Yesterday, the Hillsdale College women’s cross-country team became the first team in Chargers history to be ranked No. 1 in an NCAA Division II National Coaches’ poll. Hillsdale is just the sixth school in 15 years to take the top ranking in NCAA D-II women’s cross-country. The ranking comes on the heels of their 59-point victory over previously top-ranked Grand Valley State University at the Sept. 18 Spartan Invitational.
Head coach Andrew Towne said the ranking is a nice achievement, but won’t change how the team moves forward this season.
“Our focus, from day one, has solely been on ourselves and how each individual can become their best,” he said.
Senior captain Emily Oren echoed her coach, saying the ranking she really cares about comes at the end of the season.
“We want to be ranked No. 1 at the end of the season, not just now,” she said.
Oren was named the GLIAC Cross-Country Female Athlete of the Week for her fourth-place finish at the Spartan Invitational on Friday.
While the women were excited about defeating Grand Valley, they aren’t taking anything for granted. GVSU’s team wasn’t at full strength during the race, running without their two top runners, including last year’s Division II national champion, Kendra Foley.
“We can run with Grand Valley and we can win,” junior Molly Oren said, “but nothing to say we’ve secured a national championship over.”
Head distance coach Joe Lynn said that the team tries to focus on itself.
“The important part for us will be to continue to stay focused on our program and for us to be our best self each and every day so we can reach our full potential,” he said.
Course conditions at the Forest Akers East Golf Course weren’t as good as they were for last year’s race, but the women’s times weren’t affected as much as the men’s times.
Seniors Emily Oren and Kristina Galat placed in the top ten.
Spartan was the first all-out race for the women and many of them improved upon their performances from last year, running faster and placing better. With the top runners giving their full effort, the gap between the first seven runners increased from 26 seconds in last race to just under two minutes.
“It’s always nice to try that out before you get to big meets,” Molly Oren said.
Sophomore Hannah McIntyre, who finished just three spots behind Molly Oren, called the race a solid start.
“I would have settled a lot more if it hadn’t been for Molly,” she said. “Racing with teammates is a really good thing.”
“I thought as a whole the women ran very tough,” Lynn said. “Our 1-5 and 1-7 will continue to tighten up, which will be key.”
The race produced mixed results on the men’s side with juniors Joe Newcomb and Caleb Gatchell running a solid race, but the team struggled against other GLIAC schools racing at the meet. The team’s third through seventh finishers at the meet were all freshmen or sophomores.
Although still young, sophomores Tony Wondaal and Sam Phillips, who finished third and fourth, and freshmen Isaac Harris and Miles Garn, who finished fifth and sixth on the team, stepped up for the Chargers. Additionally, junior Luke Daigneault returned for his first race in two years.
“As a team we’re learning how to race,” sophomore Nathan Jones said.
Similar to the women’s race, the gap between the men’s No. 1 and No. 7 finishers went from 28 seconds at the last meet to over two minutes at the Spartan Invitational.
Newcomb was happy with the effort his team put in.
“What I saw is that people are willing to work hard,” Newcomb said. “They can run faster than they did.”
Lynn is also confident that the men will continue to progress.
“On the men’s side we will continue to grow used to the 8K distance and the training it takes to be at a competitive level,” Lynn said. “We definitely have some guys like Joe Newcomb and Sam Phillips who are making huge strides and will pay off in the end.”
The Chargers will be splitting up for their next meets with some runners going to Notre Dame on Oct. 2 and others traveling to Louisville on Oct. 3. But whether his athletes are going to one meet or the other, Lynn is focusing on building fitness for the end of the season.
“We have a 6-7 week window here where we can gain fitness,” Lynn said. “Right now it’s full speed ahead and not letting off the gas at all. We’ll be ready to race fast next week, but the focus is still on the NCAA.”
