WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – William & Mary Cross Country opens the 2024 fall season at the Spider Alumni Open at Pole Green Park in Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday, August 31. The men’s 6K will begin at 9:15 a.m., with the women’s 4K following at 9:50 a.m.
– This is the second year in a row and the seventh time in the last nine years that the Tribe has competed in the Spider Alumni Open to open the season. Last season, the Tribe finished second in the women’s and fourth in the men’s division.
– Last season in Richmond, Juniors Sofia Istnick (Fourth with 13:43.2) and Arianna DeBoer (ninth with 14:01.8) both finished in the top 10. Istnick was named CAA Runner of the Week for her performance. In the men’s Nate Jennings (18:26.1) and Zack Erickson (18:34.7) led the tribe and finished 14th and 19th respectively.
– The Tribe men’s program returns five of its top six runners from last season, who placed third at the CAA Championship. A trio of All-CAA performers return in Hayes TrappJennings and Peyton Golden.
– The women’s team includes eight of the Tribe’s top nine skaters who finished fourth at the CAA Championships. Istnick, DeBoer and Catherine Garrison was awarded All-CAA honors last season.
– Istnick capped off last season with a 19th-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Region Championship, earning All-Region honors. She is the Tribe’s first All-Region honoree since 2016.
– A total of 10 new additions to the women’s team. Together with Layna Caprittawho transferred from Virginia Tech, the Green and Gold welcomes nine true freshmen in Celia Dawson (Fairfax, Virginia), Molly Ellison (Manchester, New Hampshire), Nya Folk (Raleigh, NC), Maddie Gypson (Charlottesville, Virginia), Abby Lane (Fort Defiance, Virginia), Allison McDonald (Blacksburg, Virginia), Anne McSweeney (Peachtree Corners, Georgia), Chloe Miller (Springfield, Va.) and Molly Weithman (Vienna, Virginia).
– The Tribe men’s program has a trio of newbies in absolute newbies Collin Walsh (New Milford, Connecticut), Caleb Wilcox (Midlothian, Va.) and Travis Wolfe Thompson (Brooklyn, New York).
– This week, Rick Platt ’72 made a groundbreaking donation of $6.5 million to the Tribe’s men’s and women’s track and cross country programs, just six months after donating $2.3 million during the Everything included Campaign to completely renovate the TF/XC locker rooms at Zable Stadium. The Rick Platt Cross Country and Track Excellence Fund will fund comprehensive changes over 10 years to raise the profile of the programs, including additional scholarships, preseason cross country training camps, travel funds to allow participation in the most competitive track and field and cross country meets, and other social events to build team cohesion and camaraderie.
