Coming off the most successful season in program history, in which the Waynesburg University Women’s Cross Country team was able to snap Grove City’s 27-