Sept. 10, 2004

The 2004 Maryland men's cross country team, fresh off its best ACC Championships finish (seventh) in 12 years, will look to continue the program's process of improvement. Nine of last year's 11 team members return, including six seniors and the reigning ACC Freshman of the Year, Peter Hess.

The team will be led by first-year Maryland cross country coach, Michael Garrison. Garrison comes to College Park after coaching at the University of Arkansas from 1998 through 2003 and at his alma mater ('95), UC-Davis. Garrison likes the look of the 2004 Terps, saying, "This team is really, really bright, and they are fantastic to be around. I feel blessed to have them as my first men's team here at Maryland. They're all just looking to improve, and I think we're going to surprise some people this year."

Garrison will look upon several of his six seniors to lead the experienced squad, with seasoned veterans Natty Zola and Adam Ambrus being prime candidates to fill that role. Zola raced in seven of eight races for the Terps a year ago and was the top Terp finisher in the team's first race of 2004. The senior finished fifth overall last weekend, leading a Maryland squad which saw all its runners finish among the race's top 25.

"Natty, to me, is the team leader," Garrison said. "He's the guy I really look to as the heartbeat of this team. He's a senior that's getting ready to move on, and he's a guy with a veteran's mentality. The best may be yet to come for him."

Ambrus raced in six races in 2003 and finished among the team's top two in all six. He was the top Terp finisher in four of those, including the NCAA Pre-Nationals, where he set his season-best 8k time (24:43), the NCAA Regional and the IC4A/ECAC Championships. Ambrus garnered All-East honors for his efforts - the lone Terp to do so.

"Adam is certainly one of those guys that I look toward to help lead this team," Garrison said. "I think he's definitely getting on track. He's rejuvenated and excited about running and leading this team."

Four other seniors will look to contribute in 2004, with Matthew Adami and Michael Fleg coming back after solid 2003 campaigns. Adami raced in five events, setting a season-best time (26:17.6) at the team's lone home race - the Maryland Invitational.

Coach Michael Garrison is looking for an even better 2004 season from Adami, saying, "I think Matt's really recommitted himself to doing a great job this year. I think that as his level of focus increases, his level of success will definitely increase."

Fleg was among the top five Terp finishers in five of the six races he competed in a year ago, including a third place team finish at the NCAA Pre-Nationals when he set a season-best with his time of 25:48. He closed out the season with another top three team finish, running a 26:46 at the IC4A/ECAC Championships on November 22nd.

Coach Garrison thinks Fleg's experience running middle distances will come in handy. He said of Fleg, "Mike has good foot speed, and is a good 800 and 1500 meter runner. He's definitely close to being a very good cross country runner. He really is. His commitment level is very good, and he is close to realizing that some of the best cross country runners in the United States are middle distance runners."

Florent Groberg raced in five races a year ago, posting consistent times in the 8k events of 26:28.9 (6th place - Mount St. Mary's Invitational), 26:25.8 (Paul Short Invitational), 26:26 (NCAA Pre-Nationals) and 26:38.2 (ACC Championships). Groberg is another key to the Terps' success this season, with his health, according to Coach Garrison, being a top priority.

"Florent's primary job is going to be to stay healthy. He's had a lot of injuries in the past, but he's definitely one of those guys with immense talent and is someone that this team needs to have healthy in order to run well."

Two other seniors return to the team after not running in 2003. Eric Marenburg and Dan Ryan each ran for the 2002 team and return to race in 2004. Marenburg spent his year away from the program training hard and committing to make the team this season. He trained with a local track club and saw the results when he was chosen by the coaching staff to run in '04.

"Eric's story is my kind of story," said Garrison. "He didn't make the team last year and spent a year training his tail off to make this team. He's a senior now, and he's made it. He's fantastic, and I admire people who can get things done on their own. He said, `I'm going to make this team', and he has."

Ryan was a member of the Terps' track and field squad in 2003, and now returns to run cross country after a one-year layoff.

Leading the group of talented underclassmen is the 2003 ACC Freshman of the Year and an All-ACC honoree, Peter Hess. Hess earned those awards after a stellar campaign that was capped off by a sixth place finish at the ACC Championships in Winston Salem, N.C. At the ACCs, Hess ran a season-best 24:35.1, a shade faster than his 24:45.6 at the Maryland Invitational.

"Obviously, being the ACC Freshman of the Year last year, Peter is a very exciting young man to be around," Garrison said. "He has a very, very bright future in this sport. His innate ability to go to the well and pull out something special during workouts is exciting, and I can't wait to watch him race this season."

Also back for 2004 are Matt Sanders and sophomores Pat Bailey and Michael Porter. Sanders showed flashes of his talent in 2003 when he raced in four races for the Terps. He posted his season-best time of 26:05.4 on October 11 at the team's home meet, the Maryland Invitational.

"I think that Matt has the attitude and intelligence it takes to run at a very high level, he can be his own worst critic. As we continue to make positive strides each week, I foresee Matt to be one of our top runners during championship season."

Sophomores Bailey and Porter each proved to be important pieces of the Terps puzzle a year ago, with Bailey running in four races and Porter in seven. Bailey set his season-best time of 26:55.1 at the Maryland Invitational - one event after posting back-to-back top 20 finishes to start the year. With one season under his belt, Coach Michael Garrison thinks the best may be yet to come for Bailey.

"Pat has found the form he had a few years ago when he won the Maryland [High School] State Championships. He's had a real good summer. He's staying healthy, and he's ready to go."

Porter was among the top three Terp finishes in four of the races he ran, including his top team finish and third overall finish at the Mount St. Mary's Invitational. One race later, Porter posted his best time of the season when he finished the Paul Short Invitational in 25:54.0, earning him a 83rd place finish in the race's talented field.

"Michael is a good middle distance runner, and he's working on learning how to run big time cross country. He definitely has the talent, and he's one of those quiet leaders that the guys sort of look at to get a pulse on the team."

The team has two home meets on the schedule this season - both the ACC Pre-Meet (September 25th) and the ACC Championships (October 30th) - and will look to show its home fans just how far the program has come under Head Track Coach Andrew Valmon and new Cross Country Coach Michael Garrison. Coach Garrison looks forward to each step of the way and is aiming at a good showing at those ACC Championships and beyond.

"The key for us this year is to stay healthy, train hard and train smart. Our primary focus is the ACC Championships and the NCAA Regional Championships. We'll look to take positive steps every time we get out on the course, but there's definitely a plan for every day, both in training and in racing."