Northwestern University Athletics
2004 Season In Review
12/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country & Track
Dec. 17, 2004
2004 WXC Results in PDF Format
2004 WXC Race by Race in PDF Format
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EVANSTON, Ill. - It was a disappointing season for the women's cross country team, although the rise of some young runners left the impression that the future could be bright for this program.
"It was a frustrating season," acknowledged head coach Amy Tush, who recently finished her fourth season with the 'Cats. "We kept waiting for everyone to click at the same time, and it never happened."
Tush's biggest relief comes from the fact that her best runner in 2004 was a freshman. Marie Grabinski (Carmel, Ind./Carmel), in just her second year of running competitively, was NU's top finisher in every race she ran. She capped her superb season by finishing 32nd overall at the Midwest Regional Championships in a personal-best 21:36.96.
"Marie is looking forward to using the regional race as a steppingstone," said Tush. "She really put it together there for the first time this season. We will build on that race during the winter track season, and hope to have her at an ever higher level in 2005."
A pair of underclassmen, sophomore Mallory O'Niel (Bloomfield, Mich./Wylie E. Groves) and freshman Alison Coren (Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling), overcame early-season injuries and were also scoring for the 'Cats by the time the championship season started. Another returnee to watch is junior Kalysta Harmon (Olympia, Wash./Capital), who scored at Big Tens.
"I was really pleased with how Mallory came along," said Tush, who saw the sophomore score for the first time this season at regionals. "Alison battled through some shin splints and also performed well in her first season of college running."
What Tush will have to do, however, is fill the gaps left by a trio of women who have scored consistently for the Wildcats since they first donned the purple and white togs -- Diana Hossfeld (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona Del Mar), Lesley Meade (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline) and two-time captain Kyna Forkins (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West).
"Obviously, we lose a great group with those three," said Tush, also noting Caroline Speirs (Greer, S.C./Riverside) who ran at the championship races for the first time in her career this fall. "But we have a pair of great recruits signed for next year, and we are looking to get a few more who will be impact runners right away."
