THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 28, 1995 TAG: 9509270158
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 21 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 114 lines
Peninsula Catholic, the defending cross country boys and girls champion in the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools, again is regarded as the favorite in both divisions.
But Norfolk Academy has both of the TCIS individual champions back and could push for both crowns.
The TCIS meet will be held on Oct. 27 at Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach.
In addition to regular meets, many of the private school teams will be tuning up with appearances in special invitationals.
On Saturday, Norfolk Academy, Catholic and Atlantic Shores will participate in the William and Mary Invitational at Williamburg.
Several teams will take part in the Spartan Invitational at Norfolk State in October. Norfolk Collegiate, Norfolk Christian, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, Cape Henry and Atlantic Shores will vie in the Peninsula Catholic Invitational at Deer Park on Saturday, Oct. 14.
Norfolk Academy's Biren Roy won the TCIS boys crown last year, running the Mount Trashmore course in 17:11. Academy's Carrie Evans claimed the girls title in 20:43.
Roy, a junior, is coming off an outstanding outdoor season in which he won all TCIS distance events and the 800 and 1600-meter runs in the Virginia Prep League.
``Roy is far ahead of last year,'' said Norfolk Academy coach Ken Lampert. He's one of seven lettermen. Others returning are Luke Lindhjem, Allen Lu, John Burkhardt, Sid Kellam, Ted Lampert and Micheal Butts. Stuart Rogers, a junior, is the best of the newcomers.
Evans, a standout in volleyball and soccer, also had her best pre-season in cross-country. She's a senior.
Seniors Virginia McLean and Katie Wilcox, junior Courtney Lupton and newcomer Julie Finley are the other mainstays on the girls team.
The Catholic Invitational provided an early look at several of the runners. Peninsula Catholic was seventh in the 25-team girls field. Norfolk Academy was 13th.
In the boys meet Peninsula Catholic placed eighth.
Carolyn McKendree, who was fourth in the TCIS meet last year and in the top 20 in the state, is the pacesetter for the Norfolk Collegiate girls. Top newcomers are Susan Beck and Kim Clark.
``I think our girls team can be a contender,'' said Collegiate coach Roger Arrington.
The boys team, also coached by Arrington, has several holdovers and a promising seventh-grader in McKendree's younger brother, John. The only seniors are Dave Craft and Justin Laskins.
Dave Repass and Graham Hoffman are among the other returnees.
Rob Kirkman, who coaches both the Catholic teams, says lowering times is the key goal for his squads. ``We're still a couple of years away from seriously challenging the middle ranks of the TCIS,'' said Kirkman.
The boys team has only one senior, Matthew Ing. Martin Thomas, a sophomore, is back and was the MVP on the last year's squad. Other holdovers are James Joy and Jonathan Ing, both juniors, and sophomore Nick Green.
Top newcomers are Cam Michanowicz, Bernard Canepa and John Coffey.
Kathy Olivar, last year's MVP, and sophomore Emily Ing lead the girls team. Andrea McKinney, a sophomore and junior Heather Mills, top the newcomers.
At Nansemond-Suffolk coach Trip Hobbs, in his first-year at the helm of the Saints' two cross-country squads, is working with a large group that includes no seniors among the boys. The returning runners are junior Kyle Snow, sophomore David Putnam and freshman Will Chapman.
Junior Lindsey Wood, senior Heather Rountree and freshmen Amanda Skillen and Brook Williams are the returning girl runners.
Agatha Lynch and Brook Nelson are promising additions on the girls team. Prospects among the boys include Wes Leggett, Kirk Blandford and Stephen Taylor.
``We're very young and inexperienced,'' said Hobbs. ``Our main goal is to be competitive and improve each meet.''
Tom Miesse coaches both Norfolk Christian teams. He views Peninsula Catholic as the team to beat in both divisions.
``We have a good core of experienced boy runners but we need some of the newcomers to provide some depth. Some of the newcomers must step up and do well on the girls team,'' said Miesse.
Brian McNabb, a senior, was all-conference last year and placed 10th in the TCIS meet. Other holdovers are senior Kyle McNiff, junior Brian Kish and junior David Watson.
Amber LeVesque, a junior, and sophomore Laura Santacruz lead the girls team. LeVesque was all-conference last year and was 12th in the TCIS meet.
Dickie Sherrill, who coaches both Greenbrier Christian teams, feels the boys squad is the school's best in its three-years of cross country competition.
Jason Deberry, a senior, junior Carl Bodin and sophomore Randy Hink are the mainstays. Deberry was last year's MVP.
Dan Synder, a senior transfer from Atlantic Shores, will bolster the boys team.
Tina West, a freshman who was the MVP a year ago, and Jenna Houck, another freshman, are the holdovers on the girls squad. Stacy MacWilliams, the top middle distance runner on the outdoor track team, is among the newcomers.
Cape Henry coach David O'Donnell has mostly novice runners and is ``looking for a good year of solid foundation, building in the hopes of a strong contending season next year.''
Peter Allen, a junior, sophomores Derrick Hunt and Darshaun Lishey and eighth-grader Brian Fry are the mainstays on the boys team. Ned Miles, a junior, is a good prospect among newcomers.
Sommer Moore, an eighth-grader, is the most promising of the girl runners.
At Atlantic Shores Christian, coach Randy Nieter has six returning runners and several promising additions. Junior Mike Beckner is the pacesetter.
Junior Brent Nieter is another holdover. Chad Ward and Matt Richards are among the newcomers.
Nieter has returning freshman Charity Sullivan and Robin Heather, a freshman who is new to the program.
This year the Private School State Meet will be at Woodberry Forest on Friday, Nov. 3. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
David Putnam is running with the N-SA team again this year.
by CNB