By Roscoe Nance
It was a magical season for Maryland Eastern Shore last year as it won the MEAC men’s and women’s cross country championships.
It was the first time that a school swept both conference titles since Coppin State won the third of its three consecutive crowns in 1993.
Ironically, Maryland Eastern Shore coach Ernest Barrett was an assistant coach with
Coppin State’s 1993 squads, and he has his sights set on Maryland Eastern Shore “striking gold’’, as he calls it, again.
“That’s a goal anyone who has one coach running both (men’s and women’s teams) should shoot for,’’ Barrett says. “Doing it twice would be wonderful. Three years in a row is not impossible because Coppin State did it. But that would be difficult.’’
Barrett isn’t anticipating have an easy time making it back-to-back double titles for Maryland Eastern Shore. The Hawks will have to fend off perennial power Norfolk State, the runner-up last season after winning seven consecutive championships, on the men’s side.
The competition figures to be even stiffer on the women’s side, which hasn’t a repeat champion since Howard won back-to-back crowns in 2002-03.
Barrett is optimistic about Maryland Eastern Shore’s chances of repeating. On the men’s side, he has solid returnees in Kenyans Peter Sang, Solomon Kirongo and Amon Kiprotich and Nathaniel Taylor ? who all finished in the top five at the MEAC Championships ? and Jerome Pyuzza. Shadrock Maritin, also from Kenya, is a highly regarded freshman who Barrett expects will contribute.
The women return all five of their top finishers at the MEAC Championships, led by senior Merrecia James, the 2007 MEAC Outstanding Performer. Freshman Chynthia Anais of France and redshirt freshman Eunice James have run well thus far.
Barrett says the most difficult hurdles for the men en route to repeating are fitness and focus. He said some team members “weren’t in great shape after the summer.’’ That has led Barrett to extend the team’s two-a-day training sessions.
“We’re a month behind,’’ Barrett says. “Our backs are against the wall. You build your team in July. That’s when you get the kinks out of your system. When they come back out of shape, it’s a challenge to get them going.’’
Once the kinks are out, Barrett has to ensure that the Hawks don’t rest on their laurels of a year ago.
“Motivating them from day to day, making them understand they can win again is going to be a key,’’ he says. “It’s hard to stay on top. Everybody comes to get you when you’re on top.’’
Barrett says staying free of injuries and fitness are the biggest concerns for the women’s team. The injury bug has already bitten the Lady Hawks. Junior Tamica Thomas has a sprained ankle and will be sidelined for about two weeks.
“I am optimistic things will come together,’’ Barrett says. “We have the athletes here on women’s side. To keep them hungry is a challenge.’’
Parity among the women’s teams will make the task of successfully defending their championship doubly difficult. Barrett considers Hampton, Howard and Florida A&M as serious threats, and he says “several other teams are knocking on the door’’ with Morgan State and Norfolk State among them.
“I love to see that type of competitiveness in the conference,’’ Barrett says. “You never know who’s going to step up and dominate. If one team dominates, it becomes boring.’’
Barrett attributes the competitiveness on the women’s side to there being more scholarship money available because of Title IX. The NCAA allows 18 track and field scholarships for women’s programs compared to 12.5 for men.
“If one team dominates a certain event, a coach will spend money to strengthen his team in that event,’’ Barrett says. “Men are limited.’’
Maryland Eastern Shore started the season inauspiciously. School officials canceled the Sept. 5 Lid-Lifter Invitational because of the threat of high winds and torrential rain from Hurricanes Hanna and Ike. In their first meet of season, the men finished 12th in the 14-team field at the Salty Dog Invitational hosted by the Naval Academy and the women finished 15th in a field of 16.
Still, Barrett is confident of striking gold when Maryland Eastern Shore hosts the MEAC Cross Country Championships on Oct. 25.
“I am optimistic things will come together,’’ Barrett says.