Anchored by a top 10 finish from junior Margo Richardson, the women’s cross country team finished fourth in the Catholic Championships in South Bend, Indiana this past Saturday.
In their first road meet of the season, the Billikens sought to continue their strong start to the season. The meet was a definite step-up in competition, as the team dominated St. Louis College of Pharmacy and Greenville College the previous week at Forest Park. The women seemed right at home this week though, beating out conference foes Dayton and Xavier on their way to a 4th-place finish in a 34-team field.
Richardson led the Billikens with her 9th-place finish. Freshman Jessica Hoefort and Lauren Fyalka, who finished 20th and 25th, respectively, supported her.
While it is Hoefort’s first year on the cross country squad, she ran with the track team last spring and has impressed the coaches all summer.
“Everyone trained hard over the summer, so I expect them to compete hard all year. I think we’ll be prepared to compete at the Atlantic 10 Championships and the NCAA Regionals,” coach Bell said, looking forward to the rest of the team’s season.
After winning the warm-up meet in Forest Park last week, Jamee Holmes was the 5th and final scorer used by the Billikens squad this weekend.
Coach Jon Bell took a big-picture approach to the season this year, resting the team earlier to save their legs for playoff competition. It seems to have worked well for Richardson, as she impressed all with her time in her first competitive appearance of the season.
“We’re definitely taking a more conservative approach this year, not doing as many workouts early in the year to really keep them fresh for the end of the year,” coach Bell said.
The first consequential meet of the season is the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships on Oct. 27. After that, the team will look to compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional for a chance to compete in the NCAA Championships. Before that though, the women will continue to prime themselves with meets at Louisville and Bradley University.
“Our program best is fourth, so I’d like to reach that,” Bell said of his team’s chances at the Atlantic 10 Championships.
As for Richardson, coach Bell continues to expect big things from her the rest of the season.
“When you have someone who is going to go straight to the front of the race and can control the pace, it does help the rest of the team,” Bell said, never forgetting the team aspect of the sport. Richardson can also slow the pace, allowing her teammates to stay with the pack.
Although it will be difficult to replace three-time All-Atlantic 10 runner Hillary Orf, Richardson and the rest of the team seem keen to pick up where Orf left off last year when she finished 18th in the Midwest Regional.
