Jan. 9, 2009

FAIRFAX, Va. - Entering his fourth year at the helm of the George Mason men's cross country and track and field program, Head Coach Andrew Gerard has moved the Patriots toward a prominent future with strong recruiting that has provided the team with the depth that it takes to be a contender at the conference, regional and national levels.

"We have a number of top level guys, some very significant impact young guys and much better depth now," Gerard said. "The depth on our team is made up of impact performers; guys that can score at the conference meet and have a shot at making the regional meet. We have also brought in some national-level headliners across the board in a variety of events so I think this is the deepest and most talented team we've had since I've been here."

With 49 student-athletes on the roster, the Patriots have a team that will be strong in the team's traditional strengths of the sprints, hurdles and jumps, while also becoming highly competitive in the areas that Gerard has improved during his tenure, the middle distance and distance events. Mason will also branch out into the multi-events, pole vault and throws this season.

Sprints
Returning to lead the sprinters during his senior season is Mutsa Nyakabau, who qualified for the IC4A Championships during the 2007-08 indoor season in both the 400- and 500-meter dash events. Also returning to the team will be junior Justin Nelson, junior Marcus Wyche and sophomore Kevin Wilson. Nelson was a finalist at the CAA Championships in the 200-meter dash last year and just missed making the finals in the 100-meter race. Wyche, primarily a 200- and 400-meter runner, will attempt to run as well as he did two years ago as a freshman when he posted the team's top times in the 200-, 300- and 400-meter dash events during the indoor season. Wilson did not compete during the outdoor season as a freshman but posted fast times in the 400- and 500-meter dash during the indoor season, qualifying for the IC4A Championships in both events.

Joining the group of returners in the sprints will be a group of freshman highlighted by Charles Bailey, from Clarke County High School in Berryville, Va.; JaVell Bullard, from Bethel High School in Hampton, Va.; Bruce Ideozu, from Canton South High School in Canton, Ohio; and Rachaunn Ruffin, from Spring Valley High School in Columbia, S.C. Lewis Luseni and Justin Stith both join the team as community college transfers. Luseni, a native of Woodbridge, Va., transferred from Northern Virginia C.C., while Stith, a native of Crewe, Va., transferred from Barton County C.C.

Two of the freshmen are expected to bolster the Patriots in the sprints immediately. According to Gerard, Bullard was arguably the best 400-meter runner in the country last season. He enters Mason with serious credentials, having won the High School National title during both the indoor and outdoor seasons, as well as at the AAU National meet. Ruffin battled a hamstring injury as a high school senior but was one of the elite runners in the 100- and 200-meter dash in the country as a junior. Ideozu is expected to compete in the short sprints. Luseni and Stith will provide depth in the sprint events.

Middle Distance
In addition to the sprints, Gerard considers the middle distance events the team's deepest and most experienced group. The team returns all of its key performers from last season, including headliners Sam Horn and Michael Pachella, a pair of juniors. Horn qualified for the IC4A Championships in two events during the indoor season last year. The CAA Rookie of the Year in 2007, Pachella followed that up with an appearance at the NCAA East Regional Championships in the 800-meter run last season.

In addition to Horn and Pachella, the middle distance corps boasts a strong supporting cast, including juniors Matt Bailey, Anthony LaMastro and Chris Rice, and seniors John Crain, Todd McDaniel, and Ryan Murphy.

Bolstering the team in the middle distance events will be freshmen Chris Allen, from South Lakes High School in Reston, Va.; Parker Boudreau, from Danbury High School in Woodstock, Ga.; Tyler Golden, from Central Dauphon High School in Harrisburg, Pa.; Chris Kain, from Patrick Henry High School in Montpelier, Va.; Andrew McGreal, from Woodbridge Senior High School in Woodbridge, Va.; and Tom Troxell, from Cedar Crest High School in Lebanon, Pa.

Boudreau was among the best middle-distance runners in the country and a High School All-American in the 800 meters. Both Troxell and Golden bring excellent credentials to them from the state of Pennsylvania.

Distance
Since becoming head coach, Gerard has transformed the distance corps into a competitive unit. The group is expecting to take another step forward this season with juniors Robert Krause and Scott Tekesky leading the way. Krause and Tekesky have both earned conference recognition during the cross country season and should be primed for big years in indoor and outdoor track and field. Krause was an All-CAA performer during the 2007 Cross Country season, while Tekesky was the 2006 CAA Rookie of the Year Award winner while at James Madison.

Also competing in the distance events will be a trio of juniors - James Burns, James Snyder and Chris Palmer. All three of them performed at a high level during the cross country season with each posting times among the top performers on the team. Joining the group of returners will be Daniel Callan, Michael Duncanson and Ryan Miller.

