Sports Editor Matt Yannie sat down and spoke with† womenís cross country harrier Sarah Appleton í12. Appleton has finished first for the Wooster women in every meet this year.
Appletonís continued success is directly connected to her All-Conference season as a first-year, in which she was a top tier runner for the Scots.
MY: Coming into this season the expectations were high for this team with the top two runners returning. How much pressure did you feel coming back as a sophomore?
SA: There was a good amount of pressure, but it was positive. We were expected to perform at a level as good as last year, myself specifically. The pressure I felt came mostly from me; I wanted to get better and I trained really hard over the summer to make sure I was ready to have a good season this year.
MY: Coach Rice said he expected you and Suzanne Capehart í11 to ìset the tone for the team” this year. How have the two of you helped lead this team that consists of 13 underclassmen runners?
SA: I think we have both done a good job. Suzanne is one of our captains this year and she has done a phenomenal job leading us and setting a good example for the first-years, being supportive. I look up to her because of her leadership skills and her positive role on our team.
MY: How much did the upperclassmen runners help you adjust to the team as a first-year last season?
SA: They were a big help because I had no idea what to expect. With everything being new they were really good about helping me out and letting me know what courses were like and stuff like that. They did a great job of making everyone feel welcome. The team really is like a family; weíre all really close.
MY: How does your top 25 finish in Div. III at the All-Ohio Championship Meet Oct. 2 set you up for the rest of your season?
SA: It was really exciting for me. Coming into the second half of our season with the big championship meets coming up it was a really good race to compare myself to the rest of the competition while getting the chance to run against Div. I and Div. II runners.† Having the opportunity to compare myself against everybody in the state let me see what I still have to do to get better in the second half of the season.
MY: With the Inter-Regional Rumble at Oberlin College coming up on Saturday, what are your expectations going into the meet, both for yourself and the team?
SA: My expectation for myself for this weekend is to get a P.R. [personal record]. Itís a really flat course and a good course to set that sort of goal. Iím ready for our team to continue to very well this weekend; we have had a great season so far and all of our runners have done well in meets. Weíve been getting better and better overall so I think we have a good chance this weekend.
MY: Looking ahead to the conference championships the end of the season and the success that this team has had so far, do you expect the team to contend for a conference title this year? Do you expect to be in the running for an individual championship as well?
SA: Obviously that is the goal. As a team we want to run for the conference title and personally nothing would make me happier than to be a conference champion.