Kasey Fiedler
Contributing Writer
The College of Wooster men’s cross country team achieved their greatest success in 10 years at the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships while the women matched their seventh place finish from last season during the unfavorable running conditions on Saturday at the Robertson Athletic Complex in Meadville, Pa.
The men’s team placed third among 10 schools, which was their first third-place finish since 2003, a four-spot improvement over their seventh-place showing last fall. Individually, they had three runners earn all-NCAC honors. Derrick Marshall ’15 improved drastically from 49th place at last season’s meet, taking 10th place with a time of 27:31.5 and making the second-team all-conference. Directly behind him was Luke Hutchings-Goetz ’14, who finished in 11th place with a time of 27:33.9. He too made second-team all-conference for the second year in a row.
Finally, Morgan Clark ’14 accomplished a personal best with his 20th place finish of 28:10.4, earning all-conference honorable mention. Other notable runners for Wooster include Alex Chabraja ’17, who contributed to the team score by placing 26th with a time of 28:24.7, and Blake Pecoraro ’17, who placed 28th in 28:24.7.
“We finished third in the conference as a team behind two nationally ranked schools, and I think we surprised a lot of people with our performance,” said Roy Hadfield ’17. “To succeed in cross country, you need more than one star runner. You need a group of people who can run well and consistently because the top five runners contribute to the team score. When someone has a bad day, which does happen, then there needs to be someone to step in and fill in that position, and last Saturday was a good example of that.”
While the women’s team’s seventh place showing was the same as last season, it was even more impressive because they had a pair of newcomers leading the pack. Kayla Zboran ’17 crossed the finish line first for the Fighting Scots at 22nd place in 24:37.6, just missing being named all-conference. Emily Reid ’17 completed the race not too far behind her fellow first-year in 24:48:6, 29th overall. Lauren Buyan ’15 performed almost identically to her effort last fall, placing 30th in 24:50.3.
“We did incredibly well against some regionally and nationally ranked teams,” Buyan said. “Everyone really stepped up and worked together as team to achieve success.”
When asked about the Scots’ team chemistry, Buyan said, “Our team is one big family. Sometimes a little goofy, dysfunctional and competitive, but always accepting and loving. We support each other in everything we do: running, academics, music and the crazy adventure called life. Having such a wonderful group of teammates makes each day better. But most importantly, we laugh a lot”
With regard to the separation of the men’s and women’s teams, she said, “We may run different races and compete separately, but in many aspects the men’s and women’s Cross Country runners are one team. We train together, travel together and support each other not only on the cross country course but inside the classroom too.”
Overall, the Fighting Scots left behind them what was perhaps a disappointment last fall and fully accomplished their goals this year. The team finished the season with great accomplishments, but everyone is eager to achieve even more success in the upcoming seasons.