After a successful 2013 season, ACC’s cross country team is looking to improve. The men’s team will rely on freshmen. The women’s team is down to a single runner. THE MEN’S team will look to freshmen to fill the void left by the departing runners.
Just two seasons ago, the women’s team finished runner-up in the Jayhawk conference and had the best finish of any Kansas junior college at nationals. Now, the team is depleted.
“I’ve got a lot of work to do, recruiting wise,” coach Vince DeGrado said. “I’ll get it done. I’m mad at myself about it, but I know what I’ve got to do to get better. We’ll be back next year. I’m going to work with the girl that we do have here.”
Alisn Stevens is the lone runner for the women’s team. There was another runner, but she quit before the season started.
“I see Alisn qualifying for nationals,” said DeGrado, who’s in his ninth season of coaching cross country. “She’s come a long way, just in terms of her development as a runner. She’ll continue developing and we’ll go from there.”
DeGrado said he hopes to get the program to the success of Cowley College’s 2010 season, where DeGrado coached previously. The team swept the NJCAA championship events in both men’s and women’s cross country.
“All I can do is equal that feat,” DeGrado said. “In terms of the season, men and women, they ran the table in every possible championship for distance in cross country. Fast forward four years later, that’s always been in the back of my mind recruiting. I’ve tried to chase that perfect formula.”
“Our top returnee, I redshirted him last year and I’m glad I did that, is Brock Artis,” DeGrado said. “He’ll be here for the cross country season and then move onto a four-year school. On last year’s team, Dallas Snider and Angel Vasquez won’t be coming back.”
Snider moved to a school closer to his home and Vasquez was let go due to disciplinary reasons.
DeGrado said freshman Pedro Montoya should make an instant impact. He was recommended to ACC by a Barton coach that won a national championship.
“Pedro is the real deal,” DeGrado said. “He might end up being one of my best runners that I’ve ever coached and he hasn’t even put on a uniform yet. I’m looking for him to do some great things during his time here.”
Jeremy Brittain, Ben Najman and Mitchell Greenlee will make up the rest of the incoming freshman class. Including Artist, there will be seven sophomores. DeGrado said Trail Spears should start where he left off last season.
“Spears was a walk-on last year. To be honest, I didn’t think he would make our top seven and he made it,” DeGrado said. “He’s just a blue-collar, hard worker and I expect to see him come through for us again.”
The ACC men have won the Jayhawk conference the past two seasons and look for that to continue. To do that, Degrado said the team needs to focus on getting faster from week to week. He said everyone can do something to make themselves better for the next week.
“Last year’s team was the deepest, most talented team that I’ve had on paper,” DeGrado said. “I feel like we laid an egg for the season. That team could never figure it out, they could never figure out how to be a college athlete.”
DeGrado thinks this year’s team is on the right track.
“I feel like this team can develop into something special,” DeGrado said. “There’s no egos, but you have the confidence. You have guys that want to get faster and want to be good.”
ACC’s first meet for the season will be 6 p.m. Aug. 22 at home.
ACC cross country team looks for continued success
