After coming off of a dominating 2023 season, finishing top 10 in all in-season meets and sixth in the UAA Championship, the Case Western Reserve University women’s cross country team is ready for the 2024 season. Similarly, the CWRU men’s cross country squad is coming off of top 10 finishes in all in-season 2023 meets and sixth out of 40 teams in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional competition.

Both teams competed in their first race of the season on Aug. 30 at the Bill Sudeck Invitational. The men brought home a win over John Carroll University 22-39, with fourth-year Aidan Nathan dominating the field and placing first with a time of 19:08.17, 25 seconds faster than the second place finisher from John Carroll. The women, however, fell to John Carroll 24-36 despite CWRU third-year Ashley Novak coming in first place with a time of 15:12.49.

“We have very strong teams on both the men’s and women’s sides this year, which is something I’ve heard my coach mention a few times, and we have high hopes for the season,” first-year Ciara Ledford said. “We’re just getting into the swing of things after a few weeks of preseason training, and if we can all stay healthy, we feel like we have a shot at doing well at regionals and maybe even making nationals.”

On Sept. 7, both teams competed in the Grizzly Invitational. The men finished strong, placing third overall in the 8K behind Trine University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Nathan came in third overall with a time of 25:30.58, leading the team in points once again. The next two Spartan runners came in back to back, with first-year Donovan Crowley placing 26th with a time of 26:17.42, then second-year Finn Bonner placing 27th with a time of 26:18.82. First-year Brendan Bradish finished 63rd overall with a time of 27:11.86 and says the team’s impressive results have boosted their confidence.

“My expectations for the rest of the season are high given we placed 3rd at the meet,” Bradish said. “Hopefully we will place well at our Great Lakes Regional. Many of the teams who we will be competing against at the Regional were at the [Grizzly Invitational], so it was a good preview.”

The women’s team also performed impressively, securing fourth place overall in the 6K. Leading the way, Novak finished sixth with a time of 22:48.42, while third-year Lauren Iagnemma came in eighth with a time of 22:59.61. Other notable finishes included third-year Arianna Holbrook who placed 25th with a time of 23:55.39, Ledford in 36th with a time of 24:22.93 and third-year Julia Hluck who finished 37th with a time of 24:23.94.

“Our entire team, men’s and women’s combined, did very well today. On the men’s side, we saw 3rd, 24th, 26th, and 27th place finishes, some of which were from freshmen, which is quite impressive. On the women’s side, there were 6th, 8th, and 25th place finishes from some of the top women, and high finishes from the others as well,” Ledford said.

The invitational marked the first 6K event for the women, and first 8K event for the men’s team this season. High school cross country races are typically 5Ks, so both teams had to adjust to these longer distances and help the first-years acclimate to the increased length.

“The training has been tough, but consistent to be able to race the full 8K distance,” Bradish said. “It has been a group effort, and everyone has been working hard to make sure we stay competitive as a team.”

Ledford also felt that the women’s team prepared well for the longer distance race and recognized that some runners are more suited for long-distance runs and others for shorter events.

“Preparation for our first 6K involved hard work at our preseason practices, including time trials, lifting, and some harder workouts, like hills and intervals,” Ledford said. “All of the freshmen ran very well, especially considering that the typical high school racing distance is a 5K. Some of the freshmen are more naturally suited to distances like the 800m or the mile, and others lean more towards the 5K and 10K. So upping the distance from a 5K to a 6K gives some an advantage and others a disadvantage. Still, everyone did exceptionally well, and we are all looking forward to growing stronger at racing longer distances.”

Ledford credited much of the team’s success to their strong bond and noted that the team invested significant effort during preseason to build connections with one another.

“After moving in, we went to Mosquito Lake for team camp, where we spent a few days running, eating, relaxing, and playing games together. It helped us get to know each other in a chill environment, and also allowed us to bond as a team,” Ledford said. “Once we got back, there were numerous team events that allowed us to spend time together and develop friendships, which has resulted in us now being a closer team. We now know who we can run with in a race, who we can cry to if it doesn’t go as we hoped, and who we want to celebrate with when it does.”

Bradish also attributed a significant part of the team’s success to their chemistry off the track, praising team captains Nathan and fourth-year Nate Gilbert for motivating the team to reach its full potential.

“The team has been successful because we work as a unit and prioritize community over individuality,” Bradish said. “[Nathan and Gilbert] have been doing a great job leading the team to where we are now.”

The strong placements of both the men’s and women’s teams at the invitational have fueled high hopes for the rest of the season, with aspirations of making an appearance in the national championships. “Overall, our finish has left us hopeful. We have team goals for the season like making it to nationals, and we have individual goals as well, like personal bests or becoming an All-American,” Ledford said. “Our teams are strong, and as we continue to improve throughout the season, we will see those goals come more and more into focus. For now, we’re confident that if we can stay healthy and fast, we can achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves.”