Women’s cross country looking to build with strong core
The Seton Hall women’s cross country team is sprinting in the right direction. After winning three events in 2018, Seton Hall returns with all but two athletes on the roster and should be poised to take its experience to the next level. Head Coach John Moon will have to replace Kiley Britten and Olivia Gregorio, who have exhausted their collegiate eligibility.
Names to watch next season include Emma Newgarden, who led the Pirates six times last season, including two individual meet wins. Emily and Olivia Hernandez, who combined for five top-five finishes in 2018, also lead a strong front of the pack. In addition to experience, the Pirates will welcome in freshman Arianna Braccio. The Pirates open up their Fall 2019 schedule in less than three months, and it is clear that cross country is ready to take the Big East by storm.
Matthew Mlodzinski can be reached at matthew.mlodzinski@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @Mlodzinski_15.
Consistency hopes to bring success for men’s cross country
The men’s cross country team will look to rebound after a season filled with struggle, but coach John Moon has the experience to right the ship as he enters his 47th season with the Pirates.
The program will be looking to rebound after finishing last in the Big East Championship and finishing second to last among a field of 24 in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. The most prominent runner the program will be losing is Jarod Moser, which means the majority of the team is staying and hoping to improve on their exposure to the sport on the collegiate level.
Senior Jesse Southard will be the greatest contributor to this year’s squad.
Robert Fallo can be reached at robert.fallo@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @robert_fallo.
Fresh faces look to replace volleyball’s production from Thelen and Coffey
Last year’s volleyball team featured one of the greatest middle blockers in school history, Abby Thelen, who rose all the way to fifth in Pirate history for kills. Thelen was the first player to earn All-Big East First Team honors in back-to-back years since 1994 and won Seton Hall’s Senior Female Athlete of the Year award. Yet still, with a freshman libero in the starting lineup and the loss of two quality outside hitters from the previous year, the team struggled to find a rhythm throughout the season and finished 10-20 overall and 5-12 in conference.
Head Coach Allison Yaeger brings in one of her most promising recruiting classes in years with six incoming players and adds depth to the team. After losing a 1,000-career-digs player in Sophia Coffey, among the five departed seniors, this year’s team looks to return to Big East contention after finishing fifth or higher in the conference two of the last three years.
Evando Thompson can be reached at evando.thompson@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @Ethmps.
Second year under Lindberg brings promise for men’s soccer
Seton Hall men’s soccer put up a less than flattering 2-6-1 record and ninth place finish in the Big East last season, but it was an unavoidable growing pain of transitioning between coaches. Andreas Lindberg’s first year at the helm of the Pirates did, however, provide opportunities for young players to fight for starting positions in the team.
CJ Tibbling showed he is more than capable of carrying the goal scoring responsibility of Lindberg’s offensive style of play with his team-leading six goals, and there is plenty of depth spread around the team to make an impact. The challenge for next year will be replacing the defensive solidarity of Nico Anderson and David Arvidsson, as well as Tomas Greco’s presence in midfield.
Justin Sousa can be reached at justin.sousa@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @JustinSousa99.
New coach looks to turn around women’s soccer program
Finishing bottom in the Big East without recording a single point, 2018 was a year to forget for the women’s soccer program. With a new season, however, comes a clean slate and a platform from which the Pirates can build on. First-year head coach Ciara Crinion, who built an impressive resume as an assistant at America East powerhouse Hartford, will look to mold a young squad captained by senior Siobhan McGovern.
Four freshmen with international pedigree – New Zealand U-17 World Cup medalist Blair Currie, English U-19 international Laura Hooper and Iceland U-19 players Harpa Jóhannsdóttir and Saga Sigurdardottir – come into the side for the 2019 campaign. Expectations will be tempered in the short term as the program rebuilds, but mark the women’s soccer program as a force for the future – potentially much sooner than expected.
Kyle Beck can be reached at kyle.beck1@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @notkylebeck.
