Kerry Caher is to the women’s cross country team what Andrew Nicholson was to the men’s basketball program: an immensely talented athlete who somehow ended up competing for the brown and white.
Caher, who is entering her senior season, already stands as the greatest female runner in St. Bonaventure history because she holds the school record for the fastest time in every distance in cross country as well as the fastest 5k in track. But in her first three years, the team has failed to fully capitalize on the talent of its star.
At the conference championships last year, Caher led the Bonnies, finishing fourth in the 126-runner field. Yet the team placed 12th out of 14 teams. While this was a school record, it was nevertheless underwhelming for the team.
After last season’s record-breaking performances, expectations have risen exponentially for the team. And they should. The Bonnies enter the season with five of their top eight runners from last year returning for another campaign. In 2014, they showed potential. This year, that potential must translate into success.
Senior Aubrie Russell, the team’s third-place finisher at last year’s championship, has assumed the role of second-place runner as well as co-captain of the team. She and Caher will be expected to lead their teammates to wins.
But perhaps the greatest source of optimism for the Bonnies lies in their underclassmen. Sophomore Hailey Gattuso, who ran last season while battling a stress fracture, returns healthy. Along with sophomore Nicolette DiMura, Gattuso will be heavily relied upon. Likewise, for the team to succeed, juniors Julia Mericle and Alexis Young will have to transition from eighth and ninth-place finishes to consistent top-five efforts.
Oddly, the success of the team will be almost entirely dependent on everyone except Caher. She can be expected to turn in top-notch performances meet after meet. But in cross country, one star can only do so much. Even one bad race from any of the team’s next four runners can result in a massive fall in standings.
Entering his fifth full season as head coach, Bob Macfarlane has continued to improve the program. To complement his existing team, he signed three new recruits including freshman Rachel Guyer. In her senior year of high school, Guyer placed eighth in her class at the Pennsylvania state championships in cross country as well as fifth in the 1600-meter run in track.
New, talented runners as well as a returning core of athletes make this team look great on paper, but Bonaventure sports fans are all too used to seeing talented teams fall short of preseason expectations.
For the women’s cross country team, the course to success begins tomorrow, and it begins in the team’s own backyard. For the first time in three years, St. Bonaventure will host the Little Three Invitational against rivals Canisius and Niagara. On a familiar course with fans in attendance, it’s time for the Bonnies to hit the ground running.
