Entering her third season at Heidelberg, cross-country head coach Briana Hess will have a nearly perfect split of new and returning student-athletes. The men’s team will feature 10 returning runners and 11 new student-athletes. The women’s team welcomes seven new and seven returning runners to the 2012 team.
The women’s team will look to the leadership of senior Bobbi Custer (Woodstock/Triad) and junior Sophie Goobic (Canton, NY/Williams). Custer and Goobic led the 2011 team to a seventh-place finish at the OAC meet and 26th place at the NCAA regional meet.
“Sophie and Bobbi have trained hard this summer,” said Hess. “We have freshmen women who have great potential and I'm excited to get them on campus with our returners.”
A trio of returning seniors, Gareth Graver (Enon/Greenon), Kevin Neel (Wellington/New London) and Dustin Kuess (Coldwater) will help pace the 2012 men’s team, which finished fourth at the Ohio Athletic Conference meet and 12th at the NCAA regional meet.
“Our men have some work to do, as we lost two of our top performers to graduation. I look for Brad Palocko (Medina) to step up and fill some big shoes as a freshman,” Hess said. “We also have many other new guys who could do great things for our team.”
Both teams start their seasons at the Ohio Northern Opener in Ada on Saturday, September 1.
The women finished sixth and the men placed fourth in the OAC Preseason Cross Country Polls.
Women's Coaches' Poll
1. Ohio Northern (5) - 76
1. John Carroll (4) - 76
3. Mount Union (1) - 60
4. Wilmington - 58
5. Baldwin Wallace - 47
6. Heidelberg - 42
7. Otterbein - 34
8. Marietta - 29
9. Muskingum - 18
10. Capital - 10
Men's Coaches' Poll
1. Ohio Northern (9) - 81
2. Mount Union (1) - 69
2.John Carroll - 69
4. Heidelberg - 51
5. Marietta - 47
6. Baldwin Wallace - 45
7. Wilmington - 33
8. Muskingum - 23
9. Otterbein - 22
10. Capital - 10