Season Preview: Women’s Cross Country aims to continue tradition of success in 2023
By Wes Mayberry
| 2023 Women's Cross Country Schedule | 2023 Women's Cross Country Roster |
ADA — Following an outstanding 2022 season, the Ohio Northern women's cross country team is looking to carry on its tradition of success in 2023 under 15th-year head coach Jason Maus.
"Last year's team was very good — one of our best in a while — but we did lose some talent to graduation," Maus said. "This year's team understands the tradition and expectation of ONU Cross Country and has goals to continue to build upon that."
The team has posted 90-plus wins in seven of the last nine seasons after going 119-23 in 2022, which was capped by a second-place finish at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships and a fifth-place showing at the NCAA Great Lakes Regionals. Northern now has 20 consecutive top-five finishes at the OACs and five straight top-10 finishes at the regional meet.
The Polar Bears are looking to extend those streaks in 2023 but will have to do so without a pair of top-10 all-time runners in Tessa Pitcovich and Taylor Ellerbrock, who departed after their fifth-year senior seasons in 2022. A three-time national qualifier and two-time NCAA Elite 90 Award winner, Pitcovich owns the third-best time in school history and has shifted into her new role as a volunteer assistant coach. Ellerbrock has the ninth-best time in school history and was a two-time All-OAC and All-Region performer.
However, Northern does return a deep, talented roster, including 10 letter winners.
"I'm excited about the opportunity for new contributors," Maus said. "There are a lot of varsity spots open, and there are a lot of women who are excited and put in a lot of work this summer to fill those roles. It'll be fun to see our growth and how much we improve as we figure out who we are throughout the season."
That list of returning letter winners is highlighted by junior Ashley Hockstok (Westerville/Central) and sophomore Kennedy Rader (Mason).
Hockstok was among ONU's top seven runners in all seven varsity events in 2022 and capped her year with All-OAC and All-Region accolades. She finished 21st at the regional meet with a time of 22:04, which ranks fifth all-time at ONU, and was 16th at the OACs in 24:05.
Rader was also a top-seven finisher for ONU in all seven events last year and was an All-OAC performer with a 17th-place showing at the OAC Championships with a time of 24:14. She placed 90th overall at the NCAA Regionals with a career-best time of 23:36.
Seniors Megan Vapenik (Strongsville) and Olesya Mertz (Johnstown/Johnstown-Monroe) and sophomore Samantha Roth (Brunswick) are also coming off strong postseason showings in 2022.
Vapenik was fourth-best among ONU runners and 50th overall at the regional meet with a career-best time of 22:43, which ranks 13th in school history. She led the Polar Bears across the finish line at the Oberlin Regional Rumble, placing 32nd in 23:16, and was a top-seven finisher among ONU runners in all six events in which she ran.
Mertz was a top-seven runner for ONU in five of her six meets in 2022. She ran a personal-best 23:50 at the Wittenberg Invitational to place sixth overall and was 23rd at the OACs with a time of 24:32.
Roth was 25th overall at the 2022 OAC Championships with a time of 24:44 and capped the year with a personal-best 22:54 at the NCAA Regionals to place 63rd. She was a top-seven runner for ONU in four events.
Senior Sydney Goodrich (Romeo, Mich.), juniors Aubrey Cable (Latrobe, Pa.), Olyvia Ashbrook (Johnstown/Northridge) and Larkin Warner (Findlay) and sophomores Natalie Armbruster (Cincinnati/Mount Notre Dame) and Sarah Gilbert (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) round out the list of returning letter winners for ONU this season.
Ashbrook leads that group with a career-best 6k time of 24:24, and Gilbert isn't far behind at 24:28. Armbruster and Cable both have a career-best time of 24:39.
The Polar Bears open their 2023 season on Sept. 1 at the Bluffton Beaver Dam Invitational and will compete in four other regular-season events ending with the SUNY Geneseo Mike Woods Invitational on Oct. 14.
Northern will host the 2023 OAC Championships at Hillcrest Golf Club in Findlay on Oct. 28.
The 2023 NCAA Great Lakes Regionals are scheduled for Nov. 11 at Silver Creek Metro Park in Akron, and the NCAA Division III Championships are set for Nov. 18 at Big Spring High School in Newville, Pa.
"I think we have a good balance with our schedule this fall. We'll see a lot of competition within the state of Ohio, and we'll get out of the region later in the season. So we'll be challenged, but I think it will prepare us for the postseason," Maus said. "The OAC had five of the top nine teams in the region last year, and we expect this fall to be much of the same. It's a very good conference, and if you want to be competitive, you have to be at your very best."