Oberlin, Ohio - The Oberlin College Men's and Women's cross country teams are poised and ready to compete within the North Coast Athletic Conference and Great Lakes Region this fall. 

It was a historic 2022 season for the Men's team, who claimed its first NCAC Championship in program history. Junior Walter Moak is the top returner from the victorious unit as he placed ninth overall and enters this season with his sights set on medalist honors. The Charlottesville, Virginia, native went on to lead the Yeomen to a 10th-place finish at the Great Lakes Regional meet while qualifying for Nationals with a 25th-place showing. 

Classmate Jonah Barber, who was a second-team All-NCAC selection as a rookie after he finished 11th overall at the conference meet, was the team's second-place finisher at Regionals, ending 54th. Fifth-year co-captain Sam Russ brings valuable experience and leadership as he was instrumental in helping the team win the conference crown with his performance and attitude that lifted those around him. The Damariscotta, Maine, native looks to build off his 10th-place showing at the conference championships. 

Senior Aidan Dunfield was a part of the team's top seven a season ago and will look to end his career on a high note alongside classmate and co-captain Jerry Achtermann. Fifth-year Sam Goetz also returns as an additional leader. 

Sophomores Charlie Enders and Liam Newman will look to build off a strong finish to the outdoor track season, while juniors Johnny Ragsdale, Danny Markey, and Jesse Herdman look to take the next step.

First-years Will Gordon, Liam Hogan, Sam Mortensen, and Piers Shirk will also strive to crack the top seven each week. 

"This team has the benefit of really great leadership," longtime Head Coach Ray Appenheimer said. Sam is a three-year captain who has been and will continue to be vital to our success while I don't know if we've had a captain who has everyone's respect more so than Jerry. No one works harder, no one races tougher, and everyone pays attention to his example and his words. I was struck at camp with how frequently individuals on the team kept answering questions about goals not using "I", but saying "we". This is a group that does not take what we accomplished last year for granted. They are well aware of the work it took to win the conference championship last year. The best part is they are genuinely excited to do it again."

The women's team is coming off a third-place finish at the NCAC Championships, but heads into this season with the goal of claiming its first conference title since 2019. 

Senior co-captain Eliza Medearis and junior Sage Reddish headline the list of returners for Oberlin. Medearis was 17th at last year's championships while Reddish was one spot back as they each claimed All-NCAC laurels. The duo would each go on to earn All-NCAC honors during the outdoor season with Reddish winning the conference crown in the 1,500. 

Oberlin returns three other runners who were part of the team's top seven at last year's regional meet in co-captain Margo Lee, Ellis Santangelo, and sophomore Amber Borofsky. Lee (23:51.2), Santangelo (24:38.8), and Borofsky (24:43.2) each turned in a lifetime-best 6k time at regionals last fall. 

Juniors Camila Ciembroniewicz, Caleigh Lyons, and Marisa Tayal also have the talent and experience to be leaders on the team.

Sophomores Tessa Lauen, Avery Russell, Ella Wozek, and Sefina Yan each got their first taste of collegiate cross country last fall and will continue to strive to be one of the team's point producers this season. 

Oberlin also welcomed four first-years in California natives Maia Johnsson and Sophie Mateja, along with Frisco, Texas product Charlotte Purcell and Logan Lane, from Brooklyn, New York..

"We're coming off a great camp and I am really impressed with the work this group did this summer," Appenheimer noted. "Sage and Eliza look great and both have talked about working together in races to get the best out of one another. They are both poised for a big leap this year. Margo, Amber and Camila also look phenomenal. I am really excited to watch them race together. All of them can be all-conference this year, and if that happens we'll be far better than last year's third-place finish. The entire group gets so much strength from one another. It's something they practice every day, leaning on one another, challenging one another. It's something our best teams have always done, and they are no exception. 

Oberlin will open up the season on Friday, September 1 at the Tommy Evans Invitational in Norton, Ohio. The NCAC Championships will take place on October 28 on the campus of Denison University with the NCAA Great Lakes Regional meet to follow on November 11.