earned the state championship in the 1600 meters and was runner up in the 800 meters this past season. She has earned four consecutive all-conference, all-county and Conference Runner of the Year awards. She has also earned All-Piedmont and all-region honors and was the AAU state champion in the 800 and 1500 meters.

"Jade had a breakthrough season outdoor this year,” Nguyen said. “She's a strong athlete with very good leg speed who can develop into one of the top middle distance runners in the conference. Her range will allow her to contribute as a freshman in both cross country and on the track."

Hartman comes in as a highly touted middle distance runner. She is a high school All-American in the distance medley relay and the 4 x 800 relays. She has also earned all-state honors in the 1600 meters both indoor and outdoor as well as the 800 meters and the 4 x 800 outdoor relay. During the 2007 season she was on the state champion 4 x 800 relay and the Northern Region champion in the 1600 meters. During the 2008 season she was the indoor district champion in the 1600 and 1000 meters and also claimed the indoor 1600 meter regional championship.

"Kerry is extremely talented in the middle distance events,” Nguyen said. “She should be able to run with the top milers in the SoCon as a freshman and although she hasn't run cross country before she is excited for the challenge and we're looking forward to seeing what she can do."

Paley will contribute to the team in both cross country and track. In cross country she is a three-time all-conference and all-region performer and has earned second-team All-State honors three times in her high school career. The Charlotte, NC native is also a two-time team MVP. She has also performed well on the track. She earned first-team All-State honors in the 3200 meters this past season to add to her second team all-state honor in 2007. Paley is a two-time all-conference performer and has twice earned first team all-region honors to go along with being a three-time team MVP.

"Jenna has been a consistent presence at the front of state meets since her sophomore year,” Nguyen said. “She should come in right away and contribute in cross country. Her talents on the track probably lie in the 5k and 10k events, where I think she can help us immediately."

AGATE:

Jade Farlow’s PR’s

400:59.00

800:2:15

1600: 5:18

5K: 19:40

Kerry Hartman’s PR’s

800: 2:14

1000: 2:58

1600: 5:01

Jenna Paley’s PR’s

1600: 5:33

3200: 11:42

5K: 19:20

Looks like UNCG women may finally piece something together for a season. Who knows, they may even be hot and fast

Ok, so is there any other news on recruits besides UNCG?

The College of Charleston cross country and track & field head coach Amy Schuckert announced Friday the signing of nine student-athletes for the 2008-09 season. These athletes include Emily Smith of Rock Hill, S.C., Madison Tessener of Raleigh, N.C., Callen Powers of Chesapeake, Va., Alyssa D’Orazio of Haddonfield, N.J., Christian Bailey and James Freeman of Charlotte, N.C., Alexander Hill of Columbia, S.C., Emily Reichbach of Old Tappen, N.J. and Grace Loba of Orlean, Va.

Smith, a senior at Northwestern High School, is a three-time All-Region and All-Herald Girls Track team member, as well as a two-time All-State member. A three-time All-Academic award winner, Smith is nationally ranked by Milesplit.us and is the 2006 4-A State Champion in the high jump. This past season she tied and 11-year old record in the girls’ high jump with a personal-best 5’8”. Her top choices for colleges were Clemson, Kentucky, Duke and the College of Charleston.

“To say Emily Smith is an immediate impact athlete at the conference level goes without saying,” said Coach Schuckert. “She is tops in the state of South Carolina and in our book. We have very high hopes for her future. You’ll hear a lot from her in upcoming years.”

A senior at Millbrook High School, Tessener is a two-year captain of the track and field team. While a member of the team, she competed in the high jump, long jump, shot put, 800-meter, 400-meter, 200-meter and the 100-meter. She is a regional, state and national qualifier as a sprinter. She will sprint for the Cougars next season.

“Madison has made tremendous strides to catch our eye and we think she’ll continue to do nothing but impress us once she’s on campus. Her talent and dynamic personality is the spark we’ve needed to start our much needed short-sprint program.”

Reichbach attends Northern Valley Old Tappan. This season she placed seventh in the State Sectionals and broke the school record in the 1600-meter relay. Her personal-bests are a time of 65.0 in the 400-meter relay, a 60.0 in the 400-meter dash and a 2:30 in the 800-meter run.

“We see Emily as a contributor to our relay as well as a potential scorer at the conference level in the 400m hurdles. She’s a very welcome addition.”

D’Orazio is a senior at Haddonfield Memorial High School. She was a state runner-up in the indoor season 1600-meter run in 2008. She has also been a member of the State Championship team the past three seasons. D’Orazio participated in the 2007 National Outdoor track & Field meet in the 4X1 mile run.

Loba attends Fauquier High School and has run track &field for three seasons, cross country for four. She has been a state qualifier for cross country and track & field every year and was the Washington Post All-Met Selected Athlete for cross country as a freshman and sophomore. Last season she was honored with the Cross Country MVP and earned the Coach’s Award. She is a former District Champion in the 1600-mter and 3200-meter run in outdoor track & field. She also was District Champion in the 1600-meter and 1000-meter run in indoor track & field.

Powers, a senior at Western Branch High School, was the 2006 Female Student-Athlete of the Year and a nine-time Chesapeake Scholar Athlete recipient. A three-year team captain, Powers has earned MVP honors five times. She is a two-time 4X800-meter District team member in outdoor track & field, as well a three-time member in the regional team for the same event. Powers was a two-time 3200-meter Indoor District and Regional Champion and was honored as District Champion in the 800-meter run.

“There is a lot I can say about Alyssa, Grace and Callen individually, but they all share a similar strength when it comes to commitment to the team and dedication to getting the job done. Their personal assets make the real difference and that’s why they are such a great fit for our program. I see the combination of their talent and personalities as paramount to our Cross Country team’s success. I look forward to the energy these three bring to the table.”

Alex Hill, from Dreher High School, is a three-time member of the All-State, All-Region and All-Area teams in cross country. He is also a four-time All-District team member and has earned two MVP honors. His personal-best in the 5K is 16:00. He also competed on the track & field team in high school, earning All-Region honors in 2006. As a soccer player, Hill was an All-Region team member and was the MVP in 2007.

“On the surface, Alex Hill might come off as quiet and reserved – but that strong, silent type makes for a dynamo distance runner. Not to mention the fact he comes to us with a strong soccer background – so his talent is relatively untapped. I can’t wait to see what he’ll do with year-round running training – the sky’s the limit for Alex!”

Bailey, a senior at Ardrey Kell High School, is a two-year captain on the cross country team and led his team to the conference title in only its second year. As a senior Bailey was named to the All-Conference, All-County, All-Region, and All-Observer Cross Country teams. He has been the team MVP the last two seasons and has a personal record of 16:27 in the 5K and a 34:49 in the 10K. He will enroll in the Honors College at CofC and major in Biochemistry.

“Chris Bailey is a strong athlete and phenomenal student. I think he is well suited to move up in race distance for college – which is great because we’re counting on him to be a contributor right away. His excellence in the classroom afforded him many academic scholarship opportunities – we’re pleased he’ll be joining us!”

Freeman attends Providence Day High School and holds a personal record of 16:22 in the 5K. He is a two-time member of the All-Mecklenburg and All-State team, as well as a three-time member of the All-Conference team. He led his team to three CISAA Team Championships and earned a spot on the All-Observer team. He was also a three-time honoree on the All-Conference and All-State team.

“Wyatt brings nothing but positives. He has had a very solid high school career and has only gotten stronger over the course of the past year. I’m impressed with his work ethic as well as his aerobic ability. Wyatt’s going to contribute a great deal to this program.”

Rising sophomores Anthony Savoia and Andrew Clyne, members of the UNCG cross country and track and field team will be running at the 2008 Junior Outdoor Championships in Columbus, OH June 20-22.

Both qualified for the prestigious track and field event by virtue of times ran during the 2008 outdoor season. Savoia, a native of Haverstraw, NY will be competing in the 3000 meter steeplechase an event in which his is the school record holder with a time of 9:23.77.

Clyne, a native of Washingtonville, NY, will be participating in the men’s 1500 meter run after qualifying at the Duke Invitational in the final outdoor meet of the season. Clyne had the top time in the 1500 during the outdoor season and set a new personal record with a time of 3:57.25 at the Duke Invitational.

Clyne will run in the preliminaries on June 20 and if he should advance will run in the finals on June 22 while Savoia will run the 3000 meter steeplechase on June 22. Fans can follow the action with live scoring at the USATF website

www.usatf.org

.

Good luck to Clyne and Savoia at Jr Nats in Ohio. Represent the SoCon well guys.

Those are 2 great classes for C of C. Hopefully, these athletes will help improve their program rather than devolving like some of the runners who have come through over the years.

this board just got quite pathetic. I see the Socon does teach great copy + paste skills though. glad we're getting something out of our college educations.

i'll give it a shot and put some predictions out there to jump start the thread.

1. appalachian - tons of upperclassmen and dominated last year. may not do the same this year but even a little worse will still win. good freshman class but wont even need them to win.

2. furman - morgan should/could win and then they also have a solid upperclassmen. three good freshmen coming in who should make a difference for them.

3. uncg - wyatt was 5th two years ago. if he repeats that they should finish 3rd as a team. decent group of guys and two good freshmen should keep them near the front of the conference.

4. davidson - could be as high as 2nd but when is the last time they have had the whole team healthy at the same time? actually when is the last time that one guy has been healthy for an entire school year?

5. chattanooga - berry will be in the front. couple of decent freshmen but graduate a lot. hard to put this program lower than 5th though.

6. western - probably should beat chattanooga. too bad the distance guys don't get to run in track because the sprinters are so good. dont know about any recruits.

7. elon - actually have a pretty good team but no coach. no front runners but a solid pack. recruits?

8. samford - welcome to the conference.

9. citadel - had some kids run well on the track in the 800 and steeple. got some recruits but they dont look impressive.

10. charleston - really tall kid should do well again this year. other than him they aren't very good. got some recruits that should help they be better than last year but still not good.

11. wofford - new coach same team. if they actually finished higher than last the world might stop rotating.

"11. wofford - new coach same team. if they actually finished higher than last the world might stop rotating."

this is very true, but luckily I don't think we are in trouble. have we talked about how there should be a ban for any male runner in the 5k taking longer than 17:00 at the conference meet being taken off the track. it should be so. (the 20:something male wofford 5k runner indoors showed this)

What happened to the thread? It looks like almost all of 2008 got deleted.