Season Preview: Head coach Jason Maus preaching patience for Women’s Cross Country
By Wes Mayberry
| 2021 Women's Cross Country Schedule |
ADA — The Ohio Northern women's cross country team is eager to retake the course this fall following the cancelation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last time the Polar Bears won the Ohio Athletic Conference championship was 2012, and they haven't placed higher than fourth in the conference since. They have their sights set higher for the 2021 season.
"The team has some big goals," 13th-year head coach Jason Maus said. "Two years ago, when we had a cross country season, we just missed out on the national meet — we finished seventh in the region, and they took six teams to nationals. We have most of that core group back, and we have some nice young pieces, so there's an opportunity to continue to be really competitive in this conference and region. But we have to be patient — we have to get to November healthy and in the right spot."
Maus said "patience" has been the key word for the team leading up to the 2021 season.
"We can't fast forward to November. We have to take these upcoming meets for what they're worth as learning opportunities and chances to grow," he said. "We've tried to talk a little more about the process with how we're going to get there and trying to focus on meshing this group together. There's always learning and growing, but we're putting a little more focus on team-building and getting on the same page."
Leading the way for Northern this season are a quartet of seniors in returning letter winners Tessa Pitcovich (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls), Rue Whitmore (Mason), Sophia Thompson (Mount Vernon/Highland) and Taylor Ellerbrock (Columbus Grove).
Pitcovich is a two-year letter winner and two-time All-OAC honoree who earned All-Great Lakes Region and Academic All-OAC accolades as a sophomore in 2019. She currently ranks seventh in program history at the 6,000-meter distance with a time of 22:25 and 19th all-time at the 5,000-meter distance with a time of 19:10.
In 2019, Pitcovich placed ninth at the OAC Championships and 13th at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Championships and qualified as an individual for the NCAA Division III Championships, finishing 77th. She led the Polar Bears across the finish line in six races and was second in the other two.
"Tessa is a key returner for us," Maus said. "She made the national meet as a sophomore two years ago and had a really good track season last year. She'll be a good leader on and off the course."
Whitmore and Thompson are also returning two-year letter winners.
Like Pitcovich, Whitmore has put herself in the ONU record books. Her career-low 6K time of 22:52 at the 2019 Oberlin Rumble made her the 14th-fastest runner in program history at that distance. Her career-best 5K time is 19:22.
Whitmore, who garnered All-Great Lakes Region and Second Team All-OAC honors as a freshman in 2018, fought through an injury-plagued sophomore season to finish in the team's top seven in six races. She placed 30th in the OAC Championships and 44th in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Championships in 2019.
"Rue is a really good leader and has been a big contributor over her career, and we'll continue to rely on her," Maus said.
Thompson placed 44th in the OAC Championships and earned Academic All-OAC honors as a sophomore in 2019. She has competed in nine varsity races in her career and has personal-best times of 19:49 at the 5K distance and 23:51 in the 6K.
Ellerbrock, meanwhile, is a returning one-year letter winner who has competed in 10 varsity races in her career with top times of 19:49 (5K) and 24:09 (6K). She finished 46th in the OAC Championships in 2018 and placed 77th at that event in 2019. She was among the team's top seven finishers in two races and earned an Academic All-OAC accolade in 2019.
"Taylor had a nice track season, and she can certainly be a contributing factor for us this year," Maus said. "She and Sophia are good leaders in their own ways. Taylor is kind of quiet and shows up and gets to work, and Sophia is way more vocal and outgoing."
Maus added that the team will also look for junior Lexi Neff (Northfield/Walsh Jesuit), sophomore Megan Vapenik (Strongsville) and freshmen Bailey Kreft (Sunbury/Buckeye Valley), Olyvia Ashbrook (Johnstown/Northridge) and Ashley Hockstock (Westerville/Westerville Central) to contribute this season.
After not competing in a meet since Nov. 16, 2019, ONU will retake the course on Sept. 4 by hosting the Polar Bear Invitational. This year marks the first time since 2012 that the Polar Bears have opened their season with a home meet.
The season-opener is one of five regular-season competitions on Northern's 2021 schedule. The Polar Bears will follow by running in the All-Ohio Championships in Cedarville on Sept. 17 and the Findlay Oiler Invite on Sept. 24. The regular season concludes with the Louisville Classic in Kentucky on Oct. 2 and the Oberlin Rumble on Oct. 16.
The OAC Championships are scheduled for Oct. 30 at Wilmington.
The NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regionals are Nov. 13 in Shelbyville, Ind., and the NCAA Division III Championships are Nov. 20 in Louisville, Ky.