Athenas Set to Stay Ahead of the Pack
CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's and women's cross country teams will open the 2017 season this weekend when they travel to the Nationball Classic on Saturday. The Athenas have a busy opening month with five races filling the schedule during the month of September, before a lighter October leads into SCIAC and NCAA Championships at the end of the month and into November. Last season the Athenas finished their season with a 15th-place finish at the NCAA Championships after claiming their 26th SCIAC Championship in program history and their 20th in the last 23 years.
See below for a preview of the 2017 season:
A Look Back
The Athenas are itching to get back on the trails following a successful 2016 campaign. Then junior Bryn McKillop (SC) will be looking to follow up on her All-American season after taking ninth in the NCAA Championship last November. McKillop's fellow classmates, Roselyn Cantu (CMC) and Laura Broderick (SC) are back for their senior year after being major contributors to the Athenas' seventh consecutive SCIAC Championship last season.
Carmen Mejia (SC), Caroline Willian (CMC), and Rachel Mow (HMC) have been consistent faces in the top-20 leaderboards last season and were recipients of All-SCIAC Honors. However, the trio has graduated and the Athenas are looking for a slew of veterans to step up in their place.
On the Course
In addition to the return of McKillop, Cantu, and Broderick, CMS looks forward to the return of Lauren Stanislaw (SC) who recorded a top-10 finish last season at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational last season. Matilda Msall (SC) is also no stranger to the leaderboard, finishing in the top-50 twice at major meets and getting CMS the points to climb the rankings.
Alexandra Lambros (SC) gained valuable experience during her freshman campaign, being one of the few Athenas invited to the NCAA West Regionals last season. She will be one of the four returnees with experience in an NCAA Postseason race.
Along with a strong core of returners, the Athenas welcome 17 freshmen to the program who are eager to make their mark.
What to Watch For
The Athenas open the 2017 season this weekend at the Nationball Classic in Santa Barbara on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. The Nationball Classic starts a stretch of four-straight Saturdays with a race for the Athenas. CMS will travel to the Biola, UC Riverside, and CSU San Bernardino Invitationals before the SCIAC multi-dual meet.
On Friday, Sept. 29 the Athenas will travel to La Mirada to square off with the other eight teams in the conference in a multi-dual meet. The meet will be scored slightly different than other meets during the season, each team from the conference will race and their finishes will be scored as a dual against each team in the conference individually.
The Athenas will race just once in the final month leading up to the SCIAC Championships on Oct. 28. Should CMS advance past the conference championship, the Athenas will not have to travel far for the NCAA West Regionals as Pomona-Pitzer is hosting the regional this year on Nov. 11. Following the regional, the NCAA Division III Championships will be held in St. Louis, Mo. on Nov. 18.
The Coaching Staff
Leading the Athenas for the 2017 campaign, as he has for the last three-plus decades, is John Goldhammer. Across both the men's and women's programs, Goldhammer has lead his teams to a total of 40 SCIAC Titles (24 for the women and 16 for the men) in his 33 years at the helm. Alongside Goldhammer on the coaching staff is third-year assistant coach, Collin Christensen.
For the most up-to-date information, stats, news, schedules, highlights, and more visit CMSathletics.org throughout the season and follow the Stags and Athenas on social media.