Joe Mazzeo Class: Sophomore Height: 5-7 Hometown: West Palm Beach, Florida High School: John I. Leonard

An experienced cross country who will add depth to the squad...ran his 8K personal-best time of 28:02 at the 1998 Florida Intercollegiate...earned 24th place at the University of Florida Nike Twilight Invitational...ran the team's second-fastest 3,000m indoor time of 9:08.92 and second-fastest outdoor 5,000m time of 16:08.02...All-County prep cross country runner and three-time team MVP in both cross country and track...helped his high school teams to a pair of county championships, two district titles and two conference crowns...a four-year scholar athlete...Education major.

Richard McKinley Class: Sophomore Height: 5-9 Hometown: Margate, Florida High School: Coconut Creek

A returning walk-on in the 800 and 1,500 meters...showed dramatic improvement over his high school times...season bests included a 2:00.69 indoor and 1:57.09 outdoor 800-meter times...ran track and cross country in high school...Business major.

Joe Michalak Class: Sophomore Height: 6-1 Hometown: Margate, Florida High School: Coconut Creek

Outstanding prep competitor who will need continued improvement in order to distinguish himself on a very crowded cross country roster...recorded a personal-best 8K time of 28:10 at the '98 Seminole Invitational...ran numerous track events including the indoor 800m, mile and 5,000m and the outdoor 800m, 1,500m and 3,000m steeplechase...won eight varsity prep letters in cross country and track...named MVP in both sports two times...an All-Broward County performer...a high school Honor Roll student and an officer in the Ecology Club and parliamentarian for DECA...Business major.

Jarod Mills Class: Sophomore Height: 6-0 Hometown: Spofford, New Hampshire High School: Keene

Expected to score points for the team in the discus and shot put...a transfer from the University of New Hampshire where he competed in indoor and outdoor track...finished ninth in last yar's America East Conference Championships in the discus...competed four years in high school football, wrestling and track...two-time New Hampshire state champion and New England runner-up at the 184-pound wrestling weight class...All-State middle linebacker in football and state discus champion as a senior...Defensive MVP in football and chosen Outstanding Senior in wrestling...voted high school's Male Athlete of the Year in 1997-98...four-year Honor Roll student...plays the alto saxaphone as a hobby...Anthropology major.

Kevin Mondesir Class: Senior Height: 5-10 Hometown: Orlando, Florida High School: Poincia

May concentrate on the 400m after showing improvement in that event last year...an important part of FIU's Sun Belt Conference distance medley relay indoor championship team and ran a leg of the second-place SBC 1,600-meter relay team...ran his season-best 400-meter indoor time of 50.25 at the Terrier Classic and an outdoor-best time of 50.18 at the Sun Belt Championships...his high jump height of 6'04.00 at the 1998 Gatorade Classic was the team's season best...finished sixth at the '98 Trans America Athletic Conference Championship in the triple jump (43'07.00) and seventh in the 400m (50.50)...played four seasons of basketball and a year each of football and track in high school...Exercise Physiology major.

Eric Montalvo Class: Junior Height: 5-11 Hometown: Miami, Florida High School: Belen Jesuit Prep

Rises to the level of his competition...more consistency is sought...an outstanding athlete and one of the top cross country runners on the team...had three top-10 finishes during the 1998 season including a personal-best time of 25:19 and an eighth-place finish at the Seminole Invitational...that time ranks as tied for the eighth fastest in school history...posted the team's fastest time in the indoor mile (4:16.99) at the NationsBank Invitational and outdoor 1,500 meters (3:53.56) at the Hurricane Invitational...his mile time was the third fastest in the Sun Belt Conference last season as was his 1,500 mark...finished third in the 1997 Central Florida Cross Country Invitational...Trans America Athletic Conference champion in the 800m at the 1998 meet (1:55.25) and finished third in the 1,500m...voted Belen's Athlete of the Year as both a junior and senior...team MVP in cross country from 1995 through '97 and in track from 1994-97...All-State in both sports as a senior...state champ in the mile run (4:18) as a junior...State 4A Runner of the Year in 1996...Construction Management major.

