ANGOLA, IND.-- The Trine cross country teams open the season this afternoon at the Manchester University Hokum Karem.
The cross country teams will enter a new era, as head coach Zach Raber enters his first full-season at the helm of the Thunder cross country programs. Raber took over the men's program midway through the 2013 season, and will also lead the women's program this year. The men's squad will be looking to build off a fifth-place finish in the MIAA last fall- the team's best finish since 2008.
Trine men leaned heavily on a young core of runners last season and will look to continued improvement from that group to lead the way in 2014. Sophomores Austin Ganger, Adam Schaaf (Mishawaka, Ind./Mishawaka), Aaron Mast (Ligonier, Ind./West Noble), Garrett Benedict (Greenfield, Ind./Greenfield Central), and Peter Howland (Elmhurst, Ill./York Community) all showed promise last season, consistently finishing among Trine's top five runners.
Ganger showed how good he can be at his best, earning MIAA Runner of the Week honors for his performance in the Indiana Intercollegiate and earning All-Region honors at the Great Lakes Regional.
The team also expects big things from newcomers Robert Lewis Duke (Greentown, Ind./Eastern) and Sean Brady (Monroe, Mich./Monroe), and several other newcomers should challenge for spots as well. There are 12 freshman on the Thunder roster this season.
For the complete race schedule, click HERE.