This year’s Wesleyan women’s cross country team should have strong depth and leadership, as many of the runners from last year will be returning.

Hannah Zimmerman ’13, Julia Mark ’13, and Libby Lazare ’14 are three of the key returning members from last year’s squad. Zimmerman is last year’s NESCAC and Open New England 10k champion, and she will be looking to have a good ending to her collegiate career. Mark finished 42nd at regionals and eighth in the 5k at the NESCAC Championships last year, running an 18:09.00. Lazare, who ran a 10:35.04 for the 3k and 18:26.03 for the 5k indoors, has been in the top three runners for most of her Wesleyan running career and will be hoping to improve on her 30th place     finish  at regionals last year.

Nellie Triedman ’13 and Chloe Lalonde ’13 are both back in the fold after time abroad. Before they left, they were both top-seven runners for the Lady Cardinals.

On the men’s side, the cross country team has every reason to feel optimistic about the upcoming season.

Many top runners are returning from last season, most notably Bryan Marsh ’13. Marsh is a two-time national qualifier and the first Cardinal All-American in six years; he ran the 8k in 24:47.02 at the NCAA Division III Championships last year. Two-time all-regional honoree Skyler Cummins ’13 is coming off a fourth-place finish in last year’s NESCAC Cross Country Championship. Last spring, Cummins ran a 3:59.61 for the 1500m and 8:35.15 for the 3k.

Also returning is fellow senior Austin Cotant, a middle-distance specialist. Cotant spent much of last season as the number-three runner behind Marsh and Cummins. He ended last season with personal records of 3:57.00 in the 1500m and 4:15.14 in the mile. Sam Roth ’13 (1:57.96, 800m/4:01.12, 1500m) and Filmon Tekeste ’15 (16:01.67, 5k/33:01.67, 10k) also return. The five returners are joined by the incoming freshmen, who will add depth to the squad.

The men’s and women’s cross country seasons begin on Saturday, Sept. 22, after a competition against their alumni on Sept. 8. The main events are the Little Three meet on Oct. 13 (Amherst, Williams, and Wesleyan), the NESCAC Championship on Oct. 27, and the New England Divison III meet on Nov. 10. If the Cardinals excel at New Englands, they will have a chance to qualify for the Division III Championships.