Coache Cite Common Themes for the Upcoming Season

by Dylan Scott, Athletics Correspondent

Fans can expect new faces and depth in GSW fall athletics.

New faces add to the depth and talent of a team. When you have more viable players than another team, you can afford to rest each individual player more, allowing players to be more effective and less fatigued on the field. This culminates into better production on the field.

Cross Country welcomes two very excited freshmen to the roster, Joseph Esco and Graham Harrod.

“Joseph Esco finished 14th in the state in his classification of 5A and his high school personal record for the 5k was a 16:09, which is the fastest high school kid that has ever come into GSW,” said Coach Danny Zarzutzki. “Graham Harrod has been running 50 to 55 miles all summer long and he’s right there with Joseph.” For the first time ever, the men’s team has no dual-sport athletes and the women’s team has less dual- sport athletes than last season meaning the teams can focus on breaking school records.

According to Coach Darcy Donaldson, the team lost four of their starting six but added four newcomers to their list of returning players. These four additions means the team will see less roster turnover and have time to experiment with different starting sixes to figure out the best way to utilize the team’s talent.

Basketball follows this pattern with the women’s team seeing a complete overhaul of their roster as 10 of the 11 players did not attend GSW last year and the men’s team adding “10 new guys and four returners,” according to the men’s basketball coach Kevin O’Connor.

The coaches are not worried because this still means the team has a backup player for every position, which is a luxury not many Division II colleges have. This influx of players is a huge advantage for sports like basketball that have very little stoppages as the players can rest when they need to without the production on the floor dropping off.

“We have quite a few really talented newcoming kids that I really think are going to be successful,” women’s basketball coach Missy Tiber said.

The addition of so many new faces means that fans and players are guaranteed an exciting fall season. So, make sure to come out and support our fall sports teams so you can get to know these new players as they take the field.