CROSS COUNTRY SEASON PREVIEW: Yellow Jackets racing towards first competition
DEFIANCE, Ohio – After a light season last fall, the Defiance College cross country program is inching towards the starting line of a new era in the NAIA with a revamped roster. Led by second-year head coach James Rollins, DC will have up to 18 new runners in purple and gold this fall.
Season Outlook
The year starts with an open race at Muskingum on Friday and will include a total of six meets, concluding with the WHAC Championship on Nov. 1. Due to low numbers in distance runner, the Yellow Jackets competed in just one event a year ago.
With a large recruiting class coming in, Coach Rollins is focused on building a culture centered on excellence to set the program up for long-term success. "We have a very young group of talented athletes that has the potential to accomplish some very special things in the next few years," says Rollins. "Our goal this year is to continue to get better each day and to build a foundation for continued success in the future." The 2024 cross country season is a pivotal year for both the men's and women's teams to grow into competitive units.
About the Team
The cast is completely new for both the men's and women's teams with recruits from the Dayton, Columbus, and Chicago areas in addition to local talents Eli Fortman, Isaac Miler, and Jakob Trevino.
On the women's side, it is an all-new roster as well. Defiance High School grad Mira Horvath transferred in from Bluffton after one year of basketball for the Beavers and is the senior member of the team. With four other freshmen, one new face that has brought some buzz to the team is Zawadi Debola, who was a standout at Thurgood Marshall in Dayton.
Conference Outlook
Cornerstone has been the top cross country program in the WHAC on both the men's and women's side in recent years. Aquinas snapped the Golden Eagles' streak of four straight men's WHAC titles last fall while the Cornerstone women has won each of the last three championship meets.
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