A key newcomer in the distance events is Everett Hackett, from Hall High School in West Hartford, Conn. A versatile runner, Hackett was a standout during the cross country season, finishing with the team's second-fastest time at the CAA Championships. He ran two of the Patriots' top-three times during the cross country season.

Also joining the team this season are Jason Hartman, from Schuylkill Valley High School in Leesport, Pa.; Spencer Hawthorne, from Varina High School in Sandston, Va.; Robert Reynolds, from Lee-Davis High School in Mechanicsville, Va. and Jesse Saldana, from Heritage High School in Leesburg, Va.

Hurdles
Nyakabau will show his versatility by competing in the 400-meter hurdles as well as the sprints this year. He competed in the event during last year's outdoor season also, posting a time of 53.37 at the Raleigh Relays.

In the short hurdles, a pair of newcomers will compete for the Patriots. Greg Dunbar-Cooper, a transfer from the University of Akron who attended high school at local Paul VI in Fairfax, Va., and LaVell Handy, from Hampton High School in Hampton, Va., are both expected to make significant contributions. Handy was a state finalist for the Crabbers last year in the short hurdles during both the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Jumps
After earning the CAA Rookie of the Year Award last year, Dwight Webley returns for his sophomore season with high expectations. As a freshman, Webley qualified for the NCAA East Regional Championships in both the long jump and the triple jump. Webley won both the CAA and IC4A titles in the long jump. With a full year of experience under his belt, Gerard expects an even greater leap from Webley.

"After a full year of training, we are seeing huge improvements in his strength and ability to work out, which will help him tremendously," Gerard said. "He was able to do what he did last year off of the little amount of work we did with him. Everybody better watch out because he could be primed for a big year."

In addition to running the hurdles, Handy will also compete in the jumping events for the Patriots. Handy was a state finalist in high school in both the long jump and triple jump, as well as the short hurdles.

"LaVell can be a really significant impact guy for us," Gerard said. "I think he was the best combo jumps-hurdles guy in the state last year."

Rounding out the group in the jumping events are sophomore Mark Harris and senior Jon Nad. Nad is learning the jumps this year to add versatility.

Pole Vault
The addition of Kevin McGorty to the staff ushers in a new era of Patriot pole vaulting. After not having a single competitor in the event last season, Mason brought in freshman Lee Oxenford this year to make the Patriots a player in the event. Oxenford, a native of Chesapeake, Va. who attended Great Bridge High School, finished third in the state indoor meet in the pole vault as a senior. While Oxenford will focus primarily on the event, freshman Kevin Hegel and sophomore David Wellington will both compete in the event since it is part of the multi-event lineup.

Throws
George Mason has three student-athletes that will focus primarily on the throwing events. Junior Devraj Dasgupta joined the team last season and has been honing the craft since that time. With a year of throwing under his belt, Gerard hopes to see progress from Dasgupta. In addition to Dasgupta, a pair of freshman will be joining the team in Michael Foley and Brandon Holmberg. Foley, from Bayport-Blue Point High School in Blue Point, N.Y., is expected to specialize in the discus throw, while Holmberg, from Westfield High School in Centreville, Va., is expected to compete in both the shot put and hammer throw. Gerard said the javelin is a possibility for one of these three as well.

Multi-Events
Two Patriots will compete in the multi-events this season. Wellington, who competed for Mason as a freshman in 2006 but has been away from the University since that time while on a Mormon mission, returns to the team this season to show his versatility across a variety of events. Also competing in this area will be Kevin Hegel, who joins the team from McLean High School in Vienna, Va.

Relays
Gerard expects the team to be strong in all the relay events. In the 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays, the team goal is to advance to the NCAA East Regional Championships. The 4x800-meter relay team which performed so well last year will again be a competitor on a national stage. While the team didn't focus on the distance medley relay last season, Gerard thinks this year's team has the pieces in place to make the team a national qualifier.

Schedule
The George Mason men's track and field team begins the 2008 indoor track and field season on Saturday, Jan. 10 at the Field House when it hosts the Father Diamond Invitational. The Patriots will host three meets during the indoor season. Following the Father Diamond Invitational, Mason will also host the Patriot Games on Saturday, Jan. 31 and the Mason Last Chance meet on Sunday, March 1. The IC4A Indoor Track and Field Championships are slated for March 7-8 in Boston, Mass. The NCAA Championships are scheduled for March 13-14 in College Station, Texas.

The outdoor season begins on March 21 when the team travels to Charlottesville, Va. for the UVa Spring Swashbuckle. Mason will host one meet during the outdoor season, the Mason Outdoor Invitational on Saturday, May 2. The CAA Championships are scheduled for April 17-18 at Towson. The IC4A Championships will be held on Mary 15-17 in Princeton, N.J., while the outdoor season will culminate with the NCAA East Regional Championships on May 29-30 in Greensboro, N.C. and the NCAA Championships on June 10-13 in Fayetteville, Ark.