June 5, 2000

Stony Brook, N.Y. - With the Stony Brook cross country teams competing at the Division I level for the first time in 1999, the Seawolves opened the season with high expectations and hopes of proving themselves at a higher level of competition than they had ever competed at before. From the first gunshot, USB did not disappoint.

"Overall this was a good year," head coach Jim Meegan said. "We only had one major injury and the attitudes are a lot better. The athletes realize they can get better."

Senior Laura Cottrell and sophomore transfer Jenny Payne proved to be invaluable during the young season, as did junior Mike Thompson and sophomore Dave de Wolfe on the men's side. "Jenny's past was injury-plagued at N.C. State," Meegan said. "Our goal was to keep her healthy. She's still young and inexperienced in racing, but she has great potential." Thompson ended up redshirting, whle de Wolfe completed his first full season of racing.

The Seawolves opened the season with a strong showing at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn., on September 2. The women's team score of 115 points placed them fifth with CCSU finishing first. The men's 171 points were good enough for seventh place, while Boston College finished first. Cottrell led the way for the Seawolves, finishing seventh with a time of 19:17.8. Payne placed 15th, running a 19:38.8, and senior Isa Merritt was 22nd with a time of 19:59.9.

"Isa's last season ended on a pretty good note," Meegan said. "An ankle injury limited her practice at the end of the season, but her game face came through as she gutted out the last two races. We will really miss her and Laura."

On the men's side, Thompson finished 18th with a time of 28:26.3, while de Wolfe was 23rd with a time of 28:37.6. Senior Chris Davis ran a 28:59.0 for 32nd place.

The team next traveled to the Rider Invitational a week later. The women defeated both Iona and Rider, while the men fell to Rider. Payne and Cottrell placed first and second respectively in the 5K to help lead the Seawolves to the women's overall title. Payne finished with a time of 18:56, while Cottrell ran the race in 19:01. Merritt was seventh with a time of 20:01. On the men's side, de Wolfe finished third in the five-mile with a time of 27:17 and Davis was fifth with a time of 27:43. Freshman Luis Flynn ran a 28:53 for ninth place.

On September 19, Stony Brook hosted the 18th annual Seawolves Invitational, the first-ever Division I cross country meet at USB. The women came away with the title while the men narrowly missed making it a double victory, coming in second. Cottrell placed second in the 5K with a time of 20:03.4 and Payne ran a 20:03.9 to come in third. Freshman Jackie Berman was ninth with a time of 20:54.2. For the men, St. John's won the team title. The Seawolves were led by de Wolfe, who ran the 5K in 17:02.1 for a third-place finish, and Thompson, who was fourth with a time of 17:14.4. Davis was ninth with a time of 17:50.4.

Both teams were off for two weeks before competing in the MET Championships on October 1. The women placed fourth of 12 teams, while the men finished 11th out of 13 competitors. Once again, Payne set the pace with a time of 19:15 in the 5K, good for a 12th-place finish. Cottrell was 16th with a time of 19:24, and Berman ran a 20:11 for 34th place. For the men, de Wolfe was 43rd in the five-mile with a time of 27:33.5 and Flynn was 83rd with a time of 29:24.

Next up was the Paul Short Invitational on October 9. The women came in 15th place out of 32 teams, while the men came in 27th of 30. Georgetown won the overall women's title while James Madison won the men's title. For Stony Brook, Payne led the way with a 35th-place finish and a time of 18:38.62. Merritt ran the 5K in 19:23.49 for 78th place. Leading the men's team was de Wolfe, who was 83rd in the five-mile with a time of 26:12.04. Davis and freshman Charlie Billi finished 173rd and 181st, respectively.

The women continued their impressive performance at the IC4A/ECAC Championships on October 15, finishing 11th of 24 teams. The men came in 24th out of 28 teams. Lehigh won the overall women's title and Manhattan won the men's title. Payne and Cottrell once again proved to be priceless for Stony Brook, finishing 16th and 17th, respectively. Payne ran the 5K in 19:19 and Cottrell finished with a time of 19:19.4. On the men's side, de Wolfe again paced the way, leading the Seawolves with a 58th-place finish and a time of 27:09.7. Flynn finished the five-mile run in 28:16.3 for 117th place.

Both the men and women closed out the season at the NCAA District I Championships in Boston, Mass., on November 13. On the women's side, Payne notched the best finish for Stony Brook, coming in 48th out of 233 competitors in the 5K with a time of 18:16. "Jenny's race showed us a glimpse of things to come," Meegan said.

Cottrell finished 103rd with a time of 18:58. As a team, Stony Brook placed 25th out of 34 teams. de Wolfe led the men's team, finishing 109th out of 221 runners in the 10K event with a time of 32:26.

"This season was a transitional one," Meegan said. "My goal for everyone was to up the mileage to a point where I could coach them, not just train them. This process will take 12-18 months and we are still early on in the transition. As the team notices improvement in the outdoor season, it will become easier in future years."

With its first season of Division I competition under its belt, the Stony Brook cross country team looks ahead to the future--one that with continued training, experience and improvement will surely be bright.