Dee Salukombo (left) and Alex Chappars (right) will lead the Big Red men's cross country team in 2009.

After posting a second-place finish at the 2008 North Coast Athletic Conference championship, the 2009 Denison men’s cross country team returns two of their top-five runners to the mix.

In his 31st season as the head men’s cross country coach, Phil Torrens returns sophomore standout Dee Salukombo (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood) along with classmate Alex Chappars (Xenia, Ohio/Bellbrook).

Salukombo enjoyed one of the most prolific freshman seasons in school history as he turned in a third place finish at the NCAC Championships.  At the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship he finished 22nd overall which was enough to advance to the NCAA Cross Country Championships along with teammate Grant Russo.  Over the course of the 2008 season, Salukombo led the Denison men’s team in six of eight races.

Chappars also returns to the fold and will be looking to alleviate the loss of Russo, Skyler Mosenthal, Lex Hultquist to graduation.  Chappars placed 36th out of 110 runners in his first NCAC Championship meet.

Other returnees with race experience include senior Mike Shirar (St. Louis, Mo./Ladue Horton Watkins), juniors Dan Doggett (Byfield, Mass./Governor Dummer Academy), Russell Holden (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Western Reserve Academy), Dan Rafferty (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek), and sophomore Joe Thackery (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro).

Four first-year athletes and seven newcomers in all will comprise the rest of the roster.

The Big Red will open their season on Tuesday (Sept. 1) at Kenyon College.  Their first scored meet will take place on Sept. 12 at the Great Lakes College Association Championship in Delaware, Ohio. In fact, all three of the Big Red’s key meets this season (GLCA Championship, All-Ohio Championship , and NCAC Championship) will be hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University and will take place in Delaware.