Women's Cross Country 2023 Season Preview
FROSTBURG, Md. – Frostburg State Athletics will be taking a preview of each team competing in the fall season, covering eight total sports. With one last sport to cover, the team will be broken down into their expectations, key players, and overall outlook for their season and program. To finish off the final week and to conclude fall previews will be Women's Cross Country.
Overall
Frostburg State's Women's Cross Country will run their 54th season this Fall in their 2023 season. Head Coach Shane Brookshire enters his fifth season with the team.
Last Season
Frostburg came in seventh in the MEC Championships last season, the best-ever for the program. The Bobcats had two top-five finishes last year as a team, coming in fifth out of seven teams in the Piper Alumni XC Challenge, and coming in fifth out of nine teams in the Bethany Invite. Alana Dyce-Giraud knotted a top-ten finish in the team's opening meet last year, the Piper Alumni XC Challenge, finishing with a time of 15:58.6, the best on the team. FSU also qualified for their first-ever Division II Atlantic Region Championship.
The Returners
The Bobcats have six out of their eight runners returning from last season, with juniors Amy Tarcza, Elibeth Stanley, and Chelsea Montau, sophomores Claire Breighner and Dyce-Giraud, and redshirt freshman Olivia Bostic. Coming off a top-ten finish in 2022, Dyce-Giraud ran a 22:54.00 in the Lock Haven XC Invite, the fastest in FSU history since 2009. Stanely went on to set a personal record, also in the Lock Haven XC Invite, with a time of 24:26.20, alongside Tarcza with a personal best of 25:29.10.
The Newcomers
Brookshire welcomes seven new faces in five freshmen and two transfers. Junior Bridget Sawyers joins the team coming from Harford Community College, while sophomore Adra Schell joins from Alderson Broaddus. Paige Etnoyer, Jazmine Pinon, Hannah Schauman, Leah Stotelmyer, and Emily Wishart serve as freshmen.
Kick off to the Season
FSU opens their season on Friday, September 1 in Shippensburg, PA at the Galen Piper XC Invite. The team looks to compete in at least six other meets in the regular season, the Bethany XC Invite, LHU XC Invite, and Bill Lennox Invitational preceding the MEC Championships in October, followed by the Go Fast River Run and the Atlantic Region Championships.
For more information on all fall sports, visit frostburgsports.com.
Latest Women's Cross Country Stories
- Women's Cross Country Places 18th at Atlantic Regional MeetThe Frostburg State women's cross-country team took 18th at the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Championship, finishing with a total score of 490.
- Women's Cross Country Places 5th at MEC Championships, Dyce-Giraud Earns 2nd Team All-MECThe Frostburg State Women's Cross Country team finished fifth out of nine teams in the MEC Cross Country Championships held on Saturday morning.
- Women's XC Places 7th in Final Tune-Up Before MEC ChampionshipsThe Frostburg State Women's Cross Country team placed seventh out of 13 teams in the Bill Lennox Invitational held on Saturday morning.
- Women's Cross Country Runs at Lock Haven InvitationalThe Frostburg State Women's Cross Country team placed 26th in the Lock Haven XC Invite on Saturday morning in a crowded field of 37 total teams.
- Women's Cross Country Places 8th at Bethany InvitationalThe Frostburg State Women's Cross County team finished eighth at the Bethany Invite.
- Women's Cross Country Opens Season at Galen Piper InviteThe Frostburg State Women's Cross Country team began their season on Friday night with a ninth place finish at the Galen Piper Invite hosted by Shippensburg.
