2011 XC Guide

NAU Quick Facts Quick Facts Table of Contents University Information Season Outlook Location Flagstaff, Ariz. Men’s 2 Elevation 7,000 feet Women’s 3 Enrollment 23,600 Staff Profiles Founded 1899 Eric Heins 4,5 Nickname Lumberjacks Mo Huber 6 Colors Blue, Gold and Sage Jason Pedersen 6 Affiliation NCAA Division I Crystal Fix 6 Conference Big Sky John D. Haeger, NAU President 62 President Dr. John D. Haeger Jim Fallis, AD 63 Athletic Director Jim Fallis Men’s Team Information Faculty Athletic Representative Tom DeStefano Team Roster 7 University Web Site www.nau.edu Returning Athlete Profiles 8-27 Newcomer Athlete Profiles 28-30 Cross Country Information Women’s Team Information Director of Track & Field Team Roster 31 and Cross Country Eric Heins Returning Athlete Profiles 32-45 Assistant Coaches Mo Huber Newcomer Athlete Profiles 46-50 Jason Pedersen 2010 Year In Review 52-53 2010 Men’s Big Sky Finish First 2010 Women’s Big Sky Finish Fifth 2010 Men’s Results 54 2010 Men’s Mountain Region Finish Fourth 2010 Women’s Results 55 2010 Women’s Mountain Region Finish 15th Men’s History NCAA Finishes 56 Media Relations All-Americans 56 Track and Field Contact Matthew Sewell Mtn. Region Finishes 56 E-Mail [email protected] Mtn. Region Individuals 56 Office Phone (928) 523-1017 Big Sky Finishes 57 Office Fax (928) 523-6793 Women’s History Cell Phone 406-559-0091 Media Relations Director Steve Shaff NCAA Finishes 58 All-Americans 58 Assistant Director Andrew Tomsky Mt. Region Finishes 58 Mailing Address P.O. Box 15400 Mt. Region Individuals 58 (Overnight: 1 Skydome Drive) Big Sky Finishes 59 Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5400 George Kyte Classic 60-61 Athletics Web Site www.nauathletics.com Big Sky Conference 64 About The Cover Designed by Matthew Sewell of NAU Media Relations. The 2011 media guide covers feature the 2010 women’s (front) and men’s (back) cross country teams Credits The 2011 Northern Arizona cross country media guide was written and designed by Matthew Sewell with editorial assistance from Steve Shaff, Andrew Tomsky, Stayson Isobe and Eric Heins. Photography courtesy of Matt Beaty, Eric DeSalvo, Kirby Lee, Randy Miyazaki, Luis Montano, and Erik Pedersen. 2011 Cross Country Media Guide 1 Men’s Outlook Men’s Outlook The 2011 cross country season for the Lumberjack men looks extremely promising and has the potential to top any previous season at NAU. The squad placed ninth at last year’s NCAA Cross Country Championships. The Lumberjack men will rally behind the leadership of its five seniors, but will also rely on some other returning runners, as well as four incoming freshmen for competition on the team. After graduating three seniors from last year’s team, including two-time track national champion David McNeill, the team will be led this year by seniors Diego Estrada and Jordan Chipangama, both All-Americans in their Diego Estrada own right. Estrada placed 16th at last year’s national meet, and also placed in the top 5 in both the indoor and outdoor 5,000-meter runs during the track and field season. Chipangama, who missed all of last season due to injury, placed fifth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2009. Also competing in their last year of eligibility are Andrew Belus, another competitor in the national championship, Matt Coloe, and John Yatsko. “We have a very complete team this year,” said Eric Heins, Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. “A couple guys will be able to build on their strong finishes in past years, but our team as a whole is more compact than before in terms of the levels of talent.” The Lumberjacks naturally have lofty goals in mind, and they don’t stop at wanting to achieve their fifth consecutive national top-10 and ninth in the last 12 years. The men look to bring home NAU’s first national championship, and they may just have the talent to do it. Heins spoke to Jordan Chipangama the fact that aside from their returning All-Americans, the team is holistically strong, making it hard to determine the talent difference between the #3 and #10 spots. “We have a much stronger group of guys than we have had traditionally,” said Heins. “With those guys stepping up, I really think we can improve on our finish last year.” Aside from the senior leadership, the Lumberjack men will expect a lot from junior returner Tim Freriks, who competed at the national championships last year. Freriks hopes to build on an all-conference finish at the Big Sky Cross Country Championships and provide continuity going into next year. With some familiar faces out front and some unfamiliar faces likely to step up and make a name for themselves, the Lumberjack men look forward to bringing home hardware that NAU has yet to see. Tim Freriks 2 Northern Arizona University Women’s Outlook Women’s