Photo by: Maria Lysaker - Rice Athletics
Season Preview: Owls Primed for Lofty 2019 Season
9/11/2019 9:23:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
HOUSTON - Rice women's cross country head coach Jim Bevan returns all of his top runners from a talented 2018 squad that landed on the podium at the C-USA championships and followed that up with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA South Central Regional, just four points behind Texas A&M – putting the Owls squarely in the mix this season for a top-three conference finish for the sixth straight year.
The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) pre-season rankings peg the Owls for fourth in the South Central Region, trailing only powerhouses Arkansas, Texas, and Texas A&M.
With the team at less than 100% to open the season, Bevan cautioned that the make-up of the top seven runners most likely will look different by the time the conference meet and regionals roll around, but he has plenty of experienced athletes from which to choose.
"We are working on getting our entire team back as the season progresses, but right now we are not quite there yet," said Bevan.
One of those leaders will be Lourdes Vivas de Lorenzi (Spring, TX/The Woodlands HS). The junior finished eighth at the conference meet last year and then followed that result with a 10th-place finish at regionals, which qualified her individually for the NCAA championships, held in Madison, WI. She was the Owls' top runner at every meet but one last year and should be one of Bevan's top finishers again in 2019.
"I do feel like she can improve on last years' finish at conference and can get back to the national meet," Bevan said.
Senior Khayla Patel (Houston, TX/Memorial HS) and sophomore Ryann Helmers (Sanderson, TX/Charlottesville, VA) return as two other runners with top-10 potential at the conference meet, after just missing that mark last season. Both runners joined Vivas de Lorenzi on the C-USA's All Conference Second Team after finishing 11th and 12th, respectively, at last year's meet held in Boca Raton. Patel, described by Bevan as one of the team's leaders, had two top-10 finishes last year (plus the near-miss at conference) along with a 25th place finish at the regional meet. Helmers had three top-10 finishes, including a team-best seventh at Minnesota's prestigious Roy Griak Invitational, to add to a 17th place mark at regionals. That duo should challenge Vivas de Lorenzi for top honors when all are on form and give Bevan a formidable threesome of potential low sticks to stack up against any other team.
In addition to those three runners, Rice has a plethora of options to round out the travel squad – which Bevan will utilize during the early portion of the fall as the team gets healthy and prepares for the meat of the season. This includes five sophomores who have championship meet experience from 2018: Ashley Messineo (Lake Forest, CA/El Toro HS), Caitlin Wosika (Trowbridge, England/Beechen Cliff Sixth Form), Alyssa Balandran (Katy, TX/Tompkins HS), Natalie Goddard (Austin, TX/Vandegrift HS), and Mary Claire Neal (Tyler, TX/Lee HS).
"Ashley Messineo, Alyssa Balandran, Caitlin Wosika and Mary Claire Neal are all much better than last year," said Bevan. "They have all had a great summer and are much improved."
Messineo opened her collegiate career with a top-10 finish at the Rice Invite, earned a third-team all conference nod with a 17th place finish and followed that up by finishing 42nd at regionals. Wosika got a late start to her season, but quickly made an impact by finishing 27th at the conference meet. Balandran raced in every meet last season, with a top finish of 27th at the Rice Invitational. Goddard, whose twin sister, Loren, is also a cross country team member, raced four times last year including a 40th place finish at the conference meet. Neal participated in five meets last year, with a best finish of 25th at the conference meet, where she was the member of the scoring five for the Owls.
Incoming freshmen who will look to make the leap from prep competition to collegiate action include some highly-regarded athletes. Topping this list is Grace Forbes (Wallingford, PA/Strath Haven HS), who joins her older sister, Madeline, on the Owls roster. The younger Forbes sped to a 4:25.37 clocking over 1500 meters at the Brooks PR Invitational last year, placing her personal record just outside the historical Rice all-time top-10. Taigen Hunter-Galvan (San Antonio, TX/Northside Brandeis HS), Rachel Shoemaker (Vienna, VA/James Madison HS) and Liza Yusem (Bothell, WA/Bothell HS) also join the team with solid high school credentials and will look to make their mark this fall.
