Women's Cross Country Season Review
12/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Dec. 1, 2010
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The NCAA Championships marked the conclusion of the 2010 season for the Wake Forest women's cross country team. Here's a look at how the Deacs performed this season.
The women's team was off to a very successful start under first-year head coach John Millar, as they placed second overall at their first meet of the season, the Covered Bridge Open in Boone, N.C. After falling to Duke in the Wake Forest/Duke Dual, the Deacs bounced back with a third place finish among 25 teams at the Charlotte Invitational.
The women's squad finished seventh overall at the ACC Championships before clinching a 12th place finish among 37 teams at the NCAA Southeast Regionals. Millar's strategy of allowing more rest time for the runners by only racing every other weekend proved very beneficial, as the team finishes in both the conference and regional meets mark improvement over last year's performances.
Junior Anna Nosenko led the Demon Deacons during the season, finishing first for the team in all four races that she ran. Nosenko did not run in the first two meets of the season. She claimed first place overall at the Charlotte Invitational 5k race, as she crossed the finish line in 16:38.4. For her efforts, Nosenko was named the ACC Cross Country Co-Performer of the Week for the week of October 4. This marked the second time in her career that Nosenko had garnered ACC Performer of the Week honors.
The Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, native achieved a personal best 6k time of 20:04.4 at the ACC Championships in Boston on October 30. Her third place overall finish at the conference meet earned her All-conference honors for the first time in her career.
Nosenko also placed third at the NCAA Southeast Regionals to take home All-Region honors, and as a result, she was the only Demon Deacon to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. She finished 63rd at these Championships in a time of 21:04.5 on the 6k course to conclude the season.
The Demon Deacon freshman class had a terrific season, as they were consistently led by New York native Nicole Irving. Irving ran in all six meets for the Deacons on the season, and she achieved a first place overall finish in her collegiate debut at the Covered Bridge Open. Her 5k time of 17:45.07 placed her 11 seconds ahead of the second place finisher.
"I thought the season proved that our program is headed in the right direction, and we have a lot of promise for the next few years," said Irving. "I enjoyed traveling with the team and acclimating to the atmosphere of college racing, and I hope we can continue to improve on a national level."
Irving also finished first for the Deacons and third overall in the next meet, the Wake Forest/Duke Dual, as she crossed the line of the 5k course in 17:42. She finished second for the Deacs in three of the four remaining meets, including a personal-best 6k time of 21:12.5 at the ACC Championships.
Fellow freshman Melanie Powers had a strong start to the season for the Deacons, finishing in second place on the team in the first two meets of the season. She placed fourth overall at the Covered Bridge Open on September 3 and sixth overall at the Wake/Forest Duke Dual. She notched a season-best 5k time of 18:02.13 at the Covered Bridge Open and a season-best 6k time of 23:18.91 on Oct. 15 at the Panorama Farms Invitational.
Allison Homer had a very successful sophomore campaign for the Deacons, finishing either second or third on the team in five meets. Her 5k time of 17:41.7 at the Charlotte Invitational led to a ninth place overall finish. She finished second on the team and 39th overall at the NCAA Southeast Regionals and 46th overall with a time of 21:36.9 on the 6k course.
Seniors Caitlin Crawford and Cate Berenato provided consistency and leadership for the Deacs on the season, as Berenato competed in all six meets and Crawford in five. Berenato finished fourth on the Wake Forest squad in the final three meets of the season, including the NCAA Southeast Regionals. Berenato achieved a season-best 6k time at the Regionals, completing the race in 22:41.7.
Crawford placed sixth on the team at the Regionals with a time of 22:58.5. The North Kingstown, R.I., native achieved fourth place finishes on the team at the Wake Forest/Duke Dual and the Charlotte Invitational. Crawford's 5k time of 18:18.4 at the Charlotte Invitational marked a season best achievement.
Senior Marley Burns ran in three meets on the season, placing fifth on the squad in two of the meets. Burns achieved a season-best 6k time at the NCAA Southeast Regionals, crossing the line in 22:45.3.
Freshman Alisyn Hummelberg competed in four meets during the season for the Demon Deacons, including a fourth place team finish and 18th overall in her college debut at the Covered Bridge Open in a time of 18:46.64. Hummelberg finished third on the squad in the next meet, the Wake Forest/Duke Dual, with a time of 19:07 in the 5k meet.
Redshirt sophomore Casey Fowler raced in three meets on the year, and she placed fifth on the team and 24th overall at the Panorama Farms Invitational with a time of 23:01.78. Junior Katy Swain and senior Suzie Clinchy each raced in three meets during the season, with Swain's top time coming at the Charlotte Invitational in 19:09.7. Clinchy also achieved a season best time of 19:38.0 in the same meet.
Freshman Lindsay Kerr competed in four meets for the Deacs, including the ACC Championships. Kerr's top performance of the season came at the Panorama Farms Invitational, where she placed seventh on the team and finished the 6k course in 23:19.65.
Redshirt senior Kim Vos and juniors Molly Binder and Laura Rapp each raced in the first two meets of the season, while freshman Bret McDaniel competed in the Panorama Farms Invitational, finishing tenth on the Wake Forest squad.
Players Mentioned