Ryan Neese Class: Sophomore Height: 5-11 Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida High School: Allen D. Nease

A top cross country runner who started slowly because of injuries and eligibility problems...an important component in a successful cross country season...ran the team's third-fastest 800m and mile indoors and the team's third-fastest time outdoors in the 3,000 meters...1999 indoor 800m time of 1:56.11 was ninth fastest in the Sun Belt...won eight varsity letter in high school while competing in cross country and track...All-City, All-State and 1998 team MVP...member of Nease's 1998 4x800m state championship relay team...finished third at the state cross country meet...winner of a Gold Seal and Target scholarship...Construction Management major.

Johann Odermatt Class: Senior Height: 5-5 Hometown: Hialeah, Florida High School: Hialeah Miami Lakes

A talented high school cross country runner who sat out two years will studying at Miami-Dade CC North...raced in six 1998 cross country meets running a personal-best 8K time of 26:58 at the Lehigh Paul Short Run...finished 23rd at the Sun Belt Conference meet...injuries kept him from competing during the track seasons...1994 District 8-5A regional and individual champion...The Miami Herald's Runner of the Year...helped his high school team to the 1994 district and regional cross country championships...Miami-Dade County Youth Fair 3,200m champion...father Manny was an amateur gymnast champion in Chile for two years...sister Michelle was an All-American who played on two national champion volleyball teams at Miami-Dade CC Kendall...sister Ingrid was an All-South cross country runner at FIU and winner of the Trans America Athletic Conference Championships in the 800 meters...Marketing/International Business major.

Leonardo Perez Class: Freshman Height: 5-11 Hometown: Miami, Florida High School: Palmetto

A walk-on sprinter who was a versatile prep competitor...three-year varsity football player and ran the 400 meters, 800m and the anchor leg on the 4x400 and 4x800-meter relay teams...team captain and MVP as a senior in track...lettered in cross country as a freshman...four-year student athletic trainer...graduated with a 3.34 grade point average and a perfect attendance record...Exercise Kinesiology/Personal Trainer major.

Sean Prospect Class: Sophomore Height: 6-0 Hometown: Margate, Florida High School: Coral Springs

Expected to compete in the 400 meters, 800m and 4x400 relay team...slowed last year with a hamstring injury...ran his season-best 800-meter time of 1:57.06 at the 1998 Miami Invitational...outstanding cross country and track competitor in high school...first-team All-Broward County as both a sophomore and senior at Coral Springs...team MVP in track and field for three years...Sports Medicine major.

Michael Reed Class: Freshman Height: 6-0 Hometown: Delray Beach, Florida High School: Lake Worth

An outstanding cross country runner expected to be one of the top scorers on the team...four-year prep cross country and track veteran...two-time cross country 6-A state of Florida champion...Florida Dairy Farmers' Association Runner of the Year...WPEC-TV 12 Athlete of the Week...undecided major.

Gaby Rodriguez Class: Senior Height: 5-8 Hometown: Miami, Florida High School: Christopher Columbus

No. 1 cross country and track distance runner...has shown tremendous improvement each and every year of his career...school record holder for cross country 8K (24:38), set at the 1998 Lehigh Paul Short Run...holds track marks indoors in the 5,000m (14:52.02) and outdoor 3,000m steeplechase (9:12.89)...track and field All-Conference performer in each of his first three years here...became the first FIU male cross country runner to earn All-Region status when he finished 12th at the 1998 NCAA South meet...won the 1998 Greentree Invitational and had two other top 10 finishes, including placing third at the University of Florida's Nike Twilight Invitational...set personal best times last season in the 1,500m (3:58.15), indoor mile (4:18.38) and 3,000m (8:32.11) and outdoor 5,000m (15:01,23) and 10,000m (32:21.47)...member of the conference-winning indoor distance medley relay team and finished second in the outdoor steeplechase...1998-99 Sun Belt Performer of the Week twice in cross country and once in indoor track...Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll recipient...Trans America Athletic Conference Academic All-Star in 1997-98...1998 TAAC champion in the 3,000m steeplechase with a conference record and FIU Community Stadium record time (9:31.35)...finished third at the 1997 U.S. Junior National Championships in the steeplechase which earned him Junior All-America honors...All-Miami-Dade in both cross country and track in high school...FIU Honor Roll student...Sports Management major.

