Wake Forest Welcomes 14 New Runners
8/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Aug. 16, 2009
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's cross country team continues to prepare for the 2009 season with 14 new student-athletes on the roster.
The first official practice for the men's team is on Monday, Aug. 24, and the incoming freshmen will arrive this Thursday. Head coach Annie Bennett is enthused about the additions to the men's team, as well as the team's summer training.
"What excites me the most about this class is that they understand the history of the Wake Forest's men's cross country program, and they want to get the team back up to the level it has been in the past," Bennett said.
"The freshmen will have a big impact on the team this season, and the summer training for the team has been excellent," she added.
The Deacons will open up the season with the Wake Forest Relays on Friday, Sept. 4, at 7 p.m.
Men's Cross Country Incoming Student-Athletes
Garret Drogosch
Westlake High School
Westlake Village, California
Background: Named All-Marmonte League and All-Ventura County in cross country during senior, junior and sophomore seasons ... Eight-time letterwinner: three in cross country, four in track and field and one in swimming ... Champion of Woodbridge Invitational ... Named to All-CIF Southern Section Cross Country list as senior ... Cross country MVP and track and field MVP as junior and senior ... Broke school's cross country record with a time of 15:13 ... Runner-up in the 3,200-meter event at the Marmonte League Championships ... Team finished sixth in state meet and third in the CIF Southern meet ... Broke 3,200m record with a time of 9:23.81 ... Coach was Joe Snyder ... Former teammate Corey Primm runs for UCLA ... Freshman of the Year in swimming ... Track and field and cross country recipient of the Scholar-Athlete Award from 2006-08 ... Honor roll student ... Born June 2, 1991, in Ann Arbor, Mich. ... Son of Paul Drogosch and Cheryl Drogosch ... Full name is Garret Joesph Drogosch.
Will Ficklen
Spalding High School
Griffin, Ga.
Background: Team Georgia cross country member in 2009 ... Eleven-time varsity letterwinner, including four letters in cross country ... 2009 state champion in 1600-meter run ... 2009 Wendy's Heisman State winner ... Won 2007 National Long-Course Triathlon ... Coach was Delores Owens ... Beta Club President and member of National Honors Society ... Born Nov. 3, 1990, in Atlanta, Ga. ... Son of Judd and Gina Ficklen ... Full name is William Juddson Ficklen.
Tom Finneran
Thayer Academy
Braintree, Mass.
Background: Three-time all-New England selection and two-time all-league honoree in cross country ... Independent School League (ISL) MVP ... Captain of cross country squad for two years ... Named to all-scholastic list by the Boston Globe and Patriot Ledger ... In track, two-time all-league and all-New England selection, as well as two-time captain ... ISL champion in the 800-meter run and New England champion in the 3,000m ... Broke school record as part of 4x400m team ... Earned 10 varsity letters, including eight in cross country and track with two in basketball ... Coach was Joe Pelletier ... Honor roll student ... Born July 20, 1991, in Boston ... Son of Tom and Lisa Finneran ... Full name is Thomas Finneran.
Sam Foster
St. John Central High School
Bellaire, Ohio
Background: Two-time conference champion and four-time all-conference selection ... District champion and regional runner-up ... In 2008, finished third at state championship, with team capturing the state title ... Placed eighth overall at the MidEast Meet of Champions and second on Team Ohio ... Eight-time letterwinner in cross country and track ... Team finished as conference and district champions all four seasons ... Team also placed fourth, seventh and 11th at state ... Coach was Jeremy Midei ... National Honors Society member ... Born Dec. 19, 1990, in Columbus, Ohio ... Son of Joseph and Lisa Foster ... Full name is Samuel Jacob Foster.
Jake Graham
Crescent School
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background: Broke six school records, including the 1,500-meter, 3,000m and 5,000m times ... In 2009, won gold medals in the 1,500m, 3,000m and 2,000m steeplechase at the Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario Athletic Association (CISAA) meet ... Four-time cross country MVP and two-time track and field MVP ... Member of Canadian National Cross Country team ... Captured title in 2,000m steeplechase event at Metro Regional meet in 2009 ... Took silver in the 3,000m ... Finished eighth in the 2009 NSIC 5,000m ... Placed 10th in 2,000m steeplechase at the 2009 Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) Track and Field Championships ... Member of Toronto Olympic Club's Junior Men's Team that won gold in 2007 and silver in 2008 ... Gold medalist at the CISAA cross country meet in 2008 and 2006 ... Team won CISAA in 2008, 2006 and 2005 ... Also earned silver medals in 2007 and 2005 at CISAA ... Two-time letterwinner in cross country and track ... Coach was Paul Craig ... Honor roll student ... Born Oct. 3, 1991, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada ... Son of Stephen and Gillian Graham.
Howard Graves
Auburn High School
Auburn, Ala.
Background: Three-time all-state selection from 2006 to 2008 ... Named all-state in track and field as junior and senior ... Coached by Daniel Norton and Chris George ... Teammate Patrick Gomez runs at the University of Oklahoma ... International Baccalaureate candidate ... Treasurer of National French Honor Society ... Born Jan. 11, 1991, in Auburn, Ala. ... Son of Edie Graves ... Full name is James Allen Howard Graves.
Nate Guthals
Littleton High School
Littleton, Colo.
Background: State champion as a senior in the open 800-meter run ... Finished first as part of 4x800m relay team that won state as a junior ... Placed second and third in the 4x800m relay during sophomore and senior seasons, respectively ... Team placed first at state meet during senior campaign and third overall as a junior ... Earned 10 letters, with four in track, four in soccer and two in basketball ... Coach was Brian Kula ... Former teammate Kyle MacIntosh runs at the University of Colorado at Boulder ... Honor roll student ... Named Math Student of the Month, as well as Science Student of the Month multiple times, while attending Littleton High School ... Born March 15, 1991, in Denver, Colo. ... Son of Bruce and Laura Guthals ... Full name is Nathaniel Guthals.
