Aug. 14, 2007

LANCASTER, Pa. - Head Coach Keith Dieterle is optimistic that his team's steady rise to Centennial prominence is still on pace as the cross country squads enter the 2007 season. The men's team returns the bulk of its consistent top-five finishers from a year ago, and will add a talented freshmen crop into the mix.

"Each year that I have been here, we have gotten better across the board," said Dieterle. "If we stay positive, and our chemistry remains strong, we can be a player when the Centennial meet rolls around."

That meet rolls around to Lancaster this year, one of four meets the Diplomats will run on their home course. The Diplomats will also host the Little Three, the annual meet featuring Dickinson, F&M, and Gettysburg, as well as the Battle for the Buggy and the Friends of Sarah 5k.

"Knowing the bumps of our own course, and competing on it the number of times that we will is certainly an advantage as the season winds down," Dieterle notes.

For the men's squad, returning Franklin Dekker and Harrison Miller is an advantage as well. Dekker turned in several impressive performances as a freshman a season ago, perhaps none more so than his 14th place finish in the 138-runner Philly Metro meet. Crossing three runners behind him was Miller, who finished in the top five in three races in his career, including the 2005 Philly Metro.

The incoming freshmen are a group that Dieterle claims is as strong as any class he has brought to campus since taking over the program in 2003. Ryan Bell, Andrew Gern, and Erik Olsen headline the group. They are all strong runners from solid programs. With the squad's juniors all studying overseas, the class of 2011 will be called upon to contribute immediately.

The lack of juniors may have contributed to the preseason prognostication of the Centennial Conference's coaches. The group picked the Diplomats to finish in 7th place in the nine-team league, ahead of only McDaniel and Ursinus.

"We can't get caught up in polls," notes the coach, "we just need to run to the best of our ability day in and day out over the course of the season, and the rest will take care of itself."

Franklin & Marshall's runners take to the course on Saturday, September 8 at Ursinus in Collegeville, Pa.

Centennial Conference Preseason Poll
School (1st Place Votes) Points
1. Haverford (8) 64
2. Dickinson (1) 52
3. Muhlenberg 47
4. Swarthmore 44
5. Johns Hopkins 41
6. Gettysburg 28
7. Franklin & Marshall 24
8. McDaniel 13
9. Ursinus 11