The Bluffton University Men's and Women's Cross Country teams are excited to start the 2014 campaign. The men return a pair of strong runners in sophomore Jack Fisher (Norwalk/St. Paul) and junior Zach Bradley (Sheffield/Brookside). This duo should provide a strong front running combination that will be very effective in the Heartland Conference.

The next two scoring positions will likely be filled by freshmen and while this often does not bode well for helping a team score, the freshmen reporting for this season's camp have been putting in their miles and are enthused about the step up to college running. If Fisher and Bradley perform as expected, the Beaver harriers could be looking at a very nice conclusion to a quality season and one that would break new ground for the program.

The women's team looks to make significant progress over the fortunes of the last two years. Sophomore Anna Hairston (Mansfield/Ontario), coming off of a fine freshman cross season and even better track season, is poised to make a major step up the ranks of the conference as well as perhaps the NCAA region. Junior Tara Murphy (Westerville/Thomas Worthington) is growing in confidence. She is likely to race at an even higher level this year than last year and last year she ran to an honorable mention All-HCAC finish. Sophomore Raven Wilson (Coshocton/Riverview) has been training with great commitment this summer and is ready to become a major player in this season's team fortunes.

Freshmen Alissa Hauke (Hillsboro) and Elaina Alpeter (Galloway/Hilliard Bradley) as well as returners Megan Lefeld (St. Henry), Kati O'Neill (Wapakoneta), Miranda Hostetler (Glenmont/West Holmes) and Kristin Schiefer (Bucyrus/Wynford) figure to produce among them at least two quality performances per meet to fill out the scoring five. The women are psyched to see a vast improvement over the team performances of the last two years and with the work that they have put in this summer, we anticipate seeing a huge leap forward.

The Beavers open their schedule in the Bluffton University Nature Preserve with their home meet the evening of Friday, August 29. Come out and support the Beavers as they embark on what promises to be rewarding autumn.

-BEAVERS-