Monmouth men's and women's cross-country teams are under new leadership this season with Damon Godfrey having taken the reins in August. 

The Hawks have contested four meets already this season as they ramp up for the home stretch. Next up, Monmouth will send athletes to the IC4A / ECAC Championships and the Princeton Invitational this upcoming Friday with preparations underway for the CAA Championships on November 1. 

As he navigates through his first season at the helm, Godfrey took a moment to answer five questions from MonmouthHawks.com and we've shared his responses below. 

Have the teams met expectations through the first half of the season?

Thus far this season, I feel both the men's and women's teams have met the expectations we had going into the season. Our main concern in the first half of the season was to remain healthy while training at a high level. Each race, the team has steadily improved, and that's exactly what we are looking for week by week. Both the men's and women's teams have closed the past few XC seasons strong, and we expect the same to happen this year. 

Are there any changes in routine and/or strategy entering the championship portion of the schedule? 

With about three weeks to go before the CAA Championships, both teams are still working very hard and training at a high level. As we draw closer to our two most important races (the CAA Championship and the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship), the training will taper so the team can be as fresh as possible to perform their best when it matters most. The team has been working very hard as a group this fall to stay close to each other in races, and we have prioritized that tactic in practice sessions. I am very happy with the focus, work ethic, and buy-in the team has shown this fall up to this point.

How enjoyable was it watching Declan McDonnell break the 24-minute barrier in an 8K race? 

Watching Declan break the 24-minute barrier at the Paul Short Meet was enjoyable, but it wasn't a surprise to any of us around the program every day. Declan has established himself as one of the best male distance runners in Monmouth University history, and his legacy here is far from complete. He has also established himself as one of the best distance runners in the CAA conference, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can accomplish for the rest of the season. Declan's greatest strengths are his fearlessness and his ability to raise his game in the biggest moments on the biggest stage. 

In addition to McDonnell (men's team) and reigning CAA Rookie of the Year Emily Simko (women's team), which individual athletes have impressed you thus far this season? 

Declan McDonnell and Emily Simko have led both teams this fall in every race, but we've had significant contributions from other athletes that have played a key role in our success this season. Marissa Kilgarriff, Tennessee Tremain, Brianna Jucewicz, Allie Pierontoni, Seb Reed, and Tomas Barry have all been instrumental, scoring in every meet so far. I've been particularly impressed with some of our freshmen runners who have made an immediate impact on our program with their high level of racing. On the women's side, Kristen Sarnicola and Lana Hurwitz have been fantastic, with Sarnicola especially impressing with her toughness and improvement since the start of the season. On the men's side, the trio of Nick Kuenkel, Josh Tejada, and Gavin Rossi will be cornerstones of our program moving forward. All three have added great depth to our top seven, with Kuenkel especially pressing his way into our top three men. 

What has been your greatest challenge since accepting head coaching duties? 

From Joe Compagni to Mike Nelson, Monmouth University has a legacy in cross-country and track and field with well-respected and successful head coaches. Carrying on that tradition and making those former directors proud of how the program has continued after their departure is very important to me. We have an incredible staff that has been in place for several years, so the transition to head coach has been smooth and exciting. We recently added new assistant coach Hanna Peterson to fill my previous position. She brings a tremendous amount of experience and expertise, which will only make us stronger moving forward. With new acting men's and women's head track coach Jordan Torney now in place, who I consider one of the best young coaches in the country, the future of Monmouth XC and Track and Field is incredibly bright.