While the histories of the Wake Forest women's and men's cross country programs are similar in that both have known plenty of success on the ACC and national levels, the two teams enter the 2003 season in quite different circumstances.
The women's program enjoyed its finest year ever in 2002, running to a co-championship of the ACC (the first time a Wake team has ever finished on top in the conference) and an all-time best NCAA Championship finish of ninth.
With an experienced and talented roster awaiting the 2003 campaign, head coach Annie Schweitzer Bennett, the 2002 ACC Coach of the Year, feels the upcoming season could be just as productive.
The Deacon men, however, are coming off a year that saw them finish sixth in the league and miss qualifying for the NCAA Championship after back-to-back Top 20 finishes in 2000 and 2001. Adding to the preseason uncertainty there is the departure of head coach Gary Sievers, who resigned to pursue a career in business in early August.
A new men's coach is expected to be named very soon. Bennett, director of the WFU track and field program (for both men and women), has been supervising preseason workouts for the men's squad and is optimistic about their prospects for this fall as well.
"The women aren't trying to duplicate last year, we are just trying to have a very good 2003," she says. "It is hard for me as a coach to set hard goals because the enjoyment is seeing the process unfold with the talent and desire that this team brings and the love they have for what they do.
"Five of nine ACC teams qualified for the NCAA Championship last year, so it is a strong conference, and we have a lot of respect for our competitors.
"The men's team has been working very hard and helping each other. I feel like that if they stay together, we have a strong group that could be much-improved in the conference and contend for an NCAA bid."
Both teams are blessed with outstanding individual leaders.
For the women, that role goes to Anne Bersagel, who last year earned All-America honors in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. In addition, the Greeley, Colo., junior was a third-team Academic All-America selection last spring.
"Anne is a very driven and very smart competitor," Bennett says. "She had a good summer, but because of her long season last year (that did not conclude until the NCAA Outdoor Championship in June), she won't be competing this fall until late-September. She could challenge for a top 15 spot in the NCAAs this season."
Other top returnees for the women include sophomore Erin Franklin and junior Anna Sherman, who Bennett is counting on to provide leadership as well as solid performances. Both gained NCAA All-Region honors in 2002.
The leading runner for the Deacon men is Nathan Sisco, the 2001 ACC champion whose absence due to injury last fall had a major impact on the overall team performance. The senior from Lebanon, N.J., will definitely be an individual to watch this fall.
Sisco's teammates are still a fairly youthful group with the 2003 roster dominated by underclassmen. One of the top newcomers should be freshman Chris Catton, who has been impressive during the preseason.
As Bennett noted, the ACC is boasts a number of top-caliber cross country programs for women and men. N.C. State will be strong on both fronts, she predicts. North Carolina, with reigning NCAA individual champion Shalane Flanagan, will be among those contending for women's honors, while Duke and Florida State appear solid on the men's side.
The Demon Deacons, though, will have "home course advantage" for the 2003 ACC Championships, which Wake Forest will host by on Nov. 1. The Deacs also will hold their annual "Wake Forest Invitational" meet on Sept. 13.
