Cast of Falcons to pace Cross Country teams in 2015

MEQUON, Wis. – On both the Men's and Women's Cross Country teams this season, Concordia University Wisconsin has a similar strategy for their top-tier runners: running in packs.

The Falcons men's and women's squads both feature talented groups of about five to seven runners at the top of their lineups this season. No runner on either team is expected to stand out as a consistent number one, but the depth has head coach Russ De Lap excited coming entering the 2015 campaign.

"On each team we have five to seven runners who have the potential to run together," said De Lap about his teams. "We have the potential to be very strong, but that is based on everyone in the top seven staying healthy."

The term De Lap and his team use is pack running, or if you prefer to correlate it to a group of Falcons, cast running. Each team can run as a group near the top, allowing the Falcons to set a steady pace week in and week out.

While CUW has yet to compete this season at the championship distance levels (6K for the women and 8K for the men), the runners have noticed a change in training. Junior Ashley Scheele, a two-time All-NACC performer, has particularly noticed a change in some of the more difficult training sessions early on this season.

"In the past two seasons, we've had one or two girls who have been really fast and it's been hard in difficult workouts to not have someone to push you," Scheele said. "The few hard practices we've had this year, I've been in a group of about four or five other teammates and it has been a lot easier to hit your paces."

Scheele (Kohler, Wis.), is one of two returning All-NACC runners from last season, along with 2014 Freshman of the Year Bethany Coop (Mora, Minn.). Those two are expected to be joined by Marya Haegler (West Bend, Wis.), a runner who won the Falcons two-mile race this season against MSOE and is also a former NACC Individual Champion, in 2012 when she was at Wisconsin Lutheran College.

Along with Scheele, Coop and Haegler could be Cassandra Sprotte (Abbotsford, Wis.) and freshman Becca Wert (North Aurora, Ill.) helping set the Falcons pace, along with a few other runners expected to contribute this season.

On the men's side, the Falcons don't return one All-NACC performer from last season, but that does not mean expectations will not be high this year. CUW features a strong list of talented runners, one of the deepest De Lap has had in his time mentoring the Falcons.

Senior Stephen Bernau (Courtland, Minn.) is the captain of the 2015 men's team and is expected to be one of the pacesetters this season. Fellow senior Adam Fell (Mundelein, Ill.) should figure into the mix, along with senior Alex Rosenau (Van Dyne, Wis.), junior Michael Taylor (Denmark, Wis.) and sophomore Brennan Linse (Jefferson, Wis.), among others.

"I think everyone dreams of being that top guy or top finisher," said Fell, a runner who placed sixth at the season-opening two-mile dual against MSOE. "However, this season having five or six people who are able to push each other throughout the race is going to be huge."

Now certainly running in a group has its advantages when things are clicking for all runners, and all are healthy. However, certain challenges could factor in this season with the Falcons expected to go out in casts.

"We need to make sure all of us are going out at the right pace," Scheele said. "One can't try to force a pace, because in the end we will be more successful when we all try and stick together at a strong pace."

Certainly challenges can come into play for the Falcons, but the closeness of the two teams should make for an easy transition into setting the pace and running as a cast. So much so, that De Lap feels both his men's and women's teams have a chance to be the best overall teams Concordia Wisconsin has produced.

"We've had a few talks about that [being the best team]," Fell said. "It definitely motivates us to push harder."

The Falcons will have a chance to showcase their ability to run in packs this Saturday in their home meet on the campus of Concordia Wisconsin. The Ken Weidt Classic is set to begin at 11 a.m. with the women's race, followed by the men at noon.

If the cast of Falcons can set the right pace and execute on Saturday they could be off and running towards one of the greatest seasons in school history.