Two Fighting Scots who achieved championship-level success by helping The College of Wooster women's cross country team to its first top-three North Coast Athletic Conference finish since 1998 two seasons ago headline this year's team, while overall, veteran head coach Dennis Rice is counting on an excellent junior class to develop as the core needed for the program to achieve great team success in the future.

"We are super excited to build off the enthusiasm that we created throughout last year," shared Rice. "We are continuing to enhance development, build confidence, and have great positive energy throughout our program. We have a core group of women who are going to be together. We will have a big pack of women with our three through 12 runners. We are excited about our pack training and developing together throughout the season to eventually get to their ultimate performance at the end of the year."

Athena Tharenos, a two-time all-region and nine-time All-NCAC performer, returns to the cross country team after missing last season due to studying abroad. When the senior last ran cross country, she placed sixth at the NCAC Championships, which at the time was the program's highest finish since W Association Hall of Famer Katie Wieferich won the 2006 individual title.

"We will ease Athena back intro cross country," shared Rice, who noted his distance star is coming off a late-season track injury. "If Athena can recover from that, build up through the season, and develop from week to week, she will be where she needs to be when we get to the championship portion of the schedule. Athena's keys are to stay positive, confident, and have fun with the process building up to the championship meets."

Behind Tharenos, Dylan Kretchmar is looking to bounce back from a long-term injury. The junior enjoyed a high level of success as a first-year, finishing 25th at the conference meet before turning in a career-best championship-length time at the NCAA Div. III Great Lakes Regional. Kretchmar's conference success carried over to the indoor season, where she helped the Scots to a runner-up NCAC finish as a member of the all-conference distance medley relay and a scorer in the mile.

"We are excited about the progression Dylan is making," stated Rice. "Her training is getting better each week and the energy is picking up. Our goal is to get Dylan fully healthy this year. We will continue to ease into her training and build off that as we head into the season."

Igna Mendez is Wooster's other harrier with all-conference success. The junior has three all-conference accolades as a relay staple for the program. She is part of the pack of juniors that also includes Lily Baker, Eva Bauman, Bri Becerra, Jessie Breth, Isabelle Dwyer, Julianna Fiori, and Elise Greenwald, many of whom were letterwinners in 2022.

"The junior class is doing really good job," summed up Rice. "They continue to get better from season to season and are really starting to figure things out with training and competition. Their key is understanding the team concept and what is expected within the program at both trainings and competitions. If they can feed off each other's positive energy, they will have great success."

Five newcomers are part of the program this year. Rice feels he met the recruiting goal with "bringing in a solid group" and is now looking for them to "settle in academically and within the program." He is also confident they will "make a positive impact on the program this year and be in the mix within the top 12."

The season starts with the annual Wooster Invitational at L.C. Boles Memorial Golf Course on September 1, while the first stage of a yearlong series of dual meets against NCAC rival Denison University will be contested September 21 at home. Denison is hosting this year's NCAC Championships on October 28 and the regional meet is set for November 11 in nearby Norton, Ohio. In between championship meets is the program's annual 5K Twilight Challenge, which takes place November 3 on the newly-renovated Carl Munson Track at John P. Papp Stadium.

"I expect the team to be ready to compete at the championship level at the NCAC Championships and use that to build towards the regional championships two weeks later," concluded Rice.