Last Saturday, the cross country team participated in the Rochester Yellowjacket Invitational, hosted by the University of Rochester. Both the men’s and women’s teams placed 14 out of 25 in their respective categories. Oberlin’s fastest finishers in the 6-kilometer race were second-year Sage Reddish, fourth-year Sunniva Sheffield, and third-year Eliza Medearis, with each finishing in the top 100 overall. In the 8K, second-years Walter Moak and Danny Markey, along with third-years Jerry Achtermann and Aidan Duffield, also finished in the top 100 .

Moak was declared the North Coast Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week for Sept. 6. He was the first finisher for Oberlin; a continuation of his success at the Wooster Invitational where he finished second overall in the 4-mile race. Although he primarily ran shorter events, such as the 1500-m and the 3K steeplechase during last year’s winter and spring track season, Moak is beginning to adjust to the longer events he’s competing in this year.

“I was pleased with how I moved up through the pack at Rochester; while I was in 76th place at the 2k split, I finished 23rd,” Moak wrote in an email to the Review. “All five of our scoring runners had similar progressions over the middle miles.”

Head Coach Ray Appenheimer is excited for this season after coming off a successful spring track and field season, where he was named one of the Coaches of the Year for the women’s division. Appenheimer is continuing to focus on fostering a positive team environment while encouraging growth and improvement.

“This year, we’ve been talking a lot about the energy we bring to our spaces and the effect we have on building a positive, fun, goal-oriented community for ourselves and the people around us,” Appenheimer wrote in an email to the Review. “We talk about how we are all responsible for the collective energy at practice, at meets, in the weight room, everywhere we go. When everyone understands and is engaged in the effect they have on the people and spaces in their lives, then you’re going to have a positive culture. … The challenge is always balancing getting in the most work at the most effective intensity while keeping the focus on the entire season, knowing that with training, consistency is everything.”