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. Despite losing the top-three runners from a year ago, Dieterle believes he has the talent to climb into the upper echelon of the Centennial Conference this season.

"We have some runners who didn't draw as much recognition as runners like Karen (Ziga) and Meredith (Janeczek)," said Dieterle. "They saw the daily effort Karen put fourth to find her success, and want to emulate her habits so that they too can find that type of success on the course."

Amongst the runners Dieterle is referring to are his 2007 team captains, Karen Blacher, Colette Buchanan, and Maggie Selzer. Blacher has run several impressive races in her career, including a top 25 finish in the 2005 Philly Metro. A regular on the Centennial Conference's Academic Honor Roll and the 2004 Freshman of the Year, Buchanan boasts seven top 25 finishes on her running resume. The team's only other senior, Selzer, placed 12th in the 145-runner field at the Philly Metro meet a year ago.

"We have the core in place with our returning group to make our way into the top half of the conference," says Dieterle. "Our upperclassmen are already bonding well with our incoming class."

The incoming class is an impressive group that Dieterle describes as "large and talented." Amongst the nine new faces are Amy Burke, Amelia Jordan, Rachel Suydam, and Emily Wilson. They are all strong runners from consistently string high school programs.

"The intensity some of the new runners are going to bring to training and competition will serve us well when we start staring down the Centennial Conference meet," says Dieterle.

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.

Dieterle's high expectations and freshman class did not translate into respect for the Diplomats amongst the Conference's coaches. They tabbed Franklin & Marshall for an eighth place finish amongst the league's ten women's teams.

"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. Dickinson (9) 81
2. Haverford (1) 71
3. Johns Hopkins 64
4. Swarthmore 58
5. Gettysburg 56
6. Muhlenberg 44
7. Bryn Mawr 29
8. Franklin & Marshall 25
9. Ursinus 22
10. McDaniel 9