Armed with a track record of success, strong showings at the most recent cross country championship meets, and with a deeply-talented senior class leading the way, the stage is set for The College of Wooster women's cross country team to take a big leap and challenge the top teams within the Great Lakes Region and North Coast Athletic Conference this fall. Veteran head coach Dennis Rice is "very confident with where the top three are going to be," and if the Fighting Scots can find a solid four through seven, the program "can have really exciting success during the fall."
Senior Isabelle Hoover headlines the returnees, and right there with her is classmate Kayla Bertholf, giving the Scots a formidable one-two punch race after race. Hoover earned all-region honors in 2019 – the last time cross country championship races were contested – and she's looking to improve upon a career-best 10th-place showing at the conference championships. Bertholf joined Hoover on the all-conference podium in 2019 and just missed all-region laurels.
"Two years ago, Kayla and Isabelle were both in a good position heading into the last 1,000 meters (at the regional championships) to not only be all-region, but to compete and challenge to get to the national championships," summed up Rice. "I'm confident they've both built strong strength over the last year in order to give themselves that opportunity in the late stages of a championship length race to finish it out. We always talk that we have to finish what we start, and if those two can put together a strong finish over the last 1,000 meters, they'll be vying for nationals this fall."
Senior Rachel Osterhouse – Wooster's No. 3 harrier at the 2019 regional meet – is also back, and with fellow seniors Sabrina Helck, Alicia McElwee, Pragya Mittal, Marian Overfield, Emma Schwinne, Georgina Tierney, Megan Tuennerman, and Melita Wiles back in the fold, there's plenty of depth and experience throughout the class. Rice will be leaning on this group's experience to help prime the program for the championship portion of the schedule.
"We've got to get back to that competitive mode," explained Rice. "We have to be prepared again at the championship meets. That's what the whole program revolves around – being at our best at the championship meets. It may take us a little time to get the confidence for those meets. Everything is about getting back to that competitive spirit and enthusiasm to be ready for them."
Wooster returns five of its seven competitors from the 2019 regional meet, with juniors Kate Larson and Abby Rice rounding out that group. Three other juniors – Kira Boyce, Judith Topham, and Ally Wells – round out the class, and that group's "been developing at a nice, steady rate and are super excited coming into the season to continue to make improvement," per Rice.
Athena Tharenos is the lone sophomore on the team, and someone Rice will be counting on to carry over the confidence from the modified track and field season, which culminated with all-conference honors in the 800 meters and a fourth-place showing as part of Wooster's 4x400 relay at the NCAC championships.
Seven first-years join the program this fall, and Rice will be looking to "build off the exciting experience from the high school level" with that group as they make the collegiate transition.
The Scots open the season with the annual Wooster Invitational at 6 p.m. on September 1. On September 21, Wooster hosts Denison University in an "exciting opportunity to go one-on-one with another school in the conference," per Rice. Other key meets include the Muskingum University Invitational on October 2 and Wilmington College JennaStrong Fall Classic on October 15, two meets that will give Rice a close look at where the team stacks up leading up to the NCAC Championships on October 29 at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ohio.