Boston College - Sub Turri Yearbook (Boston, MA)

Page 193 text:

John Wavro leads the BC team in warm-ups. Fernando Braz fini shes a length ahead of a Providence runner. Sophomore Todd Renehan leads a pack of Cross Country runners. fc-Tv sac®£ ' i.i5r i ' ip ' i 21. ; ' ' l J, SPORTS 189

Page 192 text:

Cross Country: Born To Run Never before have both the men ' s and women ' s cross-country teams had such simultaneous good fortune. The men finished with a fabulous 5-3 record, and placed third in both the Greater Boston ' s and the New Englands, with a fifth place finish in the Big East. The women nave closed the season with an undefeated 6-0 record. This flawless record was accompanied by a first place steal at both the Big East Conference and the New Englands, and a second place in the Greater Bostons, behind Harvard. Every team has their stars, and the men ' s team is no exception. Voted the most valuable team member, Fernando Braz, class of ' 84, consistently scores for BC. Braz ' s talent has been one of the major reasons for the men ' s success. One of his teammates commented, Knowing you have Freddie there up front, makes you want to run even harder in order to support him. Todd Renehan, a sophomore, was voted the most improved athlete. He has consistently shown progress. Renehan ranked fifth from the top and ended the season ranking second. Of course, a team ' s captain is a star position. John Wavro ' s c uiet, yet vigorous leadership qualities explain his position as the first-two-time captain in the 97-year history of the men ' s team. Wavro feels the most important aspect of his responsibility as captain is to help motivate and sustain the interest of the junior varsity runners. Team unity is his number one priority, and to achieve this, Wavro must help every member to be mentally prepared. When asked about potential competitive dangers within the team, Wavro commented that he doesn ' t sense the existence of a destructive element amongst his teammates, for being team-oriented enhances success. In addition to Wavro ' s leadership ability, Coach Jack McDonald has been an integral factor in the team ' s success. Said Wavro of McDonald: He ' s done a fabulous job recruiting and developing talent. Indeed, both Wavro and McDonald have done a fabulous job in making the men ' s team successful. In 1978, before Wavro Joined the team, the men ' s team finishea tenth in the New England Classics; since 1979, the team has consistently finished third. As star and Women ' s team captain Cheryl Panzarella says that a captain ' s dedicated leadership is an important factor for a successful women ' s team. Four vears ago Panzarella decided to join the BC community despite the fact that the Women ' s Cross Country Ken Coutoukas strains as he finishes the grueling Franklin Park Cross Country Course, the site of the Big East Cross Country Championships. 188 SPORTS

Page 194 text:

Great Strides program was very loosely organized. Parizarella ' s dedication to the team aspect of a dual-emphasis sport and her stress on communication has given the women the necessary unity to confront both success and failure. Panzarella is aware that along with success and wanting to be number one comes the innate danger of a cut-throat attitude. But, the Captain beams, I ' m fortunate enough to have a team that works so well together. They ' re a great bunch of girls! Indeed, runners such as junior Nancy Small and Michele Hallet are both strong contributer ' s to the team ' s cohesiveness and success. Small, a disciplined athlete, began her freshman season ranking seventh, and by the end of the season, had reached the top of the stratum. where she has remained for the past two years. Hallet, called the freshman sensation by one of her teammates, is also an outstanding athlete, a committed runner, and a dedicated teammate. Coach Jack McDonald, reflecting on the women ' s team ' s past four seasons agreed that in 1979 the team was disorganized, but with the help of runners like Panzarella, Small and Hallet, the team started to improve. The 1979 team had only seven or eight runners, but nevertheless, they were off to a good start. That first year the team missed the Division II Nationals by two points, and they were ranked third in the greater Boston area. 1980 brought the team their first true taste of success — a few recruits, an Eastern Division Championship, sixth place in the m 190 SPORTS