KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan cross country team will open its season tomorrow morning at the Winrow Valparaiso Open. The meet is set to begin at 10 AM and will be a distance of 5K.
LAST YEAR'S EVENT
The Broncos finished third as a team at last year's event and had five runners finish in the top 30.
CJ Nixon led the way for the Brown and Gold, earning a 10th-place finish.
Madison Clor was right behind her, grabbing 12th place in the race.
Brooke Soper also had a top-20 finish, concluding the race in 15th place.
Rounding out the scoring lineup for the Broncos were
Delaney Knoll (19th place) and
Madison Zarembski (27th place).
Grace Aurand transferred from Valparaiso this season and finished 20th in the race.
WELCOME TO KALAMAZOO
The Broncos added six runners to the team for 2024, which includes four freshmen and two transfers.
Grace Aurand comes to WMU from Valparaiso, while
Lily Overton transferred in from Iona.
Freshmen wise, the Brown and Gold brought in three runners from Michigan, which are
Shannon Gillahan,
Ava Kurczewski and
Reagan Viau.
Lara Machado Pereira is the other freshman, and she enters the program from Portugal.
KEY RETURNERS
Though the Broncos are a young team, they do have some key returners for the 2024 season. Two of the top returners will be
Lillian Zelasko and
CJ Nixon. Zelasko missed last cross country season but is a multiple time All-State runner from Indiana, while Nixon finished in the top-40 at last year's MAC Championship meet.
Brooke Soper is also back for the Broncos, utilizing a fifth year of eligibility. During her senior season, she was able to routinely score for the Broncos, including a 55th-place finish at the MAC Championships last season.
REGIONALLY RANKED
The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced its regional rankings ahead of the 2024 season. The Broncos checked it at No. 15 in the initial poll, being one of just six Mid-American Conference teams ranked in the preseason poll. Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Ohio, Central Michigan and Bowling Green were the other MAC schools in the rankings.
