Ohio Wesleyan University | Battling Bishop Athletics

2008 Season Preview

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[ Kat Zimmerly ] The 2007 Ohio Wesleyan women's cross country team placed a league-high 6 runners on the All-North Coast Athletic Conference teams, but the Battling Bishops could not translate those laurels into points and tied for third place in the final team standings.

With 5 of those 6 runners returning and a talented incoming class, head coach Kris Boey and associate head coach Matt Wackerly think the 2008 Bishops will be in the thick of a heated conference championship race.

"There are three preseason nationally ranked teams in our conference," Boey said, "but we have extremely strong junior and senior classes, our sophomore class distinguished itself last year, and we have a very good freshman class. This team can compete for the conference title and all four classes are going to contribute."

Sophomore Kat Zimmerly (Edinboro, Pa./General McLane) and junior Claire Everhart (Edinboro, Pa./General McLane) were second-team all-conference honorees last season, with Zimmerly finishing eighth and Everhart 12th in the championship meet.

Senior Leah Schmelzer (Marion/Pleasant) was a second-team all-conference honoree in 2006 and an honorable mention pick last year, senior Laura Binkley (Columbus/Bishop Watterson) is a 2-time honorable mention All-NCAC selection, and sophomore Jesi Dackin (Reynoldsburg) also took all-conference honors with a 21st-place finish last year.

[ Leah Schmelzer ] Senior Valerie Sloboda (Columbia, Md./Atholton) scored for Ohio Wesleyan at the NCAA regional meet in 2006, while senior Caitlin Chesnut (Wilmington) is another returning letterwinner.

Juniors Kara Reiter (Chardon) and Amber Alegria (Tucson, Ariz./Salpointe Catholic) and sophomore Rachael Newman (Strongsville) are returning letterwinners who will look to build on successful 2008 track seasons. Reiter and Newman won all-conference honors in the 800-meter run and as members of the 1600-meter relay team, while Alegria placed in the 400-meter dash.

Freshmen Kate Battle (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep) and Emma Lisull (Ann Arbor, Mich./Greenhills), both all-state selections in cross country while in high school, lead an impressive incoming class.

Freshman Allie Nichols (Mansfield/Lexington) finished in the top 20 at the Ohio state cross country meet, freshman Maggie O'Connell (Hingham, Mass.) was a state qualifier in high school, freshman Deanna Breaux (Bossier City, La./Parkway) was a first-team all-district selection in high school, freshman Mary Slebodnik (Utica) was a first-team all-league honoree in high school, and freshman Lauren Wright (Delaware/Hayes) was a state qualifier in high school.

Juniors Sarah Marous (Bexley) and Emily Washek (Erie, Pa./McDowell) are newcomers to the Bishop cross country team.

"We have 11 or 12 runners who are capable of running in our top 7," said Wackerly. "What we're looking for is for someone to emerge from that pack as a low scorer at the conference and regional level."

The Bishops' season opens on Aug. 30 at the Dayton Flyer Invitational. The schedule includes major meets such as the Great Lakes Colleges Association meet on Sept. 13 at Oberlin, hosting the All-Ohio Intercollegiate Championship on Oct. 10, and the NCAC championship meet on Nov. 1 at Oberlin.