August 31, 2006

William Smith was named to its 13th straight USTFCCCA All-Academic squad. (photo by Kevin Colton)

GENEVA, N.Y.—William Smith cross country Head Coach Jack Warner welcomes back five veterans and three newcomers for the 2006 season. After graduating two runners last year, Warner looks to his only returning senior, Leanne Roncolato (Meadville/Meadville, Pa.), for leadership. The team ranked 19th out of 28 at the NCAA Regional Championships, and 18th out of 29 at the ECAC Championships last season.

Roncolato has been the Herons’ top harrier for the past two years, as well as a stand-out student. The All-Liberty League second-team runner has studied in South Africa and interviewed Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and had the opportunity to work for the International Labor Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, this past summer. Roncolato finished third out of 50 runners in the Hobart Invitational, finished eighth out of 108 at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational at Roberts Wesleyan, and came in 26th out of 125 at the Saratoga Invitational last fall.

Juniors Morgan MacCuaig (Rutland/Mendon, Vt.) and Kathleen Kohl Pembroke/Corfu, N.Y.), and sophomores Cathleen Zupan (Cazenovia/Cazenovia, N.Y.) and Kathryn Lawton (G. Ray Bodley/Fulton, N.Y.) also return to the fold. MacCuaig and Zupan were among the top five runners on the team last season, while Kohl and Lawton ranked in the top seven. MacCuaig placed 45¬th in the Harry F. Anderson Invitational, while Zupan captured 52nd place.

Newcomers Elizabeth Mills (Tully/Lafayette, N.Y.), Katie Pietrak (Nardin Academy/Amherst, N.Y.), and Maria Virgilio (Mt. Anthony (Vt.)/Bethlehem, N.Y.) will add depth to this year’s roster. Warner expects that Mills and Pietrak will break into the top five on his team by the end of the season.

The Herons open their season on Sept. 2 at the Buffalo State Invitational.

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