Alex Shaw Class: Junior Height: 5-11 Hometown: Miami, Florida High School: Sunset

Worked hard over the summer to improve his cross country times...ran a personal-best 8K cross country time of 27:31 at last year's Seminole Invitational...ran as an amateur this past summer and recorded a personal-best time of 16:10 in the 5,000m, shaving seven seconds off his previous best...finished fourth in the 5,000m at the 1998 Jacksonville Invitational...ran cross country and track during his final two years in high school, earning a pair of varsity letters in each...second-team All-Miami-Dade as a senior...led his Sunset cross country team to an undefeated season in 1997 (13-0) and a second place finish in the GMAC, district and regional meets...Special Education major.

Ouma Skinner Class: Senior Height: 5-11 Hometown: Port of Spain, Trinidad High School: Fatima College

Will concentrate in the area of the sprints this season...ran middle distances last year, running a season-best 2:06.68 in the indoor 800m...originally walked on the team as a distance runner and finished 24th at the 1997 Greentree Invitational with a 6.4K time of 24:33...ran a season-best time of 2:02.22 in the 800m at the '98 Raging Bull Invitational...finished sixth in the 800m (2:04.96) at the 1997 Hurricane Classic...personal best time in that event is 2:01...Business major.

Matt Slotkin Class: Junior Height: 5-8 Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida High School: Western

Injuries limited his competition last season...worked hard at regaining his form that saw him establish a school record 45'10.00 shot put as a freshman...competed indoors in 1999, with a team-leading 44'04.24 shot put...earned All-Trans America Athletic Conference honors finishing second in the shot put with a throw of 44'11.00...121'10.00 discus throw at the '98 TAAC Championship was the team's season best...History major.

Gerald Waugh Class: Freshman Height: 6-4 Hometown: Miami, Florida High School: Coral Gables

Expected to contribute immediately in the short hurdles...highly recruited high school athlete...prep team MVP from his sophomore to senior years...district champion in the 110m and 300m hurdles, triple jump, long jump and part of the 4x400 relay team...holds Coral Gables' school records in the 110m hurdles...undecided major.

Matt Williams Class: Junior Height: 5-9 Hometown: Ft. Myers, Florida High School: Ft. Myers

Cross country and distance running returnee...posted a personal-best 8K time of 27:22 at the 1998 Lehigh Paul Short Run...finished 32nd at the '98 Sun Belt Conference meet...recorded 1998 outdoor track times of 4:12.40 in the 1,500m, 9:27 in the 3,000m and 16:41.00 in the 5,000-meter runs...finished 11th at the 1998 TAAC Championship meet in the 1,500m...Sports Management major.

Juan Yanes Class: Senior Height: 5-11 Hometown: Miami, Florida High School: Christopher Columbus

Will fight for a regular spot on the cross country team as well as run distance events in track...came back from injuries to be a consistent competitor on last year's cross country team...finished seventh at the 1998 Greentree Invitational and posted his personal-best time of 26:22 at the Lehigh Paul Short Run...20th-place finisher at the '98 Sun Belt Conference cross country meet...was 13th at the '98 Trans America Athletic Conference Championships in the 5,000m (16:42.14)...third-place finish at the '97 Hurricane Invitational in the 3,000m (9:10.59) in his very first intercollegiate competition...placed fifth at the 1997 TAAC meet in the 10,000m (34:20.50)...All-Miami-Dade selection in high school...Sports Management major.