Temple University Athletics
Thursday, October 25
New Orleans, La.
Temple University
at
American Athletic Conference Championships
Ready for Redemption: Men's Cross Country Heads to AAC Championships Thursday
10.23.18 | Men's Cross Country
Last year, the Temple men's cross country team went into the American Athletic Conference championships with one thought in their minds: winning. After a 2017 record-breaking regular season that kicked off with three straight team wins, the Owls could not have been more thrilled to have the opportunity to compete on their home course at Belmont Plateau for the championship meet on October 28th, 2017.
Training at Belmont regularly, the Owls knew those trails like the back of their hand. But, just like any team participating in any sport, anything can happen on race day.
With a championship title on their mind, Temple entered the meet hungry for a win—but walked away with a third place title. While many would consider their highest finish at an AAC Championship meet in program history a great accomplishment, it resonated as defeat to those involved.
"To watch two other teams walk onto the podium on our home course where we train was an incredibly disappointing feeling," expressed head coach James Snyder. "Earlier in the year, if someone told me that we would finish third at the conference meet, I would have thought it was a great year. But after seeing what the guys were capable of, third place felt horrible."
As Paulo Coelho once said, "you are not defeated when you lose, you are defeated when you quit," and the Owls did no such thing. Going on to win the IC4A Championships for the first time in program history, the 2017 Conference Championships sparked a fire in their eyes—and this fire is yet to burn out.
"Through summer and last spring, the guys have put in a lot of effort to not let that happen again. Going into this meet, what we have talked about all year is the desire to win the conference championship. There won't be a person on that plane heading to New Orleans not thinking the same way, so we have a challenging task in front of us."
On Thursday, Oct. 25, the Owls will head to New Orleans, La. for the first time to compete in the 2018 American Athletic Conference Championship meet. The men will run the 8,000-meter course at the Golf Club at Audubon Park at 11:50 a.m. ET against nine fellow AAC opponents.
Rolling off of the momentum following the 2017 season, the Owls have set themselves up for success heading into this year's championship meet.
They tipped off their 2018 season in a familiar fashion as last year when they swept the Temple Invitational for their first race of the season. The group put on an impressive showing to conquer the challenging 8,000m course at the historic Belmont Plateau, finishing first overall for the second straight year. Senior newcomer Louis Corgliano took the number one spot both for Temple and overall, finishing his first-ever collegiate cross country race with a time of 26:56.9.
Temple dominated the course at the Temple Invite, as Corgliano led the phenomenal pack that showed nine of the top 10 runners in Cherry and White. The junior pack of David Fitzgerald, Kevin Lapsansky and Zach Seiger all executed the race plan and performed well for their first meet of their third season. The sophomore squad of Kristian Jensen and Anton Harrsen also ran strong, showing ample teamwork to finish at 27:26.4 and 27:26.8 respectfully.
Two weeks later, the Owls dominated the field once again to win the Army West Point Open and capture their second straight team victory of the season. The group thrived off of patience and focus across the challenging 7,600-meter course at Bowdoin Park, topping a talented Army West Point squad who continues to receive votes from the USTFCCCA in the national polls.
For the second time in as many meets, Temple saw a different runner in their number one spot. This time, Seiger stepped up to lead an Owl trio that swept the top three, finishing with a time of 23:51.6 that later earned him AAC runner of the week accolades. Corgliano remained steady in the front pack just two seconds behind his teammate, breaking away from the group to stretch the competition thin and allow Temple to pace into its final 2,000 meters.
"Putting three of our runners in front of Army's top guy was really special. We ran competitively in a smaller field that will really mimic what conferences will feel like, and I think this meet was a great stepping stone for the team," explained Snyder.
For their third meet of the year, the Owls traveled to South Bend, Ind. to compete against some of the nation's top cross country programs at the Joe Piane Invitational. Temple raced in the Blue Division of the meet for the first time in program history, facing a contingent of nationally ranked opponents at the five-mile race.
Entering the meet with lofty expectations, the Owls fell off course a bit, ultimately earning an 11th place finish overall. Despite the disappointing weekend, the results of this meet against a national class field were arguably one of the best things to happen to the group at that point in time.
"Following Notre Dame, the team has been refocused and dialed in to train at a very high level. We have had some ups and downs, but learning from this meet was critical to carry out success for the remainder of the season."
