MIDDLETOWN, CT. – Come Saturday, the Wesleyan women's cross country team will be waiting for the go ahead start at the NESCAC Championships, hosted by Bowdoin College at Bowdoin's Pickard Field Cross Country Course. The 6k race will begin at 11 a.m. with the men's race following the conclusion at 12 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
The 2023 NESCAC Championship saw the women's cross country team pick up two All-NESCAC honors on their way to a fifth-place team finish, the program's best showing since 2018, as
Stephanie Ager '26 and
Jordan Walter '25 placed in the Top 10.
Ager, a two-time All-NESCAC selection, earned First Team honors as she crossed the finish line in sixth place with a final time of 22:28.7 and a 6:01 average mile. Walter, placing ninth for the Cardinals, earned her first-career All-NESCAC honors with a Second Team selection, running a 22:44.7 final and a 6:06 mile.
The 2024 Cardinals campaign was full of fresh faces as head coach
Leo Mayo brought in a freshmen class of 12 women. As a team, the Cardinals had several Top 10 finishes, placing fourth at their own Cardinal Invitational, an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Pre-National Championships, and a second-place finish at the James Earley Invitational.
Cardinals to Watch
- Ager, the Cardinals top contender for three seasons now, will be the top runner to watch as the NESCAC Championships get underway in Brunswick. Ager led the Cardinals in the three races she ran, winning the Cardinal Invitational with a 21:12.55. Ager placed second at the Little Three Championship, the Cardinals' season-opening race, running a 15:08.6. Her best showing of the season came at the NCAA Pre-National Championship where she was the lone Cardinal in the Top 10, placing fifth of 389 runners at 21:41.14. Ager, a 2023 All-Region and All-New England selection, placed eighth at the NCAA All-New England Regional race before placing 67th at the National Championships.
- Another strong contender for the Cardinals is Walter. A consistent Top 50 finisher, Walter is also a solid Top 20 runner as well. Walter's highest placement this season was the Cardinal Invitational where she finished sixth with a 21:55.30. Opening the season, Walter ran a 15:42.5 for 17th at the Little Three Championship. Her final run came in the NCAA Pre-National Championship, placing 36th with a clocked time of 22:22.29. Walter finished 45th at the All-New England Regional.
- One of the aforementioned fresh faces to watch will be Alexandra Weingard '28. In her first two races of the season, Weingard was a Top 20 runner for the Cardinals, placing 19th at the Little Three Championship, running a 15:45.8, before placing 20th at the Cardinal Invitational with a final race time of 22:25.69. Weingard had a phenomenal run at the NCAA Pre-National, placing 61st at 22:46.05.
- Joining Weingard as part of the freshman class, Virginia Lessner '28 is sure to have a reliable race for the Cardinals on Saturday. Lessner placed 18th at the Little Three Championship with a 15:43.1 before placing 99th at the NCAA Pre-National race with a final time at 23:16.14.
The 2023 NESCAC Championship went to Williams College with six runners in the Top 20. Williams' Genna Girard won the individual title.
