POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (September 2, 2010) – In the long and storied history of the Vassar College men's cross country program, the program has thrived on having a marquee All-American runner: James McCowan in 1998, Steve Money in 2003, Avi Kramer in 2004, Colin Sanders in 2007, to name just a few. What will the 2010 season offer? Will it be an individual runner who breaks from the pack like the aforementioned group or will the Brewers find success with a committee effort?

By design, cross country runners improve through arduous weeks of training and race performance, so it will take some times to see which, if any runner, emerges to lead the pack each week. Until then, the Brewers can find solace in knowing that their talented roster can compete by “committee,” buoyed by the return of last years top five runners.

The 2010 season unveils for Vassar on Saturday, September 4 with the annual Invitational meet held at the Farm starting at 11:00 a.m. The Brewers have captured seven straight championships.

“Going into this season, we have a lot of cross country runners who are coming off very strong track seasons,” says head coach James McCowan. “I think it will take us a few weeks to find our legs and by our October meets I know we'll be ready to roll. There is a clear desire and intent on this year's team to have a pack mentality and let everyone share in the glory of racing well.”

A core group of athletes return to the team, led by senior Jonathan Erickson, juniors Zack Williams, Matt Blair and William Healy and sophomores Sam Wagner and Roni Teich. Erickson, who is best known for his exploits in track, is a formidable cross country runner. He placed second overall in the Vassar Invitational last season and 15th at the Liberty League Championships. Last season, Erickson battled through injury, but when healthy, is a vital cog on the team.

Last season, Williams had a strong campaign, finishing in the top 15 in three races (VC Invite, Hamilton College Invitational and Stevens Invite), with a sixth place finish at Stevens. He finished 24th at the Liberty League Championships and was Vassar's second overall finisher behind Jonathan Erickson.

Wagner had three races where he finished among the top 10 finishers (third at Stevens) and capped off a brilliant season by finishing 13th out of 296 runners at the ECAC Championships and 64th out of 264 at the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships.

“Both Zack and Sam had put themselves in the position of being clear frontrunners,” says McCowan. “I wouldn't be surprised who takes the lead. Both of those guys had excellent summers.

Runners like Blair, Healy and Teich all showed their mettle during the 2009 season. Blair was a top 15 finisher at both the Vassar and Hamilton meets. At those same two races Healy finished in the top ten.

Impressively, Teich was a top five finisher at Vassar and Hamilton in addition to Stevens. Teich was a two-time Liberty League Rookie of the Week selection on September 7 and 14.

McCowan is encouraged by the return of juniors Justin Rupert and Evan Russek to the team this year.

McCowan looks forward to seeing what a pair of freshman runners can contribute to the team depth this season. The first is Will Wheeler from Collegiate High School in New York City and the second is William Shaeffer from The Williams School in Chester, CT.

A key scheduling change for the Brewers this season is a later date for the Liberty League Championships. Previously the meet has been held in the fourth week of the season. This season, the championships have been pushed back to the sixth week, and will be run at Hobart College. “Our goal every year is to close in at the Liberty League Championships,” says McCowan. “Last year we finished third and we'd like to improve upon that this year. It would move us up in the region.”

The Brewers compete in arguably the toughest region in Division III, and the strength of the Atlantic Region will undoubtedly test the team this season. “The region isn't getting any softer, and that's not a bad thing,” McCowan explains. Last year Vassar finished 16th out of 38 teams.

“We will have a young squad, but one that does have depth and can work off each other,” McCowan explains. “I am anticipating a strong season.”