The men’s and women’s cross country teams show reason for optimism this weekend with first and second place finishes at the Dayton Flyer 5K, respectively.
The consensus from coaches Clay Calkins and Tim Sykes was that this weekend was a good chance to get a first look at some of the young talent they're hoping will step up this season.
The men’s side showed some promise.
The Bobcats' men placed first this weekend, beating out Dayton, Miami (Ohio) and Ohio State as four of the five scoring Bobcats finishing in the top 10.
Leading the Bobcats was junior Alex Wind, who finished second with a time of 15:42.1. He was followed by freshman Kyle Bussard (seventh, 15:54.2), sophomore Brad Miller (eighth, 15:56.8), senior Jake Gentile (ninth, 15:59.1), senior Jarrod Genther (14th, 16:10.9) and freshman Zach Zimmerman (20th, 16:18.8).
The name that was being thrown around the most at practice Friday was Zimmerman, which was usually followed by a “But hey, let’s not forget about Bussard.”
However, it was Bussard who represented the freshman class in a major way Saturday with his seventh-place finish.
Wind showed his readiness to become a leader and major performer with his second-place finish. The coaches named him, along with junior Michael McKean, as potential runners who were ready to step into a leadership role Friday.
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Much like with the men’s side, there was one name for the women’s cross country team that consistently popped up at practice Friday when the coaches were asked who could potentially step up in the absence of injured captain Kayla Scott. That name was Ellen Isaac.
Coincidentally, the runner leading the pack for the second-place finishing Bobcats on Saturday was Isaac, who finished second overall with a time of 18:12.1. Freshman Alyssa Atkinson also ran well, finishing 13th overall with a time of 19:18.9.
From there the Bobcats finished as a team, in the ultimate sense of the term. Junior Tara Tollet (19:27.3), was the first in a line of six consecutive finishing Bobcats from places 16 to 21. Senior Peyton Adkins (19:28.1) finished next, followed by senior Krista Roehlig (19:28.6), sophomore Christina Seas (19:29.7) and senior Allison Roeth (19:37.0). Josie Woosley finished 21st with a time of 19.38.2.
The women are attempting to bounce back from a 10th place finish in the MAC last year, which means they will need more from the rest of the team. The coaches, however, said this season is all about the MAC Championship, which means that they are much more concerned about peaking at the end of the season than how they perform this early.
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