Allison Chin (pictured) has the potential to be among Wooster's top-five and score for the team throughout the 2013 season.

Having lost three of its top-five performers, including all-conference/all-region standout and Academic All-American® Erin Plews-Ogan, from last season's North Coast Athletic Conference and NCAA Div. III Great Lakes Regional championship meets, The College of Wooster women's cross country team is a bit unproven, but head coach Dennis Rice didn't want to go as far as labeling it a rebuilding year.

"I'm not sure what to expect from this group quite yet," Rice explained. "It's a very balanced group of women who will be challenging (one another) for the top-seven spots. As we progress, we'll become more consistent and develop confidence, and we still expect to do big things at the championship meets."

On paper, it appears that junior Lauren Buyan and senior Chelsea Denlinger will be at the front of the pack, with junior Erin Andrews-Sharer studying overseas this semester. Buyan served as the team's No. 2 runner last fall and should contend for all-NCAC honors this year after finishing 28th (24:47.8) at the NCAC Championships, which took place on Wooster's challenging course of rolling, grassy hills. Denlinger was not far behind Buyan's pace, taking 36th-place (25:08.9) at that meet.

Senior Allison Chin was part of the Fighting Scots' 2012 regional team and now looks poised to close her career with her best season, as does classmate Ann Berkow. Berkow, junior Bailey Connor, and sophomore Sarah Bradley all possess conference championship meet experience.

Additional veterans who could be in the scoring mix include senior Lauren Klingshirn and junior Rachelle Herrin, while a "quality group of younger women coming into the program" may make an impact, according to Rice. Emily Reid, Katherine Wittig, and Kayla Zboran are among the top freshmen.

As a relatively inexperienced squad, Wooster may not add to its total of four NCAC titles, the fourth-most in the 29-year history of the conference, but the Scots might look back at 2013 someday as the time when they built the foundation for future championships.

"We lost quite a bit from last year's program. I'm excited to see who's going to step in and fill those spots," added Rice.