University of Richmond Athletics
Cross Country/Track & Field Welcomes 24 Incoming Freshmen
07/30/2010 | Cross Country
July 30, 2010
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND - The University of Richmond cross country and track & field teams are set to welcome another strong recruiting class to campus when 17 women and seven men report in August. The Spiders' director of cross country/track & field Lori Taylor and head men's coach Steve Taylor made the announcement Friday.
• 2010 Cross Country Roster
• 2010-11 Track & Field Roster
Highlighting the list of 17 women is Jill Prentice, ranked as one of the premier distance runners in both the state of New Jersey and the Eastern U.S. during this past outdoor season, and Molly Reilly, who was the Rhode Island Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year in 2010.
The list of seven men is punctuated by Ryan Lee - the all-time state of Delaware record-holder in the 3,200mand Adam Owens - the owner of multiple Virginia state titles.
These 24 student-athletes join the Spiders' program, which is recognized among the top collegiate running programs in the East. Richmond has sent multiple athletes to NCAA postseason competition, with 2010 marking the Spiders' eighth-consecutive season with representation at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Regional Championship. Matt Llano, who returns for his redshirt senior in 2010-11, earned All-America status with his ninth-place finish in the 10,000m in the 2010 NCAA National Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
"Our staff did a great job recruiting, said Lori Taylor. "These men and women will help us fill the void we have in a few areas. We are excited about the level of our incoming distance and middle distance runners along with our track & field recruits. Many of these athletes will have an immediate impact for our team. I also believe there are a couple that will step in and have an immediate impact within the Atlantic 10 Conference and the NCAA Region. That is our expectation for our recruited athletes. We want them to be ambitious, competitive and filled with the desire to do what is required at this level to become the best. We have upperclassmen that will lead the way, but we do not want our freshmen to follow for long. We want leaders and this group has a lot of the potential our program expects so we can achieve our goals."
Also among the incoming female standouts are Roxanne Henningson, Alli Mannon and Grace Gibson.
"As a staff we are happy with the 17 women and 7 men that will join us this fall," said Steve Taylor. "We are pleased with the growing interest from top student-athletes in our program and the continued desire to earn the quality education the University of Richmond offers. Each year, as our athletes improve and earn greater and greater achievements, we notice more of the top athletes within the country taking a closer look at what we have to offer. There is no question that the new Robins Stadium at the Fred Hardy Track shows recruits how committed we are at becoming the best. Our track & field facility is now one of the premier venues in the nation. We've never met a recruit that has visited our campus and not fallen in love with it. Our new stadium puts an exclamation point to the direction we are headed."
The Richmond program calls the $25-million E. Claiborne Robins Stadium home in 2010. The state-of-the-art facility, which will rank among the top track & field venues on the East Coast, is located in the heart of the Spiders' campus and features seating for 8,700, a massive video scoreboard and luxury suites. The stadium also serves as the home for Richmond football and lacrosse.
Our new Robins Stadium is already having a positive impact as we begin to turn our attention to next year's recruiting class. We have an amazing facility with a huge video board, brand new long/triple jump runways and locker rooms within the stadium. Anyone that has been in the stadium has been very impressed. In my opinion it's the best track & field venue in the East."
The cross country team opens the 2010 season Saturday, Sept. 4 by hosting the Spider Alumni Open.