Coach Michael Garrison described the Terrapin women’s cross country season and forecasted upcoming years with one simple phrase: “solid strides in the right direction.”
Despite another eighth-place ACC finish, that’s precisely what the Terps did.
The Terps ended their season Nov. 19th with a second-place finish at the IC4A/ECAC Championship, a race in which the team finished 11th last year. Garrison and the Terps improved nine spots, capping off one of the most successful seasons in program history, which also included a fourth-place finish at the highly competitive Paul Short Invitational, and the program’s first-ever national ranking.
“We’re getting better,” said Garrison. “[The runners] completely committed to what they were trying to do, and that was running fast.”
Senior Cori Koch finished her cross country career by leading the team in five of seven races this season. Fellow seniors Danielle Siebert, Katie Purcell, and Allison Carney also left the program in better shape than when they arrived.
Junior Laurel Jefferson ranked well for the team in all races, and runners junior Meghan Braffet, senior Shari Gorga and freshman Kylynn Mckinley will also add experience to the team next year.
“We have a really strong core coming back,” said Garrison. “We have a very, very bright future.”
Contact reporter Jeffrey O’Toole at sports@dbk.umd.edu.
