Vince DeGrado is not the type to spout hyperbole. Nor is he one who shies away from challenging himself or his players. LEADING the returnees is Tampa, Fla., sophomore Ryan Pulsifer, who finished fourth among conference runners in 2012, Kyle Schauvliege of Manhattan, who was eighth in conference, Jacob Spence, who red shirted for Allen last year, and Patrick Rachford, who showed tremendous strides in improving his mechanics over last season. A HERALDED freshman class will do more than complement the sophomores. PERHAPS DEGRADO’S biggest source of excitement isn’t in his team’s talent. Rather, it’s in his team’s desire to improve. THE RED Devil women’s squad has its own set of challenges. 2013 Allen Community College Cross Country Schedule
So when Allen Community College’s cross country coach declares the Red Devils’ 2013 men’s squad as perhaps the deepest and most talented team he’s ever coached, it certainly raises eyebrows.
DeGrado, remember, coached the Cowley Community College men’s and women’s cross country teams to national championships in 2010.
“This is the deepest and most talented team I’ve coached on paper,” he stressed. “We still need to go out and prove it.”
And while the added expectations for the Red Devil squads brings with it plenty of pressure, it also feeds into the excitement surrounding the program, he noted.
The reason for DeGrado’s optimism is the stable of returning runners from last year’s Jayhawk Conference East championship squad, plus a sterling recruiting class.
How well his runners mesh together will dictate the Red Devils’ success, DeGrado said.
As for the conference and Region VI championships, DeGrado also is excited.
“We ran a good race last year at regionals, but Colby won a perfect race and nipped us at the end,” he said. “We want to challenge Colby this year because they’re the champs. In order to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man.”
“Our sophomores have a good grasp of what to expect, can stay motivated and know how to stay in shape over the summer,” DeGrado said. “And while it’s great having all this depth, it’s even better having our number one runner back.”
The Red Devils also have brought in sophomore Brandon Bernal, a transfer out of Sanger, Texas.
“We’re excited to see what we can do,” DeGrado said. “We hope to see some good things.”
Leading the way will be Angel Vasquez of De Soto, who won the Class 4A 3200-meter run at the Kansas state track meet in May.
“We look for him to battle to be among our top three or four runners,” DeGrado said.
Vasquez’s classmate from De Soto, Diego Sanchez, has already been descried by DeGrado as a “good surprise” for the Red Devils.
“Those are good kids who come from a great program like De Soto,” DeGrado said.
Meanwhile, Greenacres, Fla., runner Salvador Medrano is expected to show improvement through the season, and could challenge ACC’s top runners by the time the season hits its home stretch in October.
Other key freshmen for the Red Devils this year will be Denver Parker and Dallas Snider, both of whom hail from Washington state, and Topeka West product Connor Immenschuh.
“You have runners like Brock (Artis) and Patrick who were above-average runners in high school, but they have bought into the system and steadily improved to be great runners for us,” DeGrado said.
While light on numbers — the squad only has five — DeGrado is nevertheless optimistic.
“I pointed out that last year, we had quite a bit of drop-off from our top five runners to the next five,” he said.
Even so, the Red Devil women narrowly missed earning a conference and region championship.
“We hope to still be a top-10 team in the nation,” DeGrado said. “We still want to bring in some trophies this year.”
It helps to have an All-American returning, which he does in Stroud, Okla., sophomore Danae McGee. McGee finished ninth in the country at the 2012 national meet.
“She was the top freshman finisher in the nation last year,” he said. “She’s been a little banged up with injuries, but that happens.”
Tulsa’s Mahalia Soap qualified for the national meet in the 800- and 1500-meter runs in outdoor track last spring after being unable to run cross country last fall because of transfer rules.
“Mahalia’s done a tremendous job over the summer,” DeGrado said. “She’s come back to school fit and ready to go.”
Soap’s sister, Tirzah, also joins the team this year.
Caitlin Boeckman, a Wamego product, red shirted in 2012, should be able to provide a spark.
“She’s happy to be able to run injury-free,” DeGrado said.
The other newcomer, Wichita’s Alison Stevens, also impresses her coach, particularly with her attitude.
“She runs with a chip on her shoulder, with a little arrogance. I like that,” he said. “This is her first year running cross country, so she doesn’t know what she’s getting herself into, but I’m very excited about what she can offer.”
The Red Devil squads will host Allen’s second annual Red Vs. Black scrimmage at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Riverside Park before opening the 2013 season Aug. 23 at home with the King’s Sandwich Classic.
Men
Name Class Hometown
Kyle Schauvliege SO Manhattan
Tucker Morgan SO Longwood, Fla.
Ryan Pulsifer SO Tampa, Fla.
Jacob Spence SO Baxter Springs
Brandon Bernal SO Sanger, Texas
Patrick Rachford SO Tonganoxie
Brock Artis SO Tulsa
Angel Vasquez FR De Soto
Dawson Colglazier FR Scranton
Denver Parker FR Chehalis, Wash.
Connor Immenschuh FR Topeka
Diego Sanchez FR De Soto
Daniel Driskill FR Sperry, Okla.
Trail Spears FR Lawrence
Salvador Medrano FR Greenacres, Fla.
Meshach Adams FR Tulsa
Dallas Snider FR Chehalis, Wash.
Tegan Michael SO Topeka
Women
Danae McGee SO Stroud, Okla.
Mahalia Soap FR Tulsa
Caitlin Boeckman FR Wamego
Tirzah Soap FR Tulsa
Alisn Stevens FR Wichita
Friday — Red Vs. Black Classic Iola 6 p.m.
Aug. 23 — King’s Sandwich Classic Iola 6 p.m.
Aug. 31 — Brooks Memphis Twilight Classic Memphis, Tenn. 8:45 p.m.
Sept. 21 — Missouir Southern Joplin 8 a.m.
Sept. 28 — OSU Cowboy Jamboree Stillwater 8 a.m.
Oct. 12 — Fort Hays Tiger Open Hays 9 a.m.
Oct. 18 — Butler County Invitational El Dorado 4 p.m.
Oct. 28 — KJCCC Region VI/Jayhawk East Conference Huthcinson TBA
Nov. 9 — NJCAA Championships Fort Dodge, Iowa 10 a.m.
Nov. 16 — NJCAA Half-Marathon Classic TBA
Hopes sky high for ACC runners