At the Joe Piane Invite, junior Harry Powell crossed the finish line first for the Owls, running his debut collegiate race in Cherry and White in 24:39.9. He worked well aside teammate Corgliano, as the two Temple-newcomers pushed each other through the latter stages of the race to finish off the course.
In their most recent meet, the Owls headed to Princeton to wrap up their regular season competition. Bouncing off of what seemed to be a disappointing set-back among the team, the squad put together their most complete performance at the Princeton Invitational, finishing third overall out of 20 teams to conquer the 8,000-meter West Windsor Fields in N.J.
Jensen earned AAC runner of the week nods for his performance at Princeton, crossing the line first for the Cherry and White with a time of 24:08.7. Running one of the best 8K's in program history, Jensen was now the fourth different Owl to finish in Temple's number one spot.
At Princeton, the No. 7 regionally ranked Owls faced multiple teams that they will see in the near future, including eight fellow ranked teams in the Mid-Atlantic. Temple finished third overall behind two nationally recognized programs in Princeton and Villanova. Following the Owls in the final standings was American Athletic Conference foe UConn, who the squad will see this week at conferences.
"We went into Princeton to compete in a bigger field, and executed the best race we ran as a team all season. Cross country is a sport that you completely get out of it what you put into it, and these guys have put everything in it this season. You put so much time in and go through the year, to have an opportunity like we have heading to New Orleans. You don't work this hard to be third, you do it to be a champion."
Now, the Owls hunt for redemption after last year's championship meet. Entering the competition with the second-highest regional ranking among American cross country men's teams, Temple is prepared to do everything it takes to win a title.
Returning two of three All-Conference runners from 2017, Harrsen and Lapsansky will be running the conference course once again this week. Joining them will be Jensen, Corgliano, Seiger, Powell, Fitzgerald, Johnathan Condly and Donovan Mears.
The story of the season for the Owls has been how the group has rotated up top within the team at each competition. Every meet has shown a different number one guy, boasting the ultimate hallmark of a great program through fierce competition among teammates.
Temple will utilize this tight bond on and off the course to propel them to a new highest finish at the American Athletic Conference Championships. The team has shown resilience since they last met their nine AAC foes, and they are prepared to give it their all.
"That's what championship racing is all about," said Snyder. "It's eliminating excuses, finding solutions and working together with your teammates. It's maximizing our potential, and it's doing the best we can do on the course in New Orleans."
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Training at Belmont regularly, the Owls knew those trails like the back of their hand. But, just like any team participating in any sport, anything can happen on race day.
With a championship title on their mind, Temple entered the meet hungry for a win—but walked away with a third place title. While many would consider their highest finish at an AAC Championship meet in program history a great accomplishment, it resonated as defeat to those involved.
"To watch two other teams walk onto the podium on our home course where we train was an incredibly disappointing feeling," expressed head coach James Snyder. "Earlier in the year, if someone told me that we would finish third at the conference meet, I would have thought it was a great year. But after seeing what the guys were capable of, third place felt horrible."
As Paulo Coelho once said, "you are not defeated when you lose, you are defeated when you quit," and the Owls did no such thing. Going on to win the IC4A Championships for the first time in program history, the 2017 Conference Championships sparked a fire in their eyes—and this fire is yet to burn out.
"Through summer and last spring, the guys have put in a lot of effort to not let that happen again. Going into this meet, what we have talked about all year is the desire to win the conference championship. There won't be a person on that plane heading to New Orleans not thinking the same way, so we have a challenging task in front of us."
On Thursday, Oct. 25, the Owls will head to New Orleans, La. for the first time to compete in the 2018 American Athletic Conference Championship meet. The men will run the 8,000-meter course at the Golf Club at Audubon Park at 11:50 a.m. ET against nine fellow AAC opponents.
Rolling off of the momentum following the 2017 season, the Owls have set themselves up for success heading into this year's championship meet.
They tipped off their 2018 season in a familiar fashion as last year when they swept the Temple Invitational for their first race of the season. The group put on an impressive showing to conquer the challenging 8,000m course at the historic Belmont Plateau, finishing first overall for the second straight year. Senior newcomer Louis Corgliano took the number one spot both for Temple and overall, finishing his first-ever collegiate cross country race with a time of 26:56.9.
