After spending 13 years coaching at Division I University of Hartford, Kathy Manizza's reason for returning to become the head coach of the men's and women's cross county and track and field programs at Eastern Connecticut State University was simple.
"I enjoy coaching at the Division III level because the athletes want to be here," noted Manizza, a long-time area resident who had served as part time cross country coach at Eastern for seven years (1993-1999) and as the head men's and women's track and field coach for five (1994-98).
Also having previously coached at Eastern, Manizza knows the friendly environment the campus offers. Her plans are to rebuild the cross country program because she knows they have the potential to be very successful.
"I want the team to create a sense of team spirit," she says. She also emphasized the importance of creating team bonding. She feels that her athletes at Eastern are excited about the coaching change and will support their teammates throughout the season. Her goal in her first season is to recruit a large number of athletes in order to develop the program. Since she was hired in June, she has sent out over 350 letters to potential cross country and track and field recruits.
In the first meet of season last Saturday at the Keene State College Alumni Invitational, the team gained valuable experience and preparation for its next race September 15th at the Massachusetts Dartmouth Invitational.
The course at Keene was shorter than normal (5,000 meters for men and 2,000 meters for women) because it was the first event of the season. The course was grass and flat but it was a very humid day, which could have affected the times of all runners.
Six runners competed for the men. First-year junior Michael Singletary (Hartford), a sprinter on the track and field team, stood out with a time of 20:08, scoring 73 points as the team's fifth finisher. Returning sophomore Lee Cattanach (New London) paced the men in a time of 17:13, scoring 24 points. Evan Glaude (East Hampton), a transfer from Unity College, was the first newcomer across the line for Eastern, clocking a time of 18:59 which was good for 63 points.
Cattanach is among four returniees from a year ago, and is joined by returning classmates Kyle Shaw (Lebanon), Austin Baldour (Newtown) and David Klein (New Milford). Klein was the club's No. runner as a freshman last fall.
Junior Katie France (Portland) recorded the best time (13:01) on the women's team, scoring 26 points in a field of 148 finishers and leading the squad to seventh place among ten scoring teams. According to Manizza, France worked hard over the summer to be in shape for the season, which showed at the opening event.
Twelve of the 13 runners on Eastern's roster -competed for the women at Keene. France, who ran second last year behind All-Alliance performer Amanda Quinones, was followed by senior Cora Gingras (East Hampton) and freshman Courtney Magario (Voluntown)..Gingras, the team's only fourth-year runner, took34 points in a time of 13:18 and Magario scored 37 points in a time of 13:23. Rounding out the team's scoring runners were junior Alexa Palasky (Griswold) and freshman Kylie McCartney (Manchester). Palasky, a two-year letterwinner, scored 44 points with a time of 13:39 and McCartney 46 points in a time of 13:48.
Manizza will be assisted in cross country by senior Tim Callahan, a former three-year member of the program, as well as former University of Hartford runners Kevin Brandon and Andrew Chalmers.
