Seniors running into the fut ure

Celena Blasucci

Chris Nielsen

These two cross country runners wanted to be interviewed together. Chris Nielson pictfiled above, and Ricky Romyn pictured below right.

It is time for the cross-country seniors to take their last run around campus. They have endured long practices, completed crazy courses and long weekends of away meets. However, not only have they strived for physical excellence in the last four years, but have also made strong friendships that they hope will last forever.

"I think I will miss the team atmosphere the most. In my four years on this team I have made a lot of friends," said senior Ricky Romyn.

Chris Nielsen said, " I will miss all the times we ran with Gwynedd- Mercy College, especially the cofilses made up by head coach of Gwynedd- Mercy James Williams."

"I think the funniest story is when Jason Bull shaved his head the night before the PAC championship. We all told him to do it, but when he was actually done there were a lot of horrified looks on people's faces when they saw him. We laugh now because the rest of the team did not do it," Romyn said.

"I have learned to never count Cabrini out. We pulled through various injuries to win Ofilfourth PAC victory. It only proves that if you train hard enough you can pull through in the end," Nielsen said.

"I would like to thank Coach Tom O'Hora for his guidance and my teammates for their support throughout the season," Romyn said.

"I think that cross country really turns you into a stronger person and gives you a high tolerance for pain," added Nielsen.

,... The cross-country ran approximately 2535 miles a week.

" You really have to take into consideration that we do this as a hobby;' Nielsen concluded.

Jason Bull's cross-country career started in seventh grade when he was cut from his grade school baseball team. Wanting to be apart of a team he decide to join cross-country. He wasn't real good but he had fun and tried his best.

When Bull choose Cabrini College it was not because of their cross-country team. What Bull was going to realize was that he would soon be the one to lead the cavaliers to four straight wins in the PAC championships. Ever since he was a freshman he had the winning attitude, always saying things like

"Anyone who wants it bad enough can have it if they try hard" Bull has definitely shown that he wanted it bad enough. His junior year he was the ONLY men's runner on the track team. Bull finishes his season in cross-country as best he could even though he had numerous injuries. He put him self through roughly eighty-eight meets of combined seasons of cross-country, indoor and outdoor track.

This does not include the everyday/two a day practice schedule he had to endure. Bull thanks his teammates and his coaches for their support for fofil years. There is still indoor and outdoor track left this year so he is not finished yet. Bull wants to leave T.J. a freshman member of the team with a little advice ''T.J. You're the man". Jason Bull plans on running for Brynn Mawr running company and having a job in the field of communication.

Lafilen Dean, an early childhood and elementary education major, has competed in a short yet successful cross-country career. Dean ran for three years in high school. However, injuries kept her off the track her freshman year at Cabrini.

People on the team convinced Dean to go out for the team her sophomore year and she is very happy that they did that. "I love everything about cross-country," Dean said.

"You can be running up a mountain one day and then running across a creek another day," Dean said about why she loves the sport. "Plus, some of my best friends are on the team."

Cross-country will not be the only thing Dean misses when she leaves. "I call Cabrini my home," Dean said. "I'll miss the dear."

Although she will no longer run on the collegiate level, Dean plans to continue running in road races and in marathons.

Celena Blasucci, a special education and elementary education major, has competed on the women's cross-country team for the past four years. She started running in high school where she competed both her freshman and sophomore year. She did teaching experience in high school for a lady who was the coache's daughter for Cabrini's team. "She found me," Blasucci said with a smile.

Blasucci fondly remembers the crosscountry season her sophomore year. "We won that year," Blasucci said. "It was really cool how everyone just pulled together in the end."

She enjoyed interacting with the team. "When you have really nice teammates, it keeps you focused," Blasucci said. Blasucci plans to continue her running career by running on her own and possible participating in road races. Her reasoning is simple. Blasucci said, "Running is a good stress relief."

Mike Reprice progressed a great deal since the time he started cross-country his sophomore year at Cabrini College. Starting out as a thirty-three minute five mile runner which by the end of that year he had that time down to thirty minutes forty-six seconds. Determi- nation, courage, and persistence is the kind of athlete Reprice is in crosscountry. During his junior year he ran some of his best times as a cross-country runner. At the Pennsylvania athletic conference (PAC) championship Mike ran a personal best time of twenty-nine minutes forty-seven seconds to win his second straight championship title with Cabrini college cross-country team. His senior year was a challenge; plagued with injury he still finished his college cross-country career with a time of thirty minutes and twenty seven seconds, which gave him his third PAC title with the team. He thanks his teammates for their support when he was injured, telling him not to give up. Also he thanks his coaches, Tom O'Hora and Mostafa Nechchadi for their wisdom and guidance for the past three years. Mike plans to stay in shape as a runner when he graduates and someday he would like to run a marathon.