Q&A With Coach Straub
9/4/2014 12:59:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Director of men and women's cross country Jen Straub talks about the women's team's upcoming season, which starts this weekend at the Eye Opener Invitational.
Q: What is the move to the Atlantic 10 conference going to be like for the program?
Coach Strab: "Moving to the A-10 is going to be a big challenge for our cross country program in the sense that it's competition we haven't seen very often. There are six teams on the women's side that are ranked regionally, so we know right up front that we're going to have some stiff competition. However, the talent on this team is strong and I think the depth of our roster will lend to us having some solid performances."
Q: What leadership can we expect to see from the returning up
Coach Straub: "Strong leadership from some of the upperclassmen is going to be instrumental this season, and I'm confident in the group we have coming back. It starts with senior captain Erin Osment and junior Sarah Paddon, both of whom made excellent marks on the track in this spring. Although the pair won't race right away, we are looking for them to eventually be on the line and lead the team. We want to see juniors like Brigid Behrens, Grace Carr, Grace Watt, Ashlyn Gruber and Olivia Menden really step up and help the freshmen class transition into competing at this level. With all these pieces in place, we'll be ready to bring our full power come championship season."
Q: How is the class of 2018 transitioning into competing at this level?
Coach Straub: "This freshman class is amazing; I don't even know where to start. We have probably the strongest freshmen class we've ever had. We have star power and front-runners that will make an immediate contribution to the team. Alison Cheeseman from Nashville, Tenn., is a state champion, and her practices look really strong. Her supporting cast of Sara Sears, Helen Webster, Eliza Lawless, Laurel Sheffield, Hannah Moerk, Sierra Ponthier and Anna Buser are looking great. I am excited about the exceptional job these girls are doing and I think we are all going to be surprised how impactful this class is throughout the season."
Q: What do you expect from the team this weekend?
Coach Straub: "This weekend we open at USC Upstate for the Eye Opener Invitational. Our approach as a team is to get our first competition under our belts, run as a unit, rather than individual performances and just to see where we are fitness wise. I expect us to run pretty well despite the weather, and as the season unfolds we'll get stronger and stronger competition and I think that we'll be ready when championship season rolls around."
Q: What is the move to the Atlantic 10 conference going to be like for the program?
Coach Strab: "Moving to the A-10 is going to be a big challenge for our cross country program in the sense that it's competition we haven't seen very often. There are six teams on the women's side that are ranked regionally, so we know right up front that we're going to have some stiff competition. However, the talent on this team is strong and I think the depth of our roster will lend to us having some solid performances."
Q: What leadership can we expect to see from the returning up
Coach Straub: "Strong leadership from some of the upperclassmen is going to be instrumental this season, and I'm confident in the group we have coming back. It starts with senior captain Erin Osment and junior Sarah Paddon, both of whom made excellent marks on the track in this spring. Although the pair won't race right away, we are looking for them to eventually be on the line and lead the team. We want to see juniors like Brigid Behrens, Grace Carr, Grace Watt, Ashlyn Gruber and Olivia Menden really step up and help the freshmen class transition into competing at this level. With all these pieces in place, we'll be ready to bring our full power come championship season."
Q: How is the class of 2018 transitioning into competing at this level?
Coach Straub: "This freshman class is amazing; I don't even know where to start. We have probably the strongest freshmen class we've ever had. We have star power and front-runners that will make an immediate contribution to the team. Alison Cheeseman from Nashville, Tenn., is a state champion, and her practices look really strong. Her supporting cast of Sara Sears, Helen Webster, Eliza Lawless, Laurel Sheffield, Hannah Moerk, Sierra Ponthier and Anna Buser are looking great. I am excited about the exceptional job these girls are doing and I think we are all going to be surprised how impactful this class is throughout the season."
Q: What do you expect from the team this weekend?
Coach Straub: "This weekend we open at USC Upstate for the Eye Opener Invitational. Our approach as a team is to get our first competition under our belts, run as a unit, rather than individual performances and just to see where we are fitness wise. I expect us to run pretty well despite the weather, and as the season unfolds we'll get stronger and stronger competition and I think that we'll be ready when championship season rolls around."
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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