WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Aug. 23) – After spending the 2009 season as its assistant coach, Chris Hardie takes over as the headman of both the men’s and women’s cross country teams at Waynesburg University. He replaces former headman, Blair Zimmerman.
The Waynesburg women are coming off of a fifth-place finish at the 2009 Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Cross Country Championships. The squad is expecting a much higher finish at the 2010 championships, which it will host at the Greene County Airport on Oct. 30. This confidence is due in large part to the return of every major contributor to last year’s team, with the exception of then-senior Janet Carson.
Leading the returners are sophomore Megan Donovan and junior Michelle Naymick. Last year, Donovan was a two-time PAC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week Award recipient and earned all-conference honors after placing 15th overall and 11th among qualifying runners. She was also Waynesburg’s top runner at five of their six races.
Naymick, who put in the team’s top time at last year’s Sea Gull Opener, which was hosted by Salisbury University, placed 23rd at the 2009 conference championships. She was also Waynesburg’s top finisher at the 2009 NCAA Mideast Regionals.
Along with its top two runners returning, Waynesburg also welcomes back seniors Heather Flower and Sarah Beth Rood, juniors Michelle Gottschalk and Jordan Miller and sophomores Elizabeth Johnson and Casey Morris.
Waynesburg’s large group of returners will also be bolstered by a highly talented recruiting class, which Hardie said is likely to contribute right away.
Waynesburg opens the 2010 season on Wednesday, Sept. 1, when its competes in a tri-meet with Geneva and Thiel. The Yellow Jackets will also host their annual home invitational on Sept. 11.