Season Review
2007 REVIEW
The 2007 Buffalo State cross country teams, under the guidance of second-year head coach Eugene Lewis, marked the emergence of some young talent that has the potential to propel the Bengals to many future successes.
In addition to hosting the annual Daniel Walker Invitational, the Bengals also made trips to Oswego, Brockport, Geneseo and Rochester, in addition to traveling to Orlando to compete at the Disney Wide World of Sports Invitational where they faced top opposition from all three NCAA divisions. At the SUNYAC Championship in Potsdam, the men’s team finished eighth of 11 teams for the third-straight year, while the women placed ninth of 10 teams. Both squads finished incomplete at the NYSCTC and NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional meets, fielding just two men and two women in the lineup.
Junior-transfer Bryan Buchanan (Cicero/CNS) and classmate Kyle Fenner (N. Syracuse/Cicero-N. Syracuse) battled for the top spot much of the season. Buchanan was the top Bengal finisher in four of the team’s nine meets, including finishing eighth at the Oswego Invitational and 24th at the SUNYAC meet. Fenner followed up a successful sophomore campaign in 2006 with a strong junior year, leading the Bengals in five meets, including finishing 55th of 144 runners at the state meet. Other consistent performers for the men included sophomores Ben Adams (Syracuse/Paul V. Moore), Nate Culver (Chemung/Waverly) and Ray Mock (Miller Place/Miller Place).
Junior Margaret Hughes (Elmira/Elmira Free Academy) was the top female harrier throughout the entire season, posting a season-best fifth-place finish at the Brockport Challenge, as well as finishing 52nd at the NCAA Regional meet. Sophomore Jen Bernard (Hyde Park/FD Roosevelt) also had a strong season for Buffalo State and should make a push for the top spot next season. Freshmen Kristy Warner (Farmersville/Franklinville), Amber Cioffi (Esperance/Duanesburg) and Eugenia Episcopo (Marietta/Onondaga) scored in several meets this season, demonstrating their abilities to be consistent contributors in the future.
With his first full recruiting class under his belt, Coach Lewis has identified Central New York as a hotbed for distance runners and will look to continue to cultivate relationships in that region. With only three juniors on this year’s team, he has the potential to return all runners next season and bring into the fold another group of newcomers that will help further the goal of reestablishing Buffalo State in the cross country ranks.