Outlook The Lumberjack women’s cross country team of 2011 looks to hit the ground running, literally, and get back to its winning ways after an injury-plagued season left them shorthanded in 2010. The NAU women return their top two finishers from last season in juniors Rochelle Kanuho and Lisette Michaels. Also returning to the squad after a year off due to injury are seniors Kortnee Burton and Haley Lawrence, who bring valuable experience to a team loaded with incoming freshmen. “The women’s team this year has some strong leadership,” said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Eric Heins. “Having Kortnee and Haley back this year is huge for our team.” Burton, hampered by a nagging injury last season, looks to build on her success Kortnee Burton in last year’s outdoor track season, where she collected all-conference honors at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in the 10,000-meter run. Lawrence is looking to get back in action after a lower-leg stress fracture kept her out for the better part of a year. The two runners made the All-Big Sky team in 2009. Kanuho, a native of Flagstaff and a graduate of Coconino High School, will add the most continuity from last year’s team, building on a fifth-place finish at the Big Sky Championships and a 28th-place finish at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships. The Lumberjacks will also rely heavily on a remarkably strong recruiting class that includes some hoping to make a play for the top five, including freshman Lauren Justus. “We have very strong recruits this year, and Lauren has already shown that she is ready to step up and make a play for the top five,” said Heins. The women’s team has also benefitted greatly from the experience of graduate assistant coach Mo Huber, who enters her second season with the Rochelle Kanuho team. A graduate and former cross country and track & field athlete from the University of Washington, Huber has been extremely valuable for the women’s program in the past year, and Heins believes she will continue to be a great asset to the squad. “Whenever you have a male coach in charge of both programs, it is always helpful to have a female on staff, especially one with her credentials,” Heins said. She has already shown her ability to recruit top-notch talent to NAU, judging from the strength of this year’s recruiting class. Being able to form those new student-athletes into strong conference and national competitors will hopefully bring the program to new heights. The Lumberjack women have a great opportunity to regain their dominance atop the Big Sky Conference. With returning talent leading the way and recruits rounding out the team, the women’s squad looks forward to being a formidable presence all season. Lauren Justus 2011 Cross Country Media Guide 3 Staff Profiles Eric Heins Eric Heins begins his fifth season as the head coach of the cross country teams at Northern Arizona University, and second year as the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. He has won eight Big Sky Championships and produced six top ten national finishes in his first three seasons at NAU. In his four years since returning to Flagstaff, Heins has been named coach of the year by the Big Sky Conference seven times, with one coming from the 2010-11 seasons. Heins was also honored as the Mountain Region Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association in 2010. The Lumberjacks thrived in Heins’ first full season as Director of Track and Field. Junior Diego Estrada led the group with a pair of top-10 finishes at the indoor and outdoor national meets in the 5,000-meter run. Heins’ leadership also produced a collective six Big Director of Track & Field Sky Conference individual titles, including two from Estrada. and Cross Country In the fall of 2010, NAU’s cross country teams continued their powerful presence as one of 2nd Year/5th Overall the premiere programs in the country. In his fourth season as head coach of cross country, Heins produced a fourth consecutive conference title on the men’s side, and coached an Coaching Honors: injury-depleted women’s squad to a respectable fifth-place finish in the same meet. At the USTFCCCA Track Coach of the Year national meet, the Lumberjack men placed ninth behind All-America performances from Mountain Region, Indoor 2010 Estrada and Ahmed Osman. For his efforts, Heins earned his seventh coach of the year honor from the Big Sky Conference. Big Sky Cross Country Coach of the Year 2007 (M&W), 2008 (M), 2009 (M&W), Serving as the Interim Director of Track and Field, the 2010 track and field campaign under 2010 (M) Heins' direction saw the program collect its first national champion in three seasons, as Big Sky Indoor T&F senior David McNeill won both the indoor and outdoor 5,000-meter run titles.

Load more