Courtesy Alison Wade/New York Road Runners Senior three-time All-American arni Kruppa.
Jill Laurendeau
Last year, in her first season running collegiate cross country, senior Jill Laurendeau made a statement. She won her debut race and continued a spectacular season until eventually capping it off with an amazing 14th place finish at the national championships.
“Jill had an outstanding cross country season last year,” Assistant Coach Juli Henner said. “Although it was her third year in school, it was the first time that she had come in and contributed to our cross country team, or even lined up for that matter, and she did an awesome job.”
“Jill is one of the toughest competitors we have,” junior Colleen Kelly said. “I know every time we’re out there, she’s pushing herself to her limit. She’s a great training partner, and I love training with her because I feel so good about myself every time I’m able to complete a whole workout with her. Her attitude helps push me and helps me find what my limits are.”
More of a middle-distance runner by design, Laurendeau excelled on the track after the cross country season, earning national qualifying times in races ranging from the 800m to the 3,000m.
“Jill’s range is unbelievable,” junior Treniere Clement said. “She’s someone who was an All-American in cross country, but who can get out there on the track and challenge our sprinters in the 200m.”
This season, Laurendeau will be integral to the cross country team. As Georgetown’s top- returning runner from last season, Laurendeau will be looked upon this season as a pace-setter, and as someone who can control the team’s tempo in key meets.
A rigorous summer training regimen should help Laurendeau replicate – if not exceed – last season’s accomplishments.
“Jill trained her butt off this summer,” senior Erin Sicher said. “She’s in really good shape, and you can tell just by looking at her that she’s very fit.”
“I think this will be a big breakthrough season for Jill,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Ron Helmer said. “She’s ready to take another step forward.”
Marni Kruppa
Senior Marni Kruppa enters the 2002 season as one of Georgetown’s most decorated distance runners. A three-time All-American and 2001-02 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Runner of the Year, Kruppa had a sophomore season that could only be described as dominating. After battling a stress fracture in the early fall, Kruppa led the team at the 2000 NCAA Cross Country Championships and followed that with All-American performances in the indoor 5,000m and outdoor 10,000m. To close out her sophomore season in the only way fitting for a world-class distance runner, Kruppa ran to a seventh place finish in the half-marathon at the World University Games in Beijing, China.
Her junior year was panning out to be yet another stunning success. Kruppa was runner-up at the Big East Cross Country Championships, and tied teammate Jill Laurendeau for first at the id-Atlantic Regionals. But when nationals rolled around, she crossed the line 37th, a respectable finish, but nine places below her mark from the 2000 season.
“Individually, I wasn’t as happy with my performance last year compared to previous years,” Kruppa said. “I had been hurt for a while, so the highlight of my year was coming back and running my best time in the 10,000m at Stanford without much base training.”
The 33:43.72 time Kruppa obtained in the 10,000m at Stanford set a new personal record, and placed her No. 1 on the national performance list in the event. Also registering a nationally qualifying time in the 5,000m, Kruppa went to the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Championships as the only female Georgetown athlete to qualify in two events. But after another physical setback, Kruppa struggled to close out the season with the same authority she did during her sophomore year.
“I went to nationals at the beginning of June, but didn’t do well there because I found out later that I was anemic,” Kruppa said.
“Last year as a junior, Marni faced a lot of stumbling blocks,” Assistant Coach Juli Henner said. “She had some low iron problems, a few injuries and had a lot to overcome. I’m very proud of the way she handled those issues, and she’s continuing to do a great job. I look to her for tremendous leadership this year.”
“Marni is really tough mentally when it comes to staying focused,” senior co-captain Erin Sicher said. “She’s starting to work her way back into our workouts, and since she has a good head on her shoulders, she’ll be able to be a great leader on the team.”
“Marni could be ready to race today, and it wouldn’t take us to long to get her to race big-time,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Ron Helmer said. “Marni had two good national cross country meets. As a freshman, it was a frustrating meet. Sophomore year she was in the 20s, and last year she was in the 30s. I think she probably ran over her head as a sophomore and a little bit behind where she should have been last year. What we need to do is get her into the national meet with some confidence and a preparation level that will allow her to just go out and race. If that happens, she will be solid.”
Erin Sicher
Senior Erin Sicher entered the 2001 season as one of several Georgetown middle-distance runners attempting to break into top-caliber collegiate cross country. As a two-time All-American in the distance medley relay, and individual qualifier in the indoor mile and outdoor 1,500m, Sicher was well-respected on the track, but hardly considered a leading cross country contender. But all that changed when Sicher turned heads during the 2001 fall season with top-10 finishes at the Big East and NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, and followed that with an inspired 43rd place showing at nationals.
When Sicher backed up her phenomenal cross country success with a 4:44.98 mile and 9:35.55 3,000m on the track, it was clear she had established the range necessary to excel in all three seasons. With a mix of both speed and endurance, Sicher established herself as one of the nation’s best all-around athletes.
“Erin was our MVP of last year,” senior Jill Laurendeau said. “She’s very dependable and is an extremely tough competitor.”
The approach Sicher takes toward competing is one that contrasts sharply with the one she took in high school, where at Good Counsel in Wheaton, Md., she won an astounding 13 conference track titles and three cross country championships seemingly effortlessly.
“In high school, I had a really good coach, but when we would go on runs, we wouldn’t take them very seriously,” Sicher said. “Now that we’re running with people that are at our level, I think when we go for runs just to get mileage in, we’re going at a faster, harder pace. And I definitely didn’t do 65 to 70 miles a week in high school, I probably did more like 40, so I think by increasing the mileage each week, it helped me get a stronger base.”
With the stronger base came the strength Sicher needed to achieve success on the national level. Now, she has emerged as the mainstay of the Georgetown lineup.
“Erin is a girl on the team that’s just a rock,” Assistant Coach Juli Henner said. “She’s always solid, steady and dependable.”
As a co-captain along with senior Marni Kruppa, Sicher does more than just produce dazzling results. She maintains a supportive, encouraging environment that helps cultivate young talent and build team chemistry.
“Erin is definitely one of the biggest leaders we have on our team,” junior Colleen Kelly said. “She knows how to take charge, and she’s a very good motivator. She always knows what to say.”
“What Erin does best is keep a real level-headedness during the races,” Henner said. “In that aspect, she leads by example.”
And commanding a group currently listed as the No. 1 contenders in the nation demands keen leadership skills – something Sicher fortunately has.
“Erin has a whole lot of responsibility this year,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Ron Helmer said. “She needs to maintain a stable environment in a highly competitive and intense setting. She’s critical in having us be able to accomplish that.”
But Sicher’s contribution to the team goes way beyond just leadership. Her consistency in placing second or third on the team in each race last year filled a necessary void left after the graduation of All-Americans Kristen Gordon and Autumn Fogg. With a similar level of progression this year, 2002 could bring even bigger and better accomplishments.
Amanda Pape
After improving her times last year in every event ranging from the 1,500m to the 10,000m, junior Amanda Pape is poised to make a serious impact on the national level in 2002. As a sophomore, Pape made the national performance list in the 5,000m and narrowly missed also qualifying in the 10,000m. Though not short on natural talent, the improvements Pape made last season are likely attributable to her strong and committed work ethic.
“Of all the girls on the team, Amanda probably runs the most, and puts in the most mileage,” sophomore Jodee Adams-Moore said.
“Amanda is never completely satisfied with herself, but you have to be like that if you want to be successful,” senior Marni Kruppa said. “Sometimes she goes unnoticed, but she’s always there, and last year, she was right there with Erin at nationals, and that’s what we needed.”
As the fourth scorer at nationals last year, Pape served a very important role on the team. As long as she continues her progression, the Hoyas are bound to find success at nationals again this year.
“Amanda is one of those athletes that improves each meet, and keeps getting better and better,” Assistant Coach Juli Henner said. “I think November is going to be a really, really incredible month for her.”
Nicole Lee
Sophomore Nicole Lee entered the collegiate running scene last year virtually unknown, but had no trouble quickly making a name for herself. As Georgetown’s fifth finisher at nationals, and subsequently a member of the U.S. Junior National Cross Country team that participated in Dublin, Ireland, Lee gained both respect and top-level racing experience last year. In approaching running with the same steadfast mentality as all her other endeavors, Lee and her racing career both appear to be headed in a very promising direction.
“Nicole is very, very serious about her running,” junior Colleen Kelly said. “She approaches things with a good attitude, and will never accept anything other than the absolute best.”
“Nicole was an amazing addition to our team last year, and was just an incredible surprise,” Assistant Coach Juli Henner said. “She’s a very intense person, both in the classroom and on the track, and I think she’s going to be something pretty special.”