Devin Huizenga
Bismarck High School
Bismarck, N.D.
Background: All-region selection four times and three-time all-state honoree in cross country ... Named honorable mention by DyeStat ... Placed second at state meet as a senior and finished in the top 10 as a sophomore and junior ... 2008 Gatorade State Finalist ... Senior Athlete of the Year Finalist ... Finished fourth at the Roy Griak Invitational ... Team finished season as state champions during all four seasons ... Placed 28th overall at the Nike Nationals in Portland, Ore., in 2008, helping propel nationally-ranked cross country team to a 14th-place finish ... Freshman of the Year ... In track and field, placed nine times at state meet ... Track and field squad also finished as state champions all four years ... Won 3,200-meter run and 4x800m relay at the Howard Wood Relays in 2009 ... Broke school records in 1,600m and 3,200m ... Sports Honor Roll recipient ... North Dakota High School Association Team Scholar ... Selected to receive the Higher Intellect Award at the 2008 Harold Schafer Leadership Emerging Leaders Academy ... Coached by Darrel Anderson and Dave Zittleman ... Born March 21, 1991, in Minot, N.D. ... Son of Lee and Jane Huizenga.
Austin Jones
Reagan High School
Pfafftown, N.C.
Background: Piedmont Triad Runner of the Year for cross country in 2008 ... All-state selection in cross country as junior and senior ... Named all-region in 2007 and 2008 ... All-conference selection from 2006 to 2008 ... Eleven-time varsity letterwinner for cross country and track ... In indoor track, all-state in 2009 for the 1,000-meter run and in 2008 for the 1,600m ... Two-time all-state honoree in the 4x800m relay during 2008 and 2009 outdoor track seasons ... All-region in outdoor track from 2008 to 2009 and all-conference three times from 2007-09 ... Coach was Chris Catton ... Former high school teammate Adam Lavis also runs for Wake Forest ... National Honors Society member ... Honor roll student ... Born Jan. 17, 1991, in Birmingham, Ala. ... Son of Larry and Lisa Jones ... Full name is Austin Dale Jones.
Adam Lavis
Reagan High School
Pfafftown, N.C.
Background: Ten-time letterwinner in cross country and track ... Recipient of the Raider Award ... Named to all-state, all-region and all-conference teams ... Coach was Chris Catton ... Former high school teammate Austin Jones also runs for Wake Forest ... Member of National Honors Society ... Crosby Scholar ... Teacher's Choice Award ... Junior Marshall ... Student of the Month selection ... Born April 30, 1991, in Winston-Salem, N.C. ... Son of Carol and Jim Lavis ... Full name is Adam James Lavis.
Stephen Lynch
Hopkinton High School
Hopkinton, Mass.
Background: League All-Star selection ... Team MVP ... Captain of cross country and indoor track teams senior year ... All-league honoree in indoor track ... League two-mile and mile champion in 2009 ... Seven-time letterwinner in cross country and track and field ... Coach was Jennifer Fairbanks in cross country ... Coached by Michael Donahue and Brian Hall in track ... Sportsmanship Award winner in track... Recipient of the Coach's Award ... Scholar-Athlete for Class of 2009 ... Winner of the French Department and Latin/Greek Department awards ... Student of the Month ... Third-year honors ... ...Born Jan 22, 1991, in Boston, Mass.
Michael McEnany
Jesuit High School
Tampa, Fla.
Background: All-county track selection as a senior ... State champion in the 4x800-meter relay as a junior and senior ... Part of team that shattered school record by seven seconds in the 4x800m relay in 2009 ... Named Most Valuable Sprinter as a senior and track team finished second in state ... Coach was Ray Rodriguez ... Former teammate Connor Revord runs for Penn State ... Five-time letterwinner, earning three in track and field and two in football ... Starting cornerback senior year for football team ... Member of National Honors Society ... Honor roll student ... Winner of school-wide essay competition ... Born April 10, 1991, in Brandon, Fla. ... Son of Mike and Leanne McEnany ... Father, Mike, played football at Mississippi State from 1979 to 1982 ... Full name is Michael Patrick McEnany.
Jeff Shirley
Broughton High School
Raleigh, N.C.
Background: All-conference selection in cross country in 2009 and in track in 2008-09 ... Two-time 800-meter conference champion ... Nationally-ranked cross country team captured state championships in 2008-09 ... 2009 NXN qualifier and placed second in the Southeast Regionals ... Team finished as Cap 7 Track and Field Conference Champions in 2009 ... Graduated in top 1 percent of class ... Jewell Scholar ... Member of National Honors Society ... Recipient of John G. Willard Scholarship ... Presidential Scholar ...Coach was David Christian ... Former high school teammates running collegiately include Sandy Roberts (Georgetown) and Logan Roberts (Baylor) ... Born Jan. 25, 1991, in Temple, Texas ... Son of Kim and Graham Shirley ... Full name is Jefferson Stafford Shirley.
Alec Yale
Kingwood High School
Kingwood, Texas
Background: All-region selection in cross country and track and field ... Member of All-Texas Running Pre-season Honorable Mention Team ... Six-time letterwinner, with three for cross country and three for track and field ... Individual state qualifier in 2008 ... Team qualified for state from 2006-07 ... Congress Mile qualifier ... Graduated in top 6 percent of class ... Member of National Honors Society ... Honor roll student ... Born Jan. 23, 1991, in Houston, Texas ... Son of Paul and Paula Yale ... Full name is Alec Marshall Yale.
Players Mentioned
