After multiple record-breaking seasons, the Oswego State men’s cross country team looks to move forward without two premier NCAA Div. III runners. Colin Greenseich graduated last year after he ran the fastest 8K in program history. He was even the first Oswego State athlete to qualify for the NCAA Div. III Championships in 15 years.

One of the more shocking exits was Dylan McCarthy, whose 2018 season was supposed to be his senior year.

“He is not returning to the team, and that is all I am going to say on that,” head coach Evan Magnussen said.

In McCarthy’s final year, Oswego State could have seen him reach the Div. III Championships like his former teammate Greenseich as their personal bests for the 5K, 6K and 8K were all within 20 seconds of each other.

Despite these losses, Magnussen is confident in his team.

“We have a group of four guys that have really stepped up their game,” Magnussen said. “Tim [Olmsted] and Nick [Leclair] are coming in stronger than last year. The big surprise has been [Matt] Lupia, who has really taken to heart the change in mentality I was drilling on everyone this past year.”

One significant contributor has been junior Andrew Boyce. Last Saturday, he finished third in the Pre-SUNYAC Preview at SUNY Fredonia with a time of 20:26.6, just 12 seconds off his personal best.

“Andrew [Boyce] is much stronger than last year,” Magnussen said. “He has made a complete shift in who he is as an athlete not only physically but also mentally. He is a completely different person than five months ago in May.”

Magnussen has known Boyce for several years, dating back to their SUNY Cortland days. In his first season as a Laker, Boyce looked to the team’s leaders like Greenseich.

“Having people on the team that were better than me helped me adjust and become a better runner over time,” Boyce said. “It drove me to be a really good runner [not only] for me; I wanted to be a good runner for my team.”

While the men lost some integral pieces to their team, the women gained several impact racers. Graduate student Mackenzie Ross joined the team after a year off from college. Previously, she ran at SUNY Geneseo as a mid-distance runner. During her year off, she trained on her own to become a long-distance runner.

On the other side of the spectrum, the Lakers added six freshmen recruits to the team, and two specifically have already made big impacts after just one meet. Emily Gustafson and Hannah Hertick finished fourth and seventh, respectively. 

The depth of the program was on full display at that Pre-SUNYAC meet as they had six runners place in the top third of the race, the most of any team. Ross finished the race in second place. Sarah Rappleye and Jamie Kasza placed 13th and 14th with times just above 17:00. Megan Dwyer rounded out the top six runners with a time of 17:27.

Although it has only been one meet, Magnussen sees this season as a turning point for the program.

“It hammers home that we are no longer a-bottom-of-the-conference team. We are not willing to accept being [that]. That was my number-one priority this past year to get the women to a respectable position in the conference,” Magnussen said. “This really marks a new page in Oswego women’s cross country.”

Despite this being Ross’s final year of eligibility, she is seen as a major factor in terms of creating an elite program for years to come.

“[We recruited her] a lot for her leadership,” Magnussen said. “Having been in a program that is, year after year, at the top of the nation, being a national qualifier herself, she has a lot to offer the younger girls in terms of how to be great.”

Graphic by Shea McCarthy | The Oswegonian