Image courtesy of Mount Holyoke College Athletics
This week’s team of the week is Mount Holyoke Cross Country.
Last year, Mount Holyoke Cross Country finished their season on Nov. 16 at the NCAA Division III Championships hosted by Bowdoin College. The Lyons placed seventh out of 54 teams with 267 points. Both Madeline Rieders ’21 and Hannah Rieders ’21 earned All-Region honors since they placed within the top 35 in their 6k course race.
Coach Chris Kibler gave insight as to what the team has accomplished over the summer. According to him, the team has “kept up regular communication with Zoom calls, phone calls, text and group messages.”
Kibler also discussed fundraising for the Athletes Taking Action Challenge. “We were nominated by MHC Field Hockey, and were able to raise $1200 for two organizations that will continue to help move the Black Lives Matter movement in the right direction,” Kibler explained. “We were then able to nominate MHC Rowing and Bryn Mawr XC/T&F [Cross Country/Track and Field] to take on the challenge,”
Kibler continued to explain what MHCXC is up to this fall. The team has had virtual synchronous and asynchronous practices and will compete in virtual asynchronous races throughout the fall. In the team’s first week of competition, they placed 4th overall in a 3,000m race against national competitors.
“We had team tryouts just like every year during the first week of official practice, and had many outstanding efforts and several personal bests,” Kibler said. “I am so proud of the team for working hard for something bigger than themselves during a time of so much uncertainty. The adversity and experiences they face now are making them into the most incredible people in the world.”
In our next publication, Mount Holyoke Field Hockey will be highlighted as the team of the week