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Cross Country (M/W)

Maroon and Cream Headed to NCAA Regional

Cross country is a unique sport – both individual and team at the high school and intercollegiate levels. At Alma College, Dan Gibson is the coach for both the men’s and women’s programs with assistance coming from Matt Chovanec who serves as the head coach of the men’s track and field program in the spring with Gibson in charge of the women’s track and field program.

With both cross country teams under the direction of one coach, they train together throughout the season as the men and women continually support each other through practices and onto the course in competition.

The support will be an asset as the teams head to the NCAA Regional Championship this weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio. With pride on the line, the Scots will compete against 40 teams from the Great Lakes region. The women enter the race after a sixth-place finish in the MIAA Championship on Oct. 29 but are bolstered by a first-place finish in the Alma Invitational in mid-October, a first in many seasons.

Throughout the year, the Scots have been led by senior captain Kim Sinclair (Cheboygan) with additional help from junior Emily Sias (Mt. Pleasant/Sacred Heart) who earned second team All-MIAA honors at the end of the MIAA season.

Last season, the women finished 23rd in the regional with Andrea Miller leading the pack with her finish in 23:23.4. Sias ended that race with a time of 26:38.5 and Sinclair crossed the finish line in 25:56.8.

For the men, they also enter the regional after a sixth-place finish at the MIAA Championships and a first-place finish at the Alma Invite. Senior Joe Whitman (Davison) has led the Maroon and Cream all season long, en route to earning second team All-MIAA honors.

In 2004, the men’s team finished 22nd in the Great Lakes regional led by Whitman’s top-50 finish with a time of 26:00.5.

Last season, the Scots hosted the Great Lakes regional but will travel this year to Mason, Ohio, where Wilmington College hosts the regional race at Voice of America Park.

With the team training throughout the week, running an average of 50 miles per week – from a mile run to a 10-mile jog or mile repeats, they have trained for this weekend and expect a solid finish in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.

Posted: Thu, November 10th, 2005 at 4:10PM

 

Alma College students report levels of educational experiences and faculty interaction that exceed the national norms by significant amounts, according to the findings of the 2007 National Survey of Student Engagement. In the 2006 study, Alma students reported a level of interaction with faculty that ranked among the top five percent in the nation.

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Coach Profile

Gordon Aldrich

Gordon Aldrich was a late addition to the Alma College Coaching Staff in the summer of 2007. Coach Aldrich has joined the Alma College Family as the Cross Country and Track and Field Head Coach.

During his 26 years as a varsity Boy’s and Girl’s Cross Country Coach, Aldrich has won a Girls Open State Championship (1978), a Girls State Championship (1995), two Boy’s State Championships (1994, 1997), and was Runner-up on seven other occasions. During the same time, Aldrich coached teams to 17 conference championships, was nominated for the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association Coach of the Year 12 times for cross country, and walked away with the award four times (1994, 1995, 1996, and 1998). He was also named the Boy’s Cross Country National Coach of the Year in 1999 by the National Federation Interscholastic Coaches Association.

Aldrich was also honored with Michigan High School Coaches Association Track Coach of the Year in 1985 and 1998, and has received the Charles Sweeney Michigan Coaches Hall of Fame Track and Field Award.

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