Sept. 2, 2010

The meteoric rise of the Johns Hopkins women's cross country team to national prominence has been nothing short of stunning. Four years ago the Blue Jays qualified one individual for the NCAA Championships. Last season, Hopkins spent a week ranked number one in the nation, claimed their second straight Centennial Conference and NCAA Mideast Regional Championships and placed seventh at the NCAA Championships.

Gone are four of the top seven runners from last year's team, but head coach Bobby Van Allen, the 2009 Mideast Region Coach of the Year, doesn't expect much of a drop-off in performance. Rather than depend on an individual winning a race, the Blue Jays will rely on a roster that is deep and talented. While no one may approach the level of now-graduated Laura Paulsen, the greatest distance runner in school history, JHU may be stronger top to bottom than it has been during its recent run of success.

Sneaking up on the opposition is no longer possible for the Blue Jays, who are ranked 11th in the USTFCCCA Preseason Poll. This is the highest preseason ranking in school history for Johns Hopkins, which also topped the Preseason Mideast Regional Poll.

Below is a quick look at the Blue Jays as they prepare to open the season on Friday, September 3 at the Baltimore Metro Invitational.

Who to Look For: Junior Cecilia Furlong and sophomore Liz Provost figure to lead the way for the Blue Jays this season after both garnered All-Centennial and All-Mideast Region honors a year ago. Furlong placed 57th at the NCAA Championships last season, while Provost was just behind her with a 65th-place showing. Provost finished 11th among all freshmen at the NCAA Championships.

Seniors Megan Brower and Christina Valerio also figure to be among the Blue Jays' top performers this season. Brower had a great outdoor track season for the Centennial Conference Champion Blue Jays and has picked up right where she left off, while Valerio is battling back from an injury, but was among the seven runners who represented JHU at the NCAAs last fall and should push the lead pack.

Sudden Impact: While Van Allen is always hesitant to put pressure on newcomers, freshman Lara Shegoski figures to make an immediate impact for the Blue Jays. Shegoski finished fourth in the 5000-meter run at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships to earn All-America status, before placing sixth in that distance at the New Balance Outdoor National Championship

Second, First, 11th: Johns Hopkins was picked to finish second in the Centennial Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Blue Jays topped the Preseason Mideast Regional Poll and checked in at 11th in the Preseason USTFCCCA National Poll.

JHU's Preseason Rankings:

National - 11th

Regional - 1st

Centennial Conference - 2nd

The Schedule: Van Allen has once again pieced together a competitive national schedule that will prepare the Blue Jays for the championship races at the end of the season. In addition to the season-opening Baltimore Metro Invitational, Johns Hopkins will travel to Williams for the prestigious Purple Valley Classic. It was JHU's first-place finish at this event last season that vaulted the Blue Jays onto the national scene and pushed them to the top of the national rankings. Highlighting the remainder of the schedule will be Hopkins' appearance in the Disney Classic in Orlando, Florida. Johns Hopkins will also host the Centennial Conference Championships before heading off to the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships.

Don't Forget: Hopkins won the 2009 Mideast Regional title without the services of Paulsen, who was sick that week and held out to prepare for the NCAA Championships. Not many teams could win at regional title without the services of their top runner. The Blue Jays won the regional title with depth, which will be the key to any success they enjoy this season.

A Program First: The JHU women's cross country team was tied with Calvin (MI) as the number-one ranked team in the nation for one week during the middle of the 2009 season. This was the first time a Johns Hopkins women's team - in any sport - has been ranked number one in the nation. 

HopkinsSports.com Women's Cross Country

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