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Published Wednesday, August 20, 2008 in Sports

Newnan first-year coach fired up about upcoming season

By Tony Jones

The Times-Herald

Shaun Dailey is the new cross country coach at Newnan High but he's not new to the sport of running or the fitness demands it requires. The team opens its 2008 schedule a week from Saturday at Clinton Farms in the Early Bird.

Dailey, an avid triathlete who teaches at Smokey Road Middle School,is Newnan's fifth cross country coach in the last seven years.

"This is the job I've always wanted," said Dailey. "It's a great fit for me."

Dailey doesn't believe he could be handed a better group of kids to coach. "The kids are working as hard as I had hoped. They are doing all that I could ask and are eager to become the best they can be."

The Newnan boys should enjoy a stellar season. The team will be led by the area's top talent in William Pike.

"He's put in his base miles and worked on his speed," said Dailey. "Nothing is going to get in his way this season."

Also returning to the lineup are sophomore Jonathan Ballantyne, and juniors Stuart Sumner and Will Sweet.

Dailey couldn't say enough about the experienced trio. "They all train together and run at a similar pace. They have a will to win and will push each other to get to the next level," commented their coach.

Freshman Travis Montgomery has come in and made an immediate impact. "We didn't have to teach Travis to work. He was ready to get after it when he showed up," explained Dailey.

The Lady Cougars will be led by Elizabeth Gresham. Gresham has been in more than her share of big races, having excelled at Class A powerhouse Landmark Christian before arriving at Newnan High two years ago.

Cessily Skinner and Daniella Galvin will support Gresham and make the Lady Cougars better. The athletic Skinner will face high expectations. She missed practically all of her freshman campaign with injuries but is now healthy and ready to go.

Galvin enjoyed a productive summer and is performing at a good pace. Dailey will now need to get a few more individuals closer to the pace of the before mentioned three.

The team has been using Monday as distance days, putting in between 7-11 miles. Tuesday has involved a recover run of four miles. Wednesday has been reserved for working on tempo with the kids running a cross country practice course on Thursday. Friday's have the team involved with a light social run.