Sept. 7, 2006
Hardworking Men's Squad Looking to Surprise Teams This Season
    When a team enters a season after losing three valuable seniors and 60 percent of its scorers at the league championship, it is expected to go through some growing pains. But for the Youngstown State men’s cross country program, “rebuilding year” isn’t in its vocabulary.

    The Penguins have a proud tradition of finishing among the top three teams in the conference in 12 of the past 14 seasons, and lone senior Nick Kruse and four other returnees will be out to defend that tradition in the 2006 campaign.

    “I think we’ll surprise some people toward the end of the season,” head coach Brian Gorby said. “This group is one of the hardest working teams we’ve had in a few years, and they’ve done some great work over the summer. As a result we’re going to see some great improvements.”

    Kruse, a fifth-year senior from Napoleon, Ohio, has put in a great summer and brings plenty of experience and talent to the table. He was YSU’s top finisher in three meets last season and posted a team-best 17th-place time at the Horizon League Championships.

    “Nick’s consistency has improved tremendously,” Gorby said. “He’s had some great performances over the last few years, and now he needs to keep that up week in and week out. His fitness level is at a very high level right now, and he’s built a lot of confidence over the last year.”

    Juniors R.D. Goodright and J.D. Sheppard are middle distance specialists who have been valuable contributors to the cross country squad. Goodright scored in four meets last season and earned three top-five finishes in the conference during the track season. Sheppard worked his way back from injury during the cross country season to earn two top-five conference finishes in track. Sophomore middle distance runner Harold Jones also returns to give the squad a nice blend of distance and middle-distance competitors.

    “Having a tight gap between our top seven guys will be a key to our success, and having a well-balanced team will help achieve that.”

    The underclassmen are also battletested as sophomore Dan Nemergut is a former state champion and two incoming freshmen were part of state championship teams in high school.

    Nemergut, a Youngstown native and South Range High graduate, stepped up to finish 34th and score at the league meet in his first collegiate season. Fellow sophomore Harold Jones was a solid middle distance runner during the track season, finishing sixth in the 800-meters and running in the distance medley relay.

    Van Wert High graduate Justin Dickman headlines the incoming class as a 16th-place finisher at the Division II state meet last season. Kyle Doneyko – the son of YSU trainer John Doneyko - was the fifth scorer on Maplewood’s 2005 state championship team, and Isaac Newton was a member of Salem’s state title team. Other recruits include Mooney High graduate Sean Finnerty and Somalia native Basheer Mohammed.