Season Preview: 2015 CMS Cross Country
Last season, for the third-straight season and 11th time in program history, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps cross country teams swept the SCIAC Championships. The Stags then went on to win the West Regionals and place 15th at the NCAA Championships, while the Athenas finished second in the region and 10th at the NCAA Championships. A veteran group returns in 2015 both for the Athenas and the Stags, and it is a group of student-athletes that includes All-Americans and experienced competitors on the national level.
CMS' season began on Sept. 5 with the annual Nationball Classic in Santa Barbara and continues on Sept. 12 with the U.C. Riverside Invitational. For more information on upcoming events, please view our complete 2015 schedule.
Athenas
The Athenas, who were ranked 11th in NCAA Division III and No. 1 in the West Region in the preseason rankings, are led by senior All-American Bridget Blum (CMC). During her All-America season in 2012, she ran the second-fastest 6k time in CMS history at 21:02. Other key returners for the Athenas are junior Jen Lehr (SCR), junior Caroline Willian (CMC), junior Carmen Mejia (SCR), sophomore Bryn McKillop (SCR), sophomore Laura Broderick (SCR) and junior Rachel Mow (HMC).
Of the Athenas' returning runners from a year ago, Willian had the team's best finish at nationals. In the spring on the track, Mejia ran the 800 meters at the NCAA Championships in 2:09.30 which earned a second place finish and All-America accolades.
Stags
Similar to the Athenas, the Stags are ranked 11th in NCAA Division III and No. 1 in the West Region in the preseason rankings. This year's team has a great deal of depth led by two-time All-American (2013 and 2014), senior, Zorg Loustalet (HMC). Loustalet is the only two-time All-American in CMS cross country history and is the reigning Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Athlete of the Year.
"This is the deepest team in my 31 years at CMS," said head coach John Goldhammer. "At least 12 men on the roster could potentially race at nationals."
In addition to Loustalet, top returners for the Stags include junior Nico Banks (CMC), senior Evan Molineux (CMC), junior Garrett Ryan (CMC), senior Jack Wilson (CMC), junior Kyle Lund (HMC), senior Ryan Jones (HMC), sophomore Kevin Huang (HMC) and junior Joshua Sealand (HMC). Molineux became a SCIAC champion and nationals qualifier in the 1,500 meters on the track while Sealand won SCIAC and finished as a medalist at the NCAA Championships in the 1,500 meters this past spring.
CMS cross country over the years has won 22 SCIAC Championships on the men's side and 14 SCIAC Championships for the women.
By Chris Watts
Director of Athletics Communication
Claremont McKenna College
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