TOLEDO, Ohio – The three-time defending Mid-American Conference champion Toledo women's cross country team opens its 2024 season on Friday, Aug. 30 when it races in Akron's Tommy Evans Invitational in Norton, Ohio. The meet is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Silver Creek Cross Country Course.
Toledo returns seven runners from its 2023 MAC Championship lineup, as well as four other runners who finished in the top eight at the 2022 MACs who did not compete last year. Leading the way is senior
Laura Nicholson, a first-team All-MAC honoree in 2023 who took sixth place with a time of 20:50.03 at the 2023 MAC Championships. Also returning is 2023 second-team All-MAC pick
Lianna Surtz, who took eighth at MACs in 2023.
Andrea Grove-McDonough, now entering her sixth season as director of cross country and track & field, also has four runners on her roster who finished in the top eight on the 2022 MAC Championship team who did not run in last year's MAC race: junior
Joy Chirchir (second place in 2022), as well as seniors
Faith Linga (third),
Lou Trois (sixth) and
Emily Vining (eighth). Redshirt freshman
Mercy Kinyanjui, who won the 5000m and 10,000m races at the 2024 MAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, is competing in her first cross country season.
Newcomers in 2024 include
Bella Earl (New Zealand),
Gabby Phelan (Liverpool, U.K.) and
Lauren Zanotelli (Miamisburg, Ohio).
The MAC Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 2 in Muncie, Ind. The postseason will begin with the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Friday, Nov. 15 in Akron, Ohio. The NCAA Championships will take place on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Madison, Wis. The Rockets, who last qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2022, are looking to return to nationals for the sixth time in their history.
Follow the Rockets
Be sure to follow the Rockets' women's cross country team on social media:
- X/Twitter: ToledoXCTF
- Instagram: toledoxctf
- Facebook: Toledo XCTF
