Arizona’s Sambu eyes one spot higher

Stephen Sambu
Arizona
Senior

Key Notes:
• Personal bests — 10,000-meters: 28:37; 5000-meters: 13:51;
• Finished second at 2010 national championships

Luke Puskedra
Oregon
Senior

Key Notes:
• Finished third at 2010 national championships
• Nine-time All-American
• 2008 Pac-10 Cross Country Newcomer of the Year

Sheila Reid
Villanova
Senior

Key Notes:
• Finished first at 2010 national championship while leading Villanova to the team title
• Five-time All-American for Wildcats

Emily Infeld
Georgetown
Senior

Key Notes:
• Finished second at 2010 national championships
• Five-time All-American for Hoyas
 

Julia Nowak
Grand Valley State
Senior

Key Notes:
• 2010 All-American helping Lakers to title
• Finished 27th at NCAA Championships with a time of 21:01

Kelly Lamb
Adams State
Sophomore

Key Notes: 
• 2010 All-American and first-team All-RMAC
• Earned RMAC Freshman of the Year honors

Angus MacDonald
Massachusetts-Lowell
Senior

Key Notes:
• NE-10 Conference Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award
• Placed fifth at the NE-10 Championships

Micah Chelimo
Alaska-Anchorage
Junior

Key Notes:
• 2009 and 2010 All-American
• Second-place finish at the GNAC Championships

Ben Sathre
St. Thomas (Minn.)
Senior

Key Notes:
• Central Region athlete of the year
• Second at NCAA Championships in 24:23.8

Matthew Perez
North Central (Ill.)
Junior

Key Notes:
• 2010 All-American
• Finished 26th at NCAA Championships with time of 24:48.4 last year
 

Jen Gossels
Williams
Sophomore

Key Notes:
• 2010 All-American
• 2010 USTFCCA Division III women’s scholar athlete of the year

Christy Cazzola
Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Senior

Key Notes:
• 2010 All-American
• 2010 WIAC women’s cross country athlete of the year
 

MEN

Stanford Cardinal
Key Players: Chris Derrick, Jacob Riley, Erik Olson

Notes: The Cardinal were favorites entering the 2010 national championships, but struggled when they needed it most and finished fourth.

Oklahoma State Cowboys
Key Players: Johnathan Stublaski, Girma Mecheso, German Fernandez

Notes: The two-time defending national champions will look for a three-peat in 2011 and should be a preseason favorite after only one senior from the 2010 squad graduated.

WOMEN

Villanova Wildcats
Key Players: Sheila Reid, Bogdana Mimic, Emily Lipari

Notes: The Wildcats will go for their third consecutive title in 2011. They return three of their top-five runners from 2010 including Reid, but will need to make up for the loss of Amanda Marino and Allison Smith — two key members to Villanova’s most recent championships.

Georgetown Hoyas
Key Players: Madeline Chambers, Emily Infeld, Emily Jones

Notes: The Hoyas return three All-Americans from the 2010 squad that finished fourth at the NCAA Championships. Chambers, Infeld, and Jones will be crucial to helping Georgetown improve upon last season’s results.

MEN

Adams State Grizzlies
Key Players: Keegan Calmes, Edwin Cruz, Nathaniel Sellers

Notes: Adams State is going for its fourth consecutive national title in 2011. The Grizz will also return three All-Americans for the 2011 campaign.

Colorado School of Mines Orediggers
Key Players: Sean Gildea, Mark McLain

Notes: Colorado School of Mines will return two All-Americans in 2011. They look to be competitive after finishing fourth in the 2010 national championships.

WOMEN

Grand Valley State Lakers
Key Players: Monica Kinney, Julia Nowak, Jessie Vickers, Rebecca Winchester

Notes: Grand Valley State looks to stay on top and defend there 2010 national title, the program’s first championship. The Lakers are led by the USTFCCCA National Women’s Coach of the Year Jerry Baltes.

Western State Mountaineers
Key Players: Lauren Kleppin, Sarah Lyle, Julianne Payton

Notes: Western State is ready for action after finishing as runner-up at the 2010 national championships. The Mountaineers return three All-Americans for the 2011 campaign.

MEN

North Central Cardinals
Key Players: Neal Klein, Matt Perez, Matt Brinkmeier, Timothy Hird, Dan Hurley

Notes: The Cardinals returns two all-americans from their national championship runner-up team. They were also last year’s USTFCCA program of the year.

St. Lawrence Saints
Key Runners: Steve Kilpagat, John Johnston, Sam Rakoc, Seth Jackson

Notes: St. Lawrence returns two all-americans from a team that finished third at the NCAA Championships.  With a score of 137, it was the best showing in team history.

WOMEN

Williams Ephs
Key Players: Jen Gossels, Chiara Del Piccolo, Lauren Goldstein-Kral, Celeste Berg

Notes: Williams finished fifth at last year’s NCAA Championships. The Ephs return their top four runners including an All-American, Gossels.

Middlebury Panthers
Key Players: Collete Whitney, Addie Tousley, Margo Cramer, Hannah Meier

Notes: Middlebury looks to repeat as national champions after losing its long-time head coach. The Panthers return every runner that placed in the championship.

• Longtime Nebraska head coach Jay Dirksen will retire at the end of the 2011 season after 29 years at the helm of the Cornhusker program.

• A new men’s individual champion will be crowned in 2011. Liberty’s Sam Chelanga, who won the 2009 and 2010 titles, has exhausted his eligibility after an illustrious career.

• The Big East led the way with 10 women’s All-Americans from four different schools. Villanova and Georgetown paced Division I with four each while Providence and West Virginia placed a single runner apiece on the squad.

• Senior Neely Spence will look to help Shippenburg toward the top of the podium by aiming to improve on her 20:41.2 time at the national championships.

• The Grand Valley State women will be aiming for their second consecutive title after snapping Adams State’s run at the top in 2010. ASU had won seven consecutive national championships before GVSU came away with a 66 points to earn the title by 29 points against runner up Western State.

• Haverford will look to make it two titles in a row on the men’s side in 2011 after capturing the first national championship in the program history.

• Middlebury hopes to make it three titles in four years on the women’s side.