The 2019 cross country season kicks off this Friday, Sept. 13, when the Owls host the Rice Invitational. The meet will be held on campus at the intramural fields, as the collegiate action gets underway at 6:15 p.m. with the women's 4000-meter race followed by the men's 6000 meters at 6:45.
The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) pre-season rankings peg the Owls for fourth in the South Central Region, trailing only powerhouses Arkansas, Texas, and Texas A&M.
With the team at less than 100% to open the season, Bevan cautioned that the make-up of the top seven runners most likely will look different by the time the conference meet and regionals roll around, but he has plenty of experienced athletes from which to choose.
"We are working on getting our entire team back as the season progresses, but right now we are not quite there yet," said Bevan.
One of those leaders will be Lourdes Vivas de Lorenzi (Spring, TX/The Woodlands HS). The junior finished eighth at the conference meet last year and then followed that result with a 10th-place finish at regionals, which qualified her individually for the NCAA championships, held in Madison, WI. She was the Owls' top runner at every meet but one last year and should be one of Bevan's top finishers again in 2019.
"I do feel like she can improve on last years' finish at conference and can get back to the national meet," Bevan said.
Senior Khayla Patel (Houston, TX/Memorial HS) and sophomore Ryann Helmers (Sanderson, TX/Charlottesville, VA) return as two other runners with top-10 potential at the conference meet, after just missing that mark last season. Both runners joined Vivas de Lorenzi on the C-USA's All Conference Second Team after finishing 11th and 12th, respectively, at last year's meet held in Boca Raton. Patel, described by Bevan as one of the team's leaders, had two top-10 finishes last year (plus the near-miss at conference) along with a 25th place finish at the regional meet. Helmers had three top-10 finishes, including a team-best seventh at Minnesota's prestigious Roy Griak Invitational, to add to a 17th place mark at regionals. That duo should challenge Vivas de Lorenzi for top honors when all are on form and give Bevan a formidable threesome of potential low sticks to stack up against any other team.
In addition to those three runners, Rice has a plethora of options to round out the travel squad – which Bevan will utilize during the early portion of the fall as the team gets healthy and prepares for the meat of the season. This includes five sophomores who have championship meet experience from 2018: Ashley Messineo (Lake Forest, CA/El Toro HS), Caitlin Wosika (Trowbridge, England/Beechen Cliff Sixth Form), Alyssa Balandran (Katy, TX/Tompkins HS), Natalie Goddard (Austin, TX/Vandegrift HS), and Mary Claire Neal (Tyler, TX/Lee HS).
"Ashley Messineo, Alyssa Balandran, Caitlin Wosika and Mary Claire Neal are all much better than last year," said Bevan. "They have all had a great summer and are much improved."
Messineo opened her collegiate career with a top-10 finish at the Rice Invite, earned a third-team all conference nod with a 17th place finish and followed that up by finishing 42nd at regionals. Wosika got a late start to her season, but quickly made an impact by finishing 27th at the conference meet. Balandran raced in every meet last season, with a top finish of 27th at the Rice Invitational. Goddard, whose twin sister, Loren, is also a cross country team member, raced four times last year including a 40th place finish at the conference meet. Neal participated in five meets last year, with a best finish of 25th at the conference meet, where she was the member of the scoring five for the Owls.
Incoming freshmen who will look to make the leap from prep competition to collegiate action include some highly-regarded athletes. Topping this list is Grace Forbes (Wallingford, PA/Strath Haven HS), who joins her older sister, Madeline, on the Owls roster. The younger Forbes sped to a 4:25.37 clocking over 1500 meters at the Brooks PR Invitational last year, placing her personal record just outside the historical Rice all-time top-10. Taigen Hunter-Galvan (San Antonio, TX/Northside Brandeis HS), Rachel Shoemaker (Vienna, VA/James Madison HS) and Liza Yusem (Bothell, WA/Bothell HS) also join the team with solid high school credentials and will look to make their mark this fall.
The 2019 cross country season kicks off this Friday, Sept. 13, when the Owls host the Rice Invitational. The meet will be held on campus at the intramural fields, as the collegiate action gets underway at 6:15 p.m. with the women's 4000-meter race followed by the men's 6000 meters at 6:45.
-RiceOwls.com-
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
WBB: Rice vs. Marshall Postgame Presser
Wednesday, March 09
VB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02