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Madeline Vining and Lou Trois at Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational 2022
Xavier Gallo
Seniors Madeline Vining (left in pink), Lou Trois (right in pink), and the Rockets will begin their 2023 season on Friday, Sept. 1 in Norton, Ohio.

Toledo Women to Open 2023 Season on Friday at Akron’s Tommy Evans Invitational

Rockets looking to win third straight Mid-American Conference title for second time in program history

8/29/2023 2:00:00 PM

TOLEDO, Ohio – The two-time defending Mid-American Conference champion Toledo women's cross country team opens its 2023 season on Friday, Sept. 1 when it races in Akron's Tommy Evans Invitational in Norton, Ohio. The meet is scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. at the Silver Creek Cross Country Course.

Toledo returns 25 letterwinners, including all nine runners from its 2022 MAC Championship team. Leading the way is a trio of two-time first-team All-MAC honorees, junior Joy Chirchir (2nd/19:36.9), senior Faith Linga (3rd/19:41.9), and senior Lou Trois (6th/20:31.8). The Rockets return three second-team All-MAC honorees as well with seniors Emily Vining (8th), Madeline Vining (10th), and Julia Dames (13th). Senior Paige Embaugh, sophomore McKinley Fielding, and sophomore Bailey Ranta also ran in last year's conference meet.

Andrea Grove-McDonough, now entering her fifth season as director of cross country and track & field, has added two highly decorated runners to the roster this year, Vilde Henriksen and Laura Nicholson. Henriksen comes from the Norwegian University of Life Science and earned All-Atlantic 10 honors when she ran at George Mason (2019-21). Nicholson comes from Temple, where she earned honors from the American Athletic Conference.

Henriksen and Nicholson are joined as newcomers to the Rockets' program by freshmen Bella Earl, Lillian Nasta, and Anna Steinmetz.

The Rockets will look to continue to climb in the national rankings this year after peaking at the No. 16 spot last season, its second-highest ranking in program history. Toledo was ranked No. 15 in the country during the 2012 season.

The MAC Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 28 in Bowling Green, Ohio.  

The postseason will begin with the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Friday, Nov. 10 in Madison, Wis. The NCAA Championships will take place on Saturday, Nov. 18 in Charlottesville, Va.

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Be sure to follow the Rockets' women's cross country team on social media:
  • Twitter: ToledoXCTF
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