ANDERSON, S.C. – With a seasoned, veteran-laden roster on hand, the 2019 Anderson University men's cross country team is looking to take another step and reach the next level this season.

When Anderson begins the 2019 campaign Friday evening at the Converse Kickoff Classic in Spartanburg, S.C., the Trojans' roster will feature a dozen returning letterwinners, including three sophomores, nine juniors and two seniors, in addition to a pair of transfers and five true freshmen.

The Trojans return every runner except one from last year's squad that finished fifth at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships and claimed second place at the 2018 South Atlantic Conference Championships. The runner-up finish last year in Spartanburg, S.C., on the Milliken Research Center course marked AU's highest finish since claiming second place in 2011.

"A lot of our top runners from last year and two years ago, especially on the men's side, are back," said third-year Head Coach Kevin Eagle. "They know the routine, they know what is expected of them. It's their third year. The third year is typically when we see the biggest gain. They are mature, they understand the training. Our top 7-8 guys are sophomore are juniors. We are really excited to see what they can do on the course. We had a lot of really good breakthroughs on the track last year."

As a possible early indicator of success, the Trojans were tabbed second in the 2019 South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll in late August. The prognostication marked the highest predicted finish for the Black and Gold since also being tabbed second in the 2011 Preseason SAC Coaches' Poll. AU has finished third at the SAC Championships on five occasions and also finished as runners-up in 2011.

"We are more of a complete team going into cross country this year," added Eagle. "And we are excited about the [team's] growth. We are no longer the babies – we are not the freshmen and sophomores. We are sophomores and juniors. We are looking to get this group of guys to the next level. They've been the first team out of nationals the last two years. We've been such a young team that it's [been] hard to complain as a coach, but now we are not young anymore. It's that third year – it's time to show up and do what we've been talking about."

A pair of junior standouts, Ben Clark and Weston Hutto, earned all-conference accolades for the second time in as many years last season as the duo collected Second-Team All-SAC honors. Another junior, Phillip Quillen, earned all-region honors last spring after winning the 3,000 meter steeplechase for the second year in a row at the SAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in a career-best time.

A pair of sophomores, Noah McLain and Thomas Sutcliffe, also posted notable track seasons, with McLain recording his best race of the year at conference after leading three Trojans in the men's 10,000 meter run by finishing 12th in a personal-best time. Sutcliffe notched a pair of notable performances in early April in the 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters at the Susan Rouse Invitational.

"Ben worked through some injuries last season and we are really excited to have him back [and healthy]," Eagle said. "[Hutto] also dealt with injuries and came back strong at the end of track season. [Phillip] Quillen has been a workhorse for us – he has won conference championships and has recorded big-time PR's each season. We are looking for him to keep growing and get to that next level. If we want to get to nationals, we need him, Weston, Ben and Ty to stay healthy. [Noah] McLain and [Thomas] Sutcliffe [also] had great seasons last year and it's time for them to take the next step, too. They are sophomores now and time to get to that next level."

Ty Gleason, a transfer from Findley, Ohio, finished 44th for the Oilers at last year's Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Championships and owns a career-best time of 25:13.9 in the 8k.

"Ty will have a huge impact right away," Eagle noted. "He has one year [of eligibility] left and he wants to get a team to nationals. His goal is to get a team to nationals."

"We have the depth," concluded Eagle. "We have the pieces, now we just have to do actually it. They have to trust the training, knowing that we don't have to be the fastest in September and October. We're looking to be fast in November. We have to be patient with our youth, but it's that third year. It's time to show up and do what we've been talking about."

Schedule
The Trojans are slated to open the season at the at the Converse Kickoff Classic (Sept. 6) which will be hosted on the Milliken Research Center course in Spartanburg, S.C. AU hosted last season's conference championships on the course and nearly every prep runner in the Palmetto State has run the course, so familiarity will be a plus.

A week later the Trojans will venture to the Sunshine State to run in the University of Florida's Mountain Dew Invitational for the first time in program history.

"Gainesville will be a large meet for us," noted Eagle. "There will be a lot of big-time D-I and out-of-region D-II teams, along with a lot of Florida schools. We're excited to go there. We'll see competition there that we won't see elsewhere."

Two weeks later, the Trojans' will compete in Charlotte for the 10th time in 11 seasons, as the Black and Gold will take part in the Queen City Invite at McAlpine Park.

"It's a super-fast course," added Eagle. "Weather permitting, that's the PR course. It's the career PR course for nearly every runner who runs there. It's nice to get on a fast flat course. And from what I've seen, it looks to be similar to this year's NCAA National Championship course. So this year we need to be a lot faster - not tougher as far as hills - but speed. A lot of our workouts will be geared more toward speed than strength." …

AU will close out the regular season by competing in the Georgia College Bobcat Invite for the first time.

"We wanted to take the team to a different course," Eagle said. "Seeing a different course and not going to same places each year makes it fun for both the runners and the coaching staff. It's over fall break and we won't be in any rush, so it should be fun."

The South Atlantic Conference Championships will be hosted by Wingate on October 26 at the Bulldogs' cross country facility.

"We want to do well," Eagle added. "Our goal on women's side is to win conference. Queens is the team to beat, but we have to start thinking bigger. The ultimate goal is to perform well at regionals to get to nationals, but if we can pick up a championship along the way, we'll take it. We want to get both the men's and women's teams to nationals."

Following the NCAA Southeast Regionals two weeks later at Wingate, the NCAA National Championships are slated for Sacramento, Calif.

"We'll go out the Tuesday or Wednesday before and get acclimated to the course. By the beginning of October we want to be starting to get the ball rolling. We'll use the Bobcat Invite as tune-up for the championships."

"This year we're putting an emphasis on leadership and pushing each other a little bit more, Eagle concluded. "The guys know what they have to do to get there [to nationals]. They've seen the teams that have made it and what those teams are doing. It's good to talk about getting to the next level, but we have to actually do it."