Butler Open's Cross Country Season At Home

Aug. 28, 2002

HOME OPENER: Butler's men's and women's cross country teams will open the 2002 season at home on Saturday, Aug. 31, with a non-scoring dual meet against Ball State. Butler's women will square off against the Cardinals in a 5K race beginning at 9 a.m., while Butler's men will follow with a four-mile race. Both competitions will be held on Butler's campus course, which is located on the athletic fields surrounding Butler's softball and soccer fields.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Despite the graduation loss of All-American Justin Young, the Bulldogs were ranked fourth in the preseason Great Lakes "Top 10" poll. Wisconsin was tabbed as the early favorite, followed by Eastern Michigan and Michigan State. The Bulldogs, who captured a fourth straight conference cross country title and advanced to the NCAA national meet last year, shared the fourth place pick with Indiana. Rounding out the "Top 10" were Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Miami (Ohio) and Cincinnati.

VETERAN CAST: Butler head coach Joe Franklin returns five of the top seven runners from last year's conference championship squad. Leading that group is senior Martin Fedmowski (Melbourne, Australia), who captured the individual championship at last season's Horizon League Meet. Fedmowski also had a "Top 20" finish at the NCAA regional meet, and he was Butler's second finisher at the NCAA Championship. Also back from a year ago are seniors Brad Bennett (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) and Phillip Yoder (Kendallville) and juniors Brian Dunn (Indianapolis) and Tim Owen (Valparaiso). Bennett placed fifth at the conference meet last season.

FRONT RUNNERS: Butler's hopes of returning to the "winner's circle" in women's cross country could well ride on a pair of returning all-conference performers. Seniors Lissa Vogley (Naperville, Ill.) and Amber Gascoigne (Cheddar, U.K.) helped Butler to a runner-up finish in the Horizon League last year, and the two will try to push the Bulldogs to the top spot this season. Vogley finished fourth at last year's league cross country meet and then placed second in the 10,000 meter run at last spring's conference track and field championship. Gascoigne wound up ninth at last year's league cross country meet. Butler had five other runners place in the "Top 20" at last season's Horizon League Championship, and four of those five runners return this year. Senior Alison Van Der Wege (Colorado Springs, Colo.) finished 11th at last year's league cross country meet, senior Bethany Gaskill (Worthington, Ohio) came in 12th and senior Kelly Moring (Victoria, Australia) was 13th. Junior Lauren Brentano (Johannesburg, South Africa) finished 15th in last fall's league meet.

FALL DEBUT: Senior Mark Tucker (Geelong, Australia), who was an NCAA qualifier in track last spring, will make his cross country debut with the Bulldogs this fall. Tucker set a school record in the 3,000 meter steeplechase with a time of 8:42.50 last year. He also recorded the Horizon League's best 5,000 meter time with a 13:58.03 clocking. Also joining Butler's cross country squad this fall after a strong showing on the track squad last spring is senior Lennon Wicks (Nowra, Australia). Wicks ranked in the Horizon League's "Top 10" in the 3,000 meter steeplechase last year.