Temple dominated the course at the Temple Invite, as Corgliano led the phenomenal pack that showed nine of the top 10 runners in Cherry and White. The junior pack of David Fitzgerald, Kevin Lapsansky and Zach Seiger all executed the race plan and performed well for their first meet of their third season. The sophomore squad of Kristian Jensen and Anton Harrsen also ran strong, showing ample teamwork to finish at 27:26.4 and 27:26.8 respectfully.
Two weeks later, the Owls dominated the field once again to win the Army West Point Open and capture their second straight team victory of the season. The group thrived off of patience and focus across the challenging 7,600-meter course at Bowdoin Park, topping a talented Army West Point squad who continues to receive votes from the USTFCCCA in the national polls.
For the second time in as many meets, Temple saw a different runner in their number one spot. This time, Seiger stepped up to lead an Owl trio that swept the top three, finishing with a time of 23:51.6 that later earned him AAC runner of the week accolades. Corgliano remained steady in the front pack just two seconds behind his teammate, breaking away from the group to stretch the competition thin and allow Temple to pace into its final 2,000 meters.
"Putting three of our runners in front of Army's top guy was really special. We ran competitively in a smaller field that will really mimic what conferences will feel like, and I think this meet was a great stepping stone for the team," explained Snyder.
For their third meet of the year, the Owls traveled to South Bend, Ind. to compete against some of the nation's top cross country programs at the Joe Piane Invitational. Temple raced in the Blue Division of the meet for the first time in program history, facing a contingent of nationally ranked opponents at the five-mile race.
Entering the meet with lofty expectations, the Owls fell off course a bit, ultimately earning an 11th place finish overall. Despite the disappointing weekend, the results of this meet against a national class field were arguably one of the best things to happen to the group at that point in time.
"Following Notre Dame, the team has been refocused and dialed in to train at a very high level. We have had some ups and downs, but learning from this meet was critical to carry out success for the remainder of the season."
At the Joe Piane Invite, junior Harry Powell crossed the finish line first for the Owls, running his debut collegiate race in Cherry and White in 24:39.9. He worked well aside teammate Corgliano, as the two Temple-newcomers pushed each other through the latter stages of the race to finish off the course.
In their most recent meet, the Owls headed to Princeton to wrap up their regular season competition. Bouncing off of what seemed to be a disappointing set-back among the team, the squad put together their most complete performance at the Princeton Invitational, finishing third overall out of 20 teams to conquer the 8,000-meter West Windsor Fields in N.J.
Jensen earned AAC runner of the week nods for his performance at Princeton, crossing the line first for the Cherry and White with a time of 24:08.7. Running one of the best 8K's in program history, Jensen was now the fourth different Owl to finish in Temple's number one spot.
At Princeton, the No. 7 regionally ranked Owls faced multiple teams that they will see in the near future, including eight fellow ranked teams in the Mid-Atlantic. Temple finished third overall behind two nationally recognized programs in Princeton and Villanova. Following the Owls in the final standings was American Athletic Conference foe UConn, who the squad will see this week at conferences.
"We went into Princeton to compete in a bigger field, and executed the best race we ran as a team all season. Cross country is a sport that you completely get out of it what you put into it, and these guys have put everything in it this season. You put so much time in and go through the year, to have an opportunity like we have heading to New Orleans. You don't work this hard to be third, you do it to be a champion."
Now, the Owls hunt for redemption after last year's championship meet. Entering the competition with the second-highest regional ranking among American cross country men's teams, Temple is prepared to do everything it takes to win a title.
Returning two of three All-Conference runners from 2017, Harrsen and Lapsansky will be running the conference course once again this week. Joining them will be Jensen, Corgliano, Seiger, Powell, Fitzgerald, Johnathan Condly and Donovan Mears.
The story of the season for the Owls has been how the group has rotated up top within the team at each competition. Every meet has shown a different number one guy, boasting the ultimate hallmark of a great program through fierce competition among teammates.
Temple will utilize this tight bond on and off the course to propel them to a new highest finish at the American Athletic Conference Championships. The team has shown resilience since they last met their nine AAC foes, and they are prepared to give it their all.
"That's what championship racing is all about," said Snyder. "It's eliminating excuses, finding solutions and working together with your teammates. It's maximizing our potential, and it's doing the best we can do on the course in New Orleans."
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
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