“The 2008 season looks promising for both the men’s and women’s teams,” said MVNU coach Chip Wilson as he heads into his third season at the helm. “There is a great deal of talent on both teams and there are a few runners who may surprise us. Even though we are only returning four male runners and one female runner, there are several new faces that will provide a boost to our team. We have been training hard and everyone is giving it their best each practice.”

The men’s team returns four of its top seven runners from a year ago when the Cougars capped their year by finishing sixth out of 12 teams at the American Mideast Conference Meet and 10th out of 22 teams at the National Christian College Athletic Association Meet. Junior captains Mark Porostosky and Dustin Wine return for their third season to lead the team, while sophomores Zach Stiverson and David Clark are back for a second year. Porostosky lowered his own school record to 26:11.5 at the Wilmington College Invitational last year and also earned AMC Honorable Mention status by finishing 17th at the AMC/NAIA Region IX Meet. Wine (29:33.8), Stiverson (28:14.4), and Clark (30:01.6) are also coming off successful seasons. Freshmen Nate Winters, Blake Heinlen, and Jameson Seymour round out the men’s roster with Winters and Heinlen having each run in the state meet twice in high school and Seymour having spent a year in the United States Air Force.

“Mark and Dustin have been with our program since it started back up again in 2006 and they are both great leaders,” said Wilson. “From a coaching standpoint, it is always a great feeling to know that whenever I am unable to be with the team that the runners have very capable peer leaders. I am very pleased at the growth that I have seen in both of them as runners and leaders. They have worked extremely hard to help get this program off the ground and we are beginning to see the team heading in the right direction. We will look to both Mark and Dustin to lead us on and off the course this season.”

“Both Zach and David had solid freshmen seasons last year as they posted good times throughout the season,” Wilson continued. “They will continue to play a crucial role again this season. With one year behind them, we will look for improvements in their times. The three freshmen will also play a large part in the success of the team as they all three have a strong background in running and have been a part of some very successful high school programs. Nate is an excellent runner who has been well-coached and we expect him to play a large role on this team. Blake has a great knowledge for running and it will be exciting to see what he can do this season. Jameson also had some good success as a high school runner and with his great work ethic I am anxious to see what he can do.”

Junior captain Brittany Click is the lone returning runner on the women’s team that finished 10th out of 12 teams at the AMC/NAIA Region IX Meet and 21st out of 24 teams at the NCCAA National Meet. She posted a personal best time of 28:20.4 at the AMC/NAIA Region IX Meet. Sophomore Ashley Morse will also serve as a team captain in her first season on the team, while freshmen Abby Nearhood, Caitlin Campbell, Katelyn Felger, Heidi Raidel, Lauren Ford, DeAnna Hardeman, and Nikki Yates round out the roster for the Lady Cougars after successful high school careers.

“Brittany and Ashley have done a tremendous job of encouraging our young team and communicating with me about the girls on the team,” said Wilson. “I am excited to see the growth of these two runners throughout the course of this season.”

“Abby is just beginning to see how great of a runner she can be,” said Wilson. “Caitlin had the opportunity to run in the state meet twice in high school, and her experience will be needed. Katelyn works extremely hard and is just starting to emerge as a great runner. Heidi also ran in two state meets and her experience will play a large role on this young team. Lauren is likely to have her best season yet this year due to her hard work, while I think that DeAnna also has the potential to have her best year yet as well. Nikki is also a great addition to our team and I look for her to have a solid first year.

The teams will compete in six regular-season events this year starting with the Shawnee State Invitational. The schedule includes the Cedarville University Invitational, the Otterbein College Invitational, the All-Ohio Invitational hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University, the Wilmington College Invitational, and the Aquinas (Mich.) College Invitational. The teams will also take part in the AMC Meet hosted by Ursuline College and the NCCAA National Meet hosted by Cedarville, while the NAIA National Meet will take place in Kenosha, Wisconsin. To say that MVNU runs in a tough conference is an understatement. On the men’s side, defending NAIA national champion Malone College is the preseason No. 1 pick to repeat, while NAIA national runner-up Cedarville is ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll on the women’s side.

“One of the many great things about both the men’s and women’s teams is that there are no seniors,” said Wilson. “Because we have young teams, this year will be a great building year for our program. As a coach, this is exciting and I look forward to the continued growth and improvement of the MVNU cross country program.”