Fort Scott men's & women's cross country enters the 2023 campaign with a new head coach in McKinley Ward-La Salle and an enthusiastic outlook on the upcoming season with the release of its fall schedule, while sporting a loaded roster.
The Greyhounds 2023 schedule is as follows:
- Sept. 15th – MISSOURI SOUTHERN STAMPEDE (Joplin, Mo.)
- Sept. 29th – ARKANSAS CHILI PEPPER FESTIVAL (Fayetteville, Ark.)
- Oct. 14th – ALLEN CC XC MEET (Iola, Kan.)
- Oct. 27th – REGION VI/KJCCC CHAMPIONSHIPS (Iola, Kan.)
- Nov. 11th – NJCAA XC CHAMPIONSHIPS (Huntsville, Ala.)
Fort Scott opens the year in mid-September at the Missouri Southern Stampede just an hour south in Joplin. Following that the Hounds head to Fayetteville for arguably the biggest field of teams they'll see all season. Two weeks later the Greyhounds will toe the line again on the same course as Region VI/KJCCC Championships in Iola, Kan."
"The way we scheduled our season is very purposeful in relation to our training," coach Ward-La Salle said. "During my first year working as a communications graduate assistant with the NAU Lumberjacks program in 2018 we journeyed to Madison, Wis., two times in the regular season to familiarize our crews with the course that was eventually used to cement a third consecutive national title at NCAA Div. I Nationals. Making sure we got the opportunity to compete in Iola, Kan., before Region VI/KJCCC Championships was a big part of the planning."
On the women's end of things sophomores Jacquelin Angel and Crystal Osakwe look to lead The Fort to new heights. Both runners have experience racing at the highest level of NJCAA competition having laced it up in last years nationals. The addition of true freshman Rio Kirven out of Byron Nelson High School in Trophy Club, Texas adds an additional element to the core of a very promising roster.
The men on the other hand sport a completely new roster. Three freshmen by way of The Lone Star State in Eduardo Espinoza, Yahir Morales and Johnny Chavez make up the core of the men's squad. Espinoza and Chavez both hail from MacArthur High School in Houston, while Morales comes from Byron Nelson High School as well. Mid-distance athletes in fellow freshman teammate Darrell Bembry out of George Bush High School and Jamaican Fabian Campbell, a standout transfer from Barton CC who posted a 1:49 in the 800m last year, will also compete for the Hounds.
"This season will be challenging for these student-athletes adapting to a new program," added Ward-La Salle. "Everything they do comes from Georgia Tech coach Alan Drosky's program. Drosky and Megesi taught me how to do this the right way from a training standpoint but most importantly in regards to character and people development. I have incorporated elements of the NAU program into what we do; but the program as a whole more closely mirrors Georgia Tech because that is where my real foundations as a coach stem from."
"We treat our process and practices like an NCAA Division I program," coach Ward-La Salle concluded. "It is not an easy system to be a part of, however, I have seen nothing but positive attitudes, attentiveness and eagerness from my student-athletes. I think they are made for this type of program and so far, they have handled the transition beautifully."