Dec. 5, 2008

Returning 27 athletes and adding another 24 creates a unique project for 20th-year head coach, Mike Glavin. Joining him again in his quest to bring home SJU's first Atlantic 10 track title is graduate assistant Teddy Meyers.

The Hawks will find their leadership in co-captains Bobby Staten and Steve Young.

Staten's natural ability is unlike many within the conference, but injuries have plagued him since he arrived on Hawk Hill. The redshirt-senior looks to assert himself again as one of the top sprinters in the conference.

On the other hand, Young emerged in 2008 as one of the top middle distance threats in the region, qualifying for the IC4A Championships in five events (indoor 1,000m, 4x800m, and DMR; outdoor 800m and 4x800m). Young will attempt to surpass great expectations as the 2008-09 track season rolls along.

Important leadership roles will also be filled by cross country/long distance captains Kyle Murray and Will Rowland. Both athletes were IC4A qualifiers representing the 5K and 10K events, respectively. Murray was a 2008 NCAA Championship Qualifier as an All-Mid Atlantic Region honoree in November.

The quartet of captains are joined by fellow seniors Tom Gonzalez in sprints, Justin Heinze in distance and Brendan Kearney in middle distance. Kearney looks to bounce back from a 2008 season in which he was unable to defend his 1,000m A-10 crown.

Leading the junior class in the sprinting ranks are two talented harriers, Drew Brandt and Steve Philbrook. Brandt is the top 400m sprinter on the team, while Philbrook consistently improving his trade in the 400m Intermediate Hurdles.

The other remaining juniors - Joseph Glasnovich, Jimmy Jennings, Chris Savino, Jonathan Sclafani, and George Wittmann - all look to make a difference on the squad in the middle distance and long distance events.

A solid and talented group of sophomores provide Glavin with sufficient depth for the championship meets in most facets of the sport, especially relays.

George Arcarola, Jesse Brooks, Ryan Fenimore, Luke Fischer, Brian Guterl, Chrisopher Lau, Jared Sabre, and Brian Smith were featured as the core of the 4x400m, 4x800m, and Distance Medley Relays. The 4x800m and Distance Medley were both indoor IC4A qualifiers, while the 4x800m was an outdoor participant as well.

Rising sophomores looking to get themselves into a more competitive fold are Vince Collins and, Kevin Donnelly in distance; Jimmy McCue and Roland Tilar in long sprints.

The batch of newcomers arriving on Hawk Hill provides the coaching staff with plenty of new options. For starters, SJU will feature jumpers for the first time in three years as freshmen Davion Clanton, Victor DiNoia and John DiPersio add to the category.

The sprint crew receives new blood in the form of freshmen Nick DeFeo, Tom DiNatale, Michael Gallagher, Sebastian Mejia, Evan Mitos, Kevin Myslinski, David Smith, and Dylan Wenik.

The middle distance lineup is bolstered by freshmen Steve Dolan, Adam Drastura, Logan Hohs, Jim McCoog, Murphy O'Donnell, Ian O'Hara, Royce Scrivano, and Ray Weir. Receiving an enormous boost will be the long distance sector, which will by led by high school All-American Kevin McDonnell, who is joined by sophomore transfer Matthew Golia, and freshmen Ryan Birchmeier, David Evans, and George Johnson.

In all, 50 athletes are at Glavin's disposal for the two track seasons, which starts tomorrow morning at the Lafayette Invitaitonal.

The new year kicks off with three one-day meets at Penn State (Jan. 10), New York's Armory (Jan. 16) and Ursinus (Jan. 23).

The PSU National Invitational (Jan. 30-31), the Giegengack Invitational at Yale (Feb. 6-7) and another trip to The Armory for the Lafayette-Rider meet (Feb. 6) provide ample opportunities for the athletes leading into the A-10 Championships.

The two-day Atlantic 10 meet takes place once again at Rhode Island on Feb. 20-21, followed by the NYU Fastrack meet on Feb. 27 and ECACs on Mar. 7-8.

The Hawks head outdoors to the Leopard Invitational at Lafayette (Mar. 28) before traveling south to Virginia for two meets: the Colonial Relays (Apr. 3-4) and Onesty Invitational (Apr. 11).

Princeton's Larry Ellis Invitational (Apr. 17-18) and the prestigious Penn Relays (Apr. 23-25) lead up to the A-10 Outdoor Championships at Charlotte (May 2-3).

Saint Joseph's will participate in the Swarthmore Last Chance meet on May 11 before the ECAC Championships May 15-17 at Princeton.

There will be few shortcomings for the track seasons as SJU's largest men's team looks to be Saint Joseph's most successful team come 2009.