After two weeks of preseason training, the University of Detroit Mercy women's cross country team is ready for the start of the year as the Titans open up the 2010 schedule on Saturday in nearby Rochester Hills for the Golden Grizzly Open.

The women will run their 5k race at 10:00 a.m., with the men to follow right after.

Last year, Alexandria Vintevoghel led the way with an eighth-place showing, one of four Titan runners to place in the top 20.

Season Preview 

The Detroit Titans women's cross country team is still building their way back to the top of the Horizon League, but the 2010 harriers have a good mix of veterans and youth which should bode well for another step upward.

“We definitely feel that we are going to take a step in the right direction and continue what we started last year,” said head coach Guy Murray, who enters his 18th year as the head coach of the Titans. “We are going to be a good pack team and will be improved, but there is not a lot of room for error. We do have more depth this year and that will help. Last year if any of our top five had an off night we really struggled, but with a good sophomore class as well as some talented rookies, we will be able to overcome those days.”

UDM will have just three upperclassmen on the squad, with two of those harriers multiple varsity letterwinners. Senior Kristie Ferrans will be back as the team's leader and one of the main varsity runners. A former team MVP as a sophomore, Ferrans ran under 20 minutes in one race last year, the Greater Louisville Classic. She then posted her best finish at the Horizon League Championships by 20 spots taking 34th in 20:39.

Fellow senior Megan Miller returns for her final season on the course as she looks to earn her first varsity letter, while fellow

“Kristie was a big recruit for us when she came here as she is a true cross country runner who loves the sport,” Murray said. “She has been a big reason that the team has improved, especially in attitude and the whole atmosphere around the program. I know Kristie has some big races in her and is capable of a big year if she is able to put it all together.”

Junior Kirstin Mooney is back and will help with the depth of the team. Mooney set her personal record in the 5k with a 20:14 at the Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational, one of three races she clocked under 21, on her way to getting under 20.

“She can be a key for us and has performed well in the offseason, coming in as the top finisher in our time trial. She trains hard and works hard and she puts in the miles so I expect her to continue to improve and be a steady varsity performer,” added Murray.

UDM's season will rely on the youth of the underclassmen, particularly the five-man sophomore class. The group is led by Alexandria Vintevoghel, the highest returning Titan runner at the Horizon League Championship (25th) and the NCAA Great Lakes Regional (175th). Vintevoghel was the Coach's Award winner last year after posting five sub-20 times in her first five collegiate races, including her season-best best 5k of 19:19 at the Michigan Intercollegiate.

“I think Alexandria is ready to assume a leadership role after a very strong freshman year,” said Murray. “Getting into the top 20 at the HL is the next step for her. She is another true cross country runner like Kristie (Ferrans) and she has the talent to be the front runner we need.”

Three other sophomores ran well in the varsity seven for much of last year in Sarah Martinez, Katrina Oberski and Katie Weishaar. Martinez was consistently in the 21-minute range last year after coming off an injury in high school. Oberski had five runs under 21 and was the fifth runner for UDM at last year's HL championship, while Weishaar improved tremendously throughout the year going from a season-opening 24:10 in the 5k at the Golden Grizzly Open to a 20:57 at Louisville and a time of 22:01 at the conference meet. Another second-year runner, Tressanique Hampton, will also look to get herself started after missing all of last year due to nagging injuries.

“Oberski was a consistent varsity performer for us at the fourth and fifth spot and now she has a year under her,” quoted Murray. Katie showed some good signs as the year went on and I really like the way Sarah is running right now. I think she is ready for a big year after coming off some injury issues in high school, and she is definitely capable of being a top five scorer for us.”

Four freshmen will vie for spots on the varsity crew in Katelyn Cnossen, Victoria Eger, Rachel Hofsess and Cecilia Pope. Cnossen was an All-State runner as a sophomore. Victoria twice earned All-State accolades, while Hofsess was a state qualifier twice. Pope was an 800-meter runner in high school will need to get into the cross country mix.

“I think this class has the ability to fit into the top five,” said Murray. “Katelyn, Victoria and Rachel have all run under 20 before so it will really depend on how fast they adjust to the speed of the training and college racing.”

Detroit took sixth at last year's conference championship with 146 points, just three behind fifth place UIC and 30 points in back of Youngstown State. With the talented sophomore class ready to make a big contribution, the Titans will look to move back into the top five of the standings in the conference as well as a move up at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.

“The team had a great race at the Horizon League championships last year and you can see that we were right there in the middle of the pack,” said Murray. “The goal is to move up from that sixth-place finish and get into the top five as well as top 25 in the regional. With a team this young, we are still putting the building blocks together, but everything we have done so far in the preseason says we are on pace for being an improved team.”