Metro Women 21st Place

The Metro men and women’s cross country teams capped the 2009 season Nov. 21 at the NCAA Division II National Championships in Evansville, Ind.

Neither team had a runner with All-American honors, but in the end, both teams made it to the national meet for the second consecutive year and gained a ton of experience.

“That was huge,” senior Danielle Kehoe said. “No one really thought we [the women] could do it.”

Kehoe finished as the top runner for the women in 72nd place overall. As a team they finished 21st, which left them a little disappointed.

Metro cross country senior Danielle Kehoe runs up a hill on the Rocky Mountain Shootout course Oct. 3 in Boulder. File photo by Daniel Clements • dcleme12@mscd.edu

However, Interim Head Coach Sean Nesbitt felt otherwise, not only due to how they ran, but by the fact that they made it to nationals.

“That’s pretty incredible what they were able to do,” he said.

The women’s team had virtually no depth as the complete line-up consisted of only six runners. They thus had virtually no room for failure.

But they stayed focused, healthy and progressed as the season carried on.

“They had to be bringing it at every meet, and the growth from the first meet to the last meet was pretty exponential,” Nesbitt said.

The men’s team, led by senior Anthony Luna’s 55th place finish overall, placed 14th in successive years at the national tournament.

“The outcome wasn’t there and sometimes that happens,” Luna said. “It’s unfortunate that it happens at a championship meet, but you live and learn.”

Metro Athletic Director Joan McDermott quickly named Nesbitt head coach of the cross country team after former cross country and track coach Pete Julian accepted a coaching job at Washington State University a week before practice began.

But he responded well and led the team to “exponential” growth throughout the season including the best placement for the men’s team at a regional meet.

He managed to balance a family and another job, which proved challenging, but it paid off in the end.

“I’m a completely different person today than I was at the beginning of the season,” he said.

Luna considered transferring to WSU to join Julian, who coached him throughout his entire college career until that point, but he decided to stay loyal to Metro.

“I knew that now that Pete wasn’t here to lead this team…I was the guy to do it,” Luna said.

Luna embraced the role and, not only did it profit the team, but he as well.

“It’s helped benefit my character in the way I’ve become a runner,” he said. “I’ve learned to be more of an aggressive leader.”

By and large, the 2009 cross country season was a huge success and the future of the program will strongly benefit from the experience gained throughout it.

Although neither team gained the honors they deserved, they had tremendous success, and the dedication they displayed throughout is a testament not only to their ability, but teamwork as well.