During the unexpected 2011 Halloween Weekend snowstorm, York College interrupted the run of CAC men’s cross country championships by traditional powerhouses Mary Washington and Salisbury, which combined to win the first 20 CAC titles.

The Spartans put four of the first seven finishers across the finish line on their home course for the team’s first-ever CAC crown.  UMW’s 2009 crown and Salisbury title in 2010 gives the CAC different champions in three years for the first time in conference history.

All three figure to lead the battle for the title at Frostburg State this year.   The host Bobcats, under third-year coach Dale Luy, and St. Mary’s, under second-year coach Lynn O’Dell, hope their budding programs factor into the title chase.

One new team and three new coaches will bring teams to the 2012 CAC championships.

Southern Virginia University, an NCAA Division III provisional member which will join the CAC as a full member in 2013-14, will have student-athletes compete in the 2012 men’s and women’s cross country championship. 

The Knights, coached by Logan Davis, will not be eligible to compile a score for the team standings until the 2014-15 academic year, but individuals can earn All-CAC recognition if they finish among the top 15 runners in the 2012 or 2013 championship races.

Other newcomers to the CAC cross country coaching ranks include Marymount’s Zane Castro, who also serves as the Saints’ triathlon coach, and Wesley’s Stephen Kimes, who is also the Wolverines’ track & field coach. 

The 2012 season opens Labor Day Weekend, with competitions at Salisbury, Md., and Shippensburg, Pa.  Teams will gear up for the conference championship chase, to be held Oct. 27 at Maplehurst Country Club in Frostburg, Md.

Here is a brief look at each team heading into the season:

FROSTBURG STATE

Frostburg State will be in a bit of a rebuilding phase in 2012 as seven newcomers represent a major portion of the nine-member team. The Bobcats welcome back senior Gavin Caupp and junior Patrick Mead who will provide leadership to the young squad. Caupp finished 18^th at last year’s CAC Championships while Mead was the team’s top finisher (17th) at the Coach Achtzehn Classic at York (Pa.) in mid-September.

MARYMOUNT

Marymount cross country enters a new era under the helm of new head coach Zane Castro.   On the men’s side, senior Emmanuel Wansi returns after a year away from the program with junior Kevin Farmer while sophomore Tam Nguyen look to improve on his performance from the NCAA Regionals as a freshman.

MARY WASHINGTON

The Mary Washington men's cross country team will look to return to the top of the CAC with a large squad that boasts several top returnees from last year, as well as a deep crop of newcomers. Senior Sean Healy leads the pack for UMW, as he will hope to repeat his all-region honors from 2011. Also back are Quincy Schmidt, Matt Shaughnessy, Zach Fichter, and Scott Plunkett, who missed all of last season due to injury but was an All-CAC performer his first two years.

SALISBURY

Salisbury is in search of its 10^th Capital Athletic Conference championship in 2012. Under the leadership of 15-year Head Coach Jim Jones, the team has had 77 runners named to the All-CAC team. This year, the squad will look to seniors Chris Sufczynski and Tyler Miluski for leadership on the course.

ST. MARY’S

The Seahawks will feature the biggest rosters in their young history as the men will boast 18 runners and the women will list 18 competitors for the 2012 campaign.  Nick Pasko and Dan Swain will once again be the team leaders while Matt Bennett and David Kersey will provide additional leadership following solid campaigns last season.  Newcomers Max Beker, Aidan Hennessey, and Greg Mainolfi will push the veterans as they hope to be one of the team’s top seven runners.

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA

The Southern Virginia University men's cross country team opens the 2012 season with a lot of new faces.  Seven of the Knights' ten runners from 2011 took leave from school in order to serve two-year missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, leaving this year's team with only two returners from a season ago when Southern Virginia placed sixth at the 2011 USCAA National Championship.  Seniors Casey Mundell and Tyson Babbel are the only holdovers from last year's squad, but both runners were consistently high finishers for the Knights in 2011. 

WESLEY

Led by returners Alex Dello-Bueno and Mike Mango, the Wolverines will look to improve their spot in the CAC after finishing ninth in the conference the last two years. Wesley, headed by first-year head coach Stephen Kimes, opens the 2012 season on September 7 when it travels just down the road for the Delaware State Invitational.

YORK

The defending Capital Athletic Conference champions return three of their four All-CAC runners last year including Cross Country Athlete of the Year Steven Childres and CAC Rookie of the Year Aaron Robertson. Also returning to the Green and White lineup is Tim Hartung, the runner who was the winner of the 2011 championships contested at a snowy John Rudy Park in York. Head Coach Erick Camodeca is excited to see if his large and talented freshman class with have a few runners step up to join the elite pace set by Hartung, Childres and Robertson.