The Mountaineers cross country team recently appointed David Hopton as the team's head coach and he's poised to make some noise in his first year.
Ashley Lof returns to the squad following an incredible 2019-2020 campaign that saw her named a First-Team OCAA All-Star along with a sixth-place finish at the OCAA Championships and a top-25 finish at the CCAA Championships.
Following several seasons of success prior to the pandemic, Lof says the team will be looking to re-establish themselves under coach Hopton and make a name for themselves in the OCAA.
"My goal for this year is to see the team build both physical and mental strength after this tough past year. I know coach David wants to see us grow as humans and not just as runners," says Lof. "I have no doubt with the hard work we put in this year, we can make a name for Mohawk on the OCAA race trails. I can't wait to run with the team and feel like a part of the Mountaineer family again!"
Lof will be tasked as a major leader of the program this year with a freshman laden team. The 2021 recruiting class will be a major factor in how this team performs overall in the fall. Coach Hopton says that will play well for the team though with their athletes being able to develop. They have a bright future ahead and Hopton says many would consider them underdogs this year but they're poised to turn some heads.
"Our biggest strength is how fresh a lot of our runners are. Being less experienced means, they're going to progress faster than other teams, and being the underdog we're excited to surprise some people," says Hopton. "The incoming recruiting class will play a huge role. They will surely make up the majority of our team, which means a bright future for the years ahead."
Lof will certainly look to be leader in terms of results but there's several others who will look to step up as there's plenty of experience on the team outside of OCAA events. Matias Tessel previously competed at the OUA level at Wilfried Laurier University and Jacob Chant has competed at a high level in Triathlon.
The team will look to these three when they return to action in early October. While they look to plant the seed for the upcoming years, Hopton is still looking to see some results this fall.
"I would love to see the men's team be on people's radar for medals this year, even if we can't step on the podium," says Hopton. "If we can get a couple of men and women in the top 25 at OCAA's that would really set us up for success in 2022."
The season will consist of two OCAA Invitationals followed by the OCAA Championships and CCAA Championships which be hosted in Alberta. Hopton, alongside assistant coach Hannah Sukkau, will begin their 2021 journey on Saturday, October 2nd in London for an OCAA Invitational.