“Nicole can make a big difference this year,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Ron Helmer said. “She really enjoys racing, and has a great head for it. She probably has more innate toughness when it comes to competing than anyone else, and it’s very difficult to knock her off her game.”
Jodee Adams-Moore
Every team needs a morale booster, but few teams have a morale booster capable of running the 5,000m in 17 minutes. That’s what sophomore Jodee Adams-Moore does, and that’s a key reason why the Georgetown coaching staff has said this year’s team has the best mix of talent and camaraderie they’ve ever seen.
“Jodee takes a very laid-back approach to running,” junior Colleen Kelly said. “She doesn’t get too caught up in all the nuances of the sport, and will be the one out there talking or making a joke to put a smile on your face. She reminds us that we’re not only there to win, but to also have fun and experience everything as a team.”
“Our workouts tend to be so difficult that they’re always the worst part of the day,” Adams-Moore said. “But once I’m through with them, I’m so happy and proud of myself, I guess I get a little silly.”
“She acts kind of goofy sometimes, but she’s tough when it counts,” senior Marni Kruppa said. “Last year, as a freshman, she didn’t always know what she was supposed to be doing, and just went with the flow, but this year, she knows how everything works. She’s gotten a good year of training in, so she has an incredible base. This season she’s going to show us what she has.”
“Jodee showed some signs of extraordinary talent last year in cross country,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Ron Helmer said. “She had a good summer, and the last six weeks were her best sustained level of training ever. If a competitive hunger will just take over to where she just goes out and takes chances, she’ll be fine – much better than fine.”
Colleen Kelly
A member of the top seven since her freshman year, junior Colleen Kelly enters 2002 as a leading veteran on the team. With two seasons of championship experience under her belt, Kelly knows how to handle the pressure of big meets and is tried and tested at the national level. But this season, before lining up at nationals once again, Kelly must first overcome the first major setback of her collegiate career – an iliotibial band injury.
“My goal is to get through September and stay healthy,” Kelly said. “I want to make the top seven again and go to nationals.”
“Colleen had an incredible freshman year, last year had some ups and downs, but now has the tools, both mentally and physically to overcome all that and have a really good year,” Assistant Coach Juli Henner said.
“Colleen hasn’t yet run on the level in cross country equal to what she’s done on the track, so I think the opportunity is there for her to be able to take a big jump as a cross country runner,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Ron Helmer said.
Kelly is expected to sit out a few early races, and nurse her sore leg back into shape before joining the team in meets later in the season.
“My IT band hasn’t been bothering me for the past two months, so I’m just now beginning more intense training and building a base,” Kelly said.
“We’ve been doing a lot of cross-training together, and I can say she’s probably one of the most driven and focused people on our team,” senior Marni Kruppa said. “She definitely works hard and she’s not scared to put in the amount of work necessary to be good.”
Treniere Clement
For some people, cross country is an end. For others, it’s a means to an end. When making that distinction, junior track star Treniere Clement falls into the latter category.
As the 1,200m leg runner on Georgetown’s acclaimed distance medley relay team, and NCAA 1,500m provisional qualifier, Clement has always been a demon on the track. But over the summer, while preparing for what she was planning to be a breakout year, Clement conveniently turned herself into a national-caliber cross country runner.
“Treniere went home and had an outstanding summer,” Assistant Coach Juli Henner said. “She did some things she didn’t think she could do, worked on some of her weaknesses, and decided this summer she was going to train really hard and do whatever it took to get to the highest level she could in cross country, even though cross country probably isn’t her favorite thing and probably not what she’s most suited for as an athlete. I think she realizes that if she wants to be a national-class middle distance runner, that cross country will be the key for her.”
“She is one who certainly wasn’t satisfied with the status quo,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Ron Helmer said. “She went home and put things together so she could perform as a cross country runner, no doubt, better than she ever has. She took some huge steps forward.”
“This was my first year of training for real cross country,” Clement said. “I never really considered it my sport, and used the season mainly as training for track. But I took things a lot more seriously last summer and ran longer distances with more intensity. I was doing tempo runs, distance runs, typical runs that the cross country girls do, so that I could hold my own on the team. And so far it’s going well.”
“In the summer, Coach Helmer was saying, `we’re going to have our top seven back, but we need somebody else to step it up,’ and I thought it was going to be Treniere,” senior Marni Kruppa said. “I guess I was right.”