JEN ISO
Sports Assistant
It’s time for the Pepperdine Waves to knock the Portland Pilots off their pedestal this year and take away their 28th-straight crown for the men’s cross country team and tenth out of eleventh title for the women.
Both Wave teams hope to improve on their finishes from last year. The men’s cross country team finished in sixth place at the West Coast Conference Championship and 23rd at the NCAA West Regional Championship.
With a new coach and new faces, both teams agree on a goal for the upcoming season: finish in the top five in the WCC.
New Head Coach Robert Radnoti, from Thousand Oaks High School, is ready to take leadership of the men and women’s cross country teams. He was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the California Coaches Alliance in 2005. That same year he was named the Los Angeles Times’ High School Coach of the Year.
Coming in as a new coach can be challenging, especially when the athletes continue to praise their former coaches.
“Our old coach [Dick Kampmann] just retired,” junior Lauren Carfioli said. “He has been working with the teams since the 70s. We’re really sad about it, but he’s still around at practice.”
Former men’s Assistant Coach Roman Chavez will also be greatly missed. Radnoti, however, is ready for the challenge and wasted no time getting the cross country teams in shape.
“We’ve been running in canyons, five miles continuously uphill then back down – all in 95-degree heat,” senior Matt Jenks said. “We wake up to make it to 7 a.m. practice and have another practice at 4 p.m., which includes swimming or running again. The first two weeks before school are really hard.”
On top of multiple training sessions and seven fitness assessments, Radnoti also believes in educational sessions and team-building events.
“He is a good coach and knows what he is talking about,” Jenks said.
“I really like him,” Carfioli added. “We’re doing lots of meetings and learning how to run. I’m really excited about the year.”
The men’s team captain, Sam Hudson, knows he has a big responsibility ahead of him.
“As a captain I need to keep everybody happy outside of practice and organize things,” Hudson said. “Communicating with the coach about the players’ feelings and acting like a liaison is crucial.”
Hudson, as well as the rest of the team, hope to become a scholarship team this year. To make this dream possible, the team must finish in the top five.
Team camaraderie is essential to a team’s success. Both teams agree that bonding has not been an issue.
“The team dynamic this year is incredible,” junior Amy Rogg said. “The guys and girls work together as a team instead of two separate entities. We are all under one coach and we all click and support each other.”
Jenks, who transferred from the University of Washington in the fall of 2005, agreed.
“They are just a loving bunch of boys,” Jenks said. “Sometimes we go on ninja missions where we dress up in all black and sneak into places, like the pool past hours, or other things that should not be mentioned.”
The team works out together twice a day, attends Radnoti’s special training sessions, completes secret missions and dines together almost every night. With team chemistry this strong the athletes say they are in prime position to accomplish their goals.
“Watching them progress from having to deal with a brand new coach and uncertainty to developing confidence in themselves is amazing,” Radnoti said. “We will be able to move forward and accomplish our goals.”
The challenge begins Sept. 2 at the Cal State Fullerton Invitational in Brea, Calif., where the team will look to start a strong season, which they will consider a major ninja mission.
08-28-2006
