Scots Hosting 23rd Annual Wooster Invitational

For The Week Of:
September 18, 2006

Written by Hugh Howard
330-263-2374
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Katie Wieferich

The College of Wooster men?s and women?s cross country teams will play host to the annual Wooster Invitational this Saturday, Sept. 23. This year will mark the 23rd running of the event and it will be an eight-team field with harriers from Ashland University, Case Western Reserve University, Cuyahoga Community College (women only), Hiram College, Kenyon College, Notre Dame College, and Ursuline College (women only) joining the Fighting Scots. Since 1984, the Wooster men have finished first in the team standings on two occasions (1985, 1999) with two individual winners and the Scot women have four team titles (1985, 1993, 1995, 1996) and eight individual crowns. Action at L.C. Boles Memorial Golf Course is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. with the women?s 5K race, followed by the men?s 8K at 11:45 a.m.

Last Week: On Sept. 16, Wooster?s Rudy Gilman (Silverton, Ore. / Silverton Union) and Katie Wieferich (Marietta, Ohio / Marietta) each won individual cross country races at the 5th annual Carl Broughton Invitational, hosted by Marietta College, while leading their teams to third- (men) and second-place finishes (women). The men?s field was comprised of seven teams and the women?s eight.
For Gilman, a junior who covered the 8K course at Broughton Nature Preserve in a time of 28:17, it marked the first such victory of his collegiate career, and he established himself as the Scots? No. 1 harrier for 2006. The rest of Wooster?s men?s scorers ran in a tight pack, with senior David Thomas (Elyria, Ohio / Elyria), freshman Zane Shetler (North Canton, Ohio / Hoover), freshman Terry Workman (Hillsboro, Ohio / Greenfield McClain), and sophomore Mark DeWine (Annandale, Va. / Bishop Denis J. O?Connell) crossing the finish line in 13th (29:24), 15th (29:36), 16th (29:48), and 17th (29:48), respectively.
Wieferich picked up right where she left off last season. The two-time track All-American and winner of five cross country races in 2005, breezed through the 5K in a course-record 18:34, nearly two full minutes ahead of the runner-up (20:30). Also in the top-10 for the Scots was junior Nicole Calderone (Grass Lake, Mich. / Greenhills School), who placed ninth overall (20:54), while rounding out the squad?s scorers were senior Ashely Zervos (Wheeling, W. Va. / Linsly School), sophomore Emily Elderbrock (Ashland, Ohio / Ashland), and freshman Caitlin O?Riordan (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Chagrin Falls) with respective finishes of 13th (21:24), 16th (21:46), and 20th (22:18).

NCAC Runner of the Week: For her efforts (see above), Wooster standout Katie Wieferich (Marietta, Ohio / Marietta) was named the North Coast Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week for women?s cross country.