SAN FRANCISCO – The University of San Francisco men's and women's cross country team's 2017 season is just a week away. The Dons will kick off its year on September 2, as they host the 25th USF Cross Country Invitational at Golden Gate Park during the first weekend of competition.
 
Following another strong year where the Dons finished ranked sixth nationally, and third in both the NCAA West Region and the West Coast Conference Championships, the USF women go into the 2017 season confident and ready to build off of that success.
 
"After our finish last year at nationals and our successful spring on the track, our women are hungry for more and really believe we can accomplish something very special this season," said USF head coach Helen Lehman-Winters.
 
The Dons return a majority of their squad from last year, including Charlotte Taylor, who will lead the way for the women this season. Taylor was named All-American for her strong 2016 cross country season, and she followed that up as the 10,000 meter national champion on the track in the spring. Along with Taylor, the Dons have added plenty of depth to their roster, as a host of newcomers will be looking to play a part of this team.  
 
"This women's team is by far the best group we have ever had; we are not only deeper than we have ever been but we have so many interchangeable parts," said Helen Lehman-Winters. "We return the majority of squad from last years team and we add multiple key newcomers. Our entire team improved tremendously on the track this last spring and ran personal bests at every distance."
 
Princeton transfer Lizzie Bird brings a wealth of experience from her four years with the Tigers, and she will join Marie Bouchard, All-WCC and USTFCCCA All-West Region runner last year. USF will also be welcoming a trio of freshman Lea Meyer, Valerie Almanza and Ellie Wallace that will all play a role in the USF lineup this year as well.
 
"Lizzie was 54th at NCAAs in Louisville two years ago and she has meshed really well with our squad already," said Lehman-Winters. "Lea had a tremendous summer on the track and was 6th at European U23s in the steeple this past July. In addition, both Ellie and Valerie are very talented and have both impressed us thus far.  It is early and we have a long ways to go but we are excited for the journey."
 
The destinations on this journey to November include a keen eye on culminating the season atop the WCC and with a berth in the NCAA Cross Country Championships field.
 
On the men's side, the squad will be looking to bounce back from last year after they came up just short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Despite that, USF made a strong showing in the incredibly difficult West Region, where they finished eighth, after taking third at the WCC Championships.
 
Despite losing three key runners from last season's lineup, the Dons have a top group of returners in Mohamed Aziz, Ben Alcock, Caleb McClain and Hugh Nickalson. USF have also added a host of newcomers their roster including three transfers from St. Mary's University, Twickenham; Jacob Allen, Jack Rowe and Scott Halsted. Allen brings a depth of experience from his time with St. Mary's in England. While there he competed in the 2016 World University Cross Country Championships, as well as raced in the European Cross Country Championships with team Britain in 2015.
 
"We lost three key personnel from last year's squad, but we made significant progress on the track with our returners this past spring, and we are pretty confident with how we have reloaded," said Lehman-Winters.
 
Joining that group of newcomers will be incoming freshman Isaias De Leon, Henry Mong, Leo Donlea and Daniel Maneloveg.
 
"Henry and Isaias are two talented freshmen and both are capable of getting in the mix of our top seven," remarked Lehman-Winters.
 
Both Henry and Isaias will look to make an immediate impact to the Dons' cross country team, as they enter their collegiate careers following successful high school careers.
 
De Leon finished 14^th at the D11 State Meet (CA) in cross country, and Mong was named Oregon Men's Gatorade Athlete of the Year for his exploits on the track  for winning the Oregon State Championship in both the 800 and 1500 meters. 


"Last year, we narrowly missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships and we truly learned a lot from that experience," said Lehman-Winters. "The West region is so tough but I really do believe our men are ready to make a big breakthrough and that we are capable of qualifying for the NCAA Championships. We have a lot of work to do but the opportunity is there for us."
 
Spectators are welcome and encouraged to watch the Dons begin the 2017 campaign at Golden Gate Park for the USF Invitational on Sept. 2 and stay tuned for more news throughout the fall on your USF cross country teams.
 
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