Cross Country Begins Season Friday

CARLINVILLE, IL – The 2024 Men's and Women's Cross Country season gets started this week and both teams currently field a full roster and brings excitement into the new season. 

The men's team will look to fuse experience from their returners with a group of newcomers who show lots of potential. 

Returning sophomores Collyn Oberkfell and Ulises Espinoza. The pair have made a strong commitment to distance running and have shown a lot of growth so far this season. 

Senior Kobe Patton comes to the squad for his first year of cross country and joins freshman Scotty Cuff as newcomers who will be looked upon to make an immediate impact in their debut seasons. 

Senior Marco Nova comes back for another season and has also shown significant improvements this year. He is joined by freshman Sebastian Bautista who will look to compete for the fifth spot throughout the year. 

On the women's side, senior Olivia Leemon comes back after barely missing out on all-conference honors last season at the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships. She is joined by returning sophomores Gracie Jent and Kailynn Kruep. Jent and Kruep both enter their second season eyeing a larger impact and improvement after gaining experience last year. 

The women's team will also feature freshman A'Santianna Austin, Alexis Johnson and Caitlin Rainey. Johnson has shown great potential throughout the preseason while Austin and Rainey will compete for the team's fifth spot all season long. 

The cross country season begins Friday with the team heading to Principia University for the Principia Opener. The race is slated to begin at 5 p.m.