There is little doubt that Georgetown has a storied athletic history. But beyond the basketball team’s championship banners hanging in McDonough Gymnasium, and the lacrosse and football trophies in the McDonough lobby, lies an athletic program whose success is no less extraordinary. Currently ranked in the top 10 nationally, the men’s and women’s cross-country teams can debatably called the best athletic teams at the university. The squads recently swept the id-Atlantic Regionals for the second year in a row and will enter next week’s NCAA National Championships as a top contender.
The women’s team has a pair of All Americans and both squads boast high school national champions, the newest of which is them men’s 19-year old freshman standout, Franklyn Sanchez.
“Franklyn may be the best recruit ever for Georgetown,” senior David Rodriguez said, after Sanchez’s sixth-place finish at regionals last weekend.
And that means a lot coming from Rodriguez, who took the top team finish himself at the regional meet. Like Sanchez, Rodriguez represented the United States in the International Amateur Athlete Foundation World Championships, the premiere event for junior competitors in the world.
On Oct. 27, Sanchez had a breakout performance in his first collegiate race, taking the top finish for the Hoyas in the Big East Conference Championship, and falling only seconds short of two-time All-American Keith Kelley.
“I was very excited going into the race,” Sanchez said. “I couldn’t wait to run with the team.”
The Boston course, on the Lynn, Mass., native was very familiar with, provided a special place for Sanchez to begin his Hoya career.
“It was my home course, and a lot of fans were there,” Sanchez said. “On top of that, I think it was the best race I’ve ever run, and it was my first as a collegiate runner. It was all very exciting. The 6.2 [miles] were long, but it was a great experience. It gave me a good indication of NCAAs and what it is going to be like [running in college]. The distance is definitely a challenge, but after I get used to it and run more, I’ll be able to work my way up.”
Two weeks later, Sanchez earned All-Region honors for his sixth place finish at the Mid-Atlantic Championships.
“[Georgetown Assistant Coach Patrick] Henner came up with a plan [for the regional meet], something to experience, and we all went out and did it. We were supposed to work as a team, so I had to focus and work on that. Overall, I think it was a good race.”
Next week’s NCAA National Championships will undoubtedly be the biggest test yet of Sanchez’s young collegiate career.
“We have a great team, and we can definitely finish in the top five if everyone runs solid races. All of us have a shot at being All Americans. We have a good, good team,” Sanchez said.
“I think we’re in a great position going into the national meet,” Henner added. “Not a lot of people are picking us as one of the top teams, so it’s kind of nice we’re not going in ranked that high, but definitely think we can finish higher than our ranking and surprise some people. I like our position and where we’re going.”
Sanchez’s teammates, seniors Rodriguez, Corey Smith, Matt Dunn, Kyle Smits, junior Chris Miltenberg and sophomore Mike Smith, will carry the rest of the burden for next week’s championship race.
“Our seniors are doing a really good job of leading the team,” Henner said. “Corey, David, Kyle and Matt are coming through and running really good races. The reason why we’re going to go to the NCAAs and will have a good performance is because of the great senior leadership this year.”
The women’s team, which has been ranked in the top 10 during the season or at the end of the season for the past 12 years, will face competition from top-ranked Colorado, No. 2 Stanford and No. 3 Brigham Young. The Buffaloes’ senior Kara Wheeler is the heavy favorite for the individual title.
“If we run with the same kind of competitive spirit we did this week [at regionals] and maintain our composure, we should be able to do well,” Director of Track and Field and Cross-Country Ron Helmer said. “It is a very intense environment you put yourself in when you’re going out there with the top 31 teams in the country, but I think this group has the demeanor that’s necessary to be able to go in and handle that kind of environment.”
Graduate student Autumn Fogg, who finished first among the Hoyas at the regionals, looks to lead the team. Seniors Emily Enstice, Lorena Adams and Kristen Gordon, along with sophomore Marni Kruppa and freshmen Colleen Kelly and Amanda Pape, will comprise the rest of the lineup for the meet, Helmer said.
Similar to the men’s team, the strong core of seniors will get help from the talented younger runners in next week’s race. Kelly ran number one for Georgetown at the Paul Short Invitational last month, and Kruppa and Pape both placed in the top 15 at regionals.
“Our main goal is to ensure we go in and execute at the lever we’re capable of,” Helmer said. “Everything else will take care of itself.”
Related Links
Men’s Cross Country Schedule
Women’s Cross Country Schedule
