NEWS
SUNY Womens Cross Country Prepares for Season
With the 2018 cross country season fast approaching the SUNY Cobleskill women’s cross country team will look noticeably different this season than in previous years with the departure of five letter winners including four runners who earned All-North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) honors during their careers and led the Fighting Tigers to a third place finish at the conference championship meet in 2017.
As he begins his 26th year at the helm of the Cobleskill program head coach Mitchell Tomaszkiewicz has an interesting take on the upcoming campaign.
“While we are clearly not the team we have been in the past, that usually includes a number of returning letter winners, we are an interesting group which has the possibility of becoming something special,” said Tomaszkiewicz. “At some point people have to graduate or move on so as a coach; you just deal with it. But the overall goal of contending for the conference title is something that remains constant from year-to-year. This year is no exception.”
The Fighting Tigers will be led by returning sophomore Katie Hotaling, Albany, N.Y., Watervliet High School, who earned All-NEAC conference honors as a freshman along with sophomore Samantha Cipkas, Granby, Conn., Granby High School, who lettered during her rookie season.
The recruiting class will feature three talented freshman in Natalie Honken, Endicott, N.Y. Seton Catholic High School, who earned All-Southern Tier Athletic Conference Track & Field honoree in the 1500 meters, Gabriella Decker, Galway, N.Y., Galway High School, an All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) selection in cross country and Ayla Erwin, Jamesville, N.Y., Jamesville-DeWitt High School, a member of Jamesville-DeWitt High School’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s (NYSPHSAA) Class B Championship Team.
The Orange & Black will also be counting on senior Tori Stopen, Marcellus, N.Y., Marcellus High School, a transfer from Morrisville State College who placed 23rd overall at the 2017 NEAC Cross Country Championships for additional contributions this season.
The Fighting Tigers will open the 2018 season on Saturday when they will host the Fighting Tiger Short Course Invite on the college’s cross country course beginning at 11:00 a.m.
As he begins his 26th year at the helm of the Cobleskill program head coach Mitchell Tomaszkiewicz has an interesting take on the upcoming campaign.
“While we are clearly not the team we have been in the past, that usually includes a number of returning letter winners, we are an interesting group which has the possibility of becoming something special,” said Tomaszkiewicz. “At some point people have to graduate or move on so as a coach; you just deal with it. But the overall goal of contending for the conference title is something that remains constant from year-to-year. This year is no exception.”
The Fighting Tigers will be led by returning sophomore Katie Hotaling, Albany, N.Y., Watervliet High School, who earned All-NEAC conference honors as a freshman along with sophomore Samantha Cipkas, Granby, Conn., Granby High School, who lettered during her rookie season.
The recruiting class will feature three talented freshman in Natalie Honken, Endicott, N.Y. Seton Catholic High School, who earned All-Southern Tier Athletic Conference Track & Field honoree in the 1500 meters, Gabriella Decker, Galway, N.Y., Galway High School, an All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) selection in cross country and Ayla Erwin, Jamesville, N.Y., Jamesville-DeWitt High School, a member of Jamesville-DeWitt High School’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s (NYSPHSAA) Class B Championship Team.
The Orange & Black will also be counting on senior Tori Stopen, Marcellus, N.Y., Marcellus High School, a transfer from Morrisville State College who placed 23rd overall at the 2017 NEAC Cross Country Championships for additional contributions this season.
The Fighting Tigers will open the 2018 season on Saturday when they will host the Fighting Tiger Short Course Invite on the college’s cross country course beginning at 11:00 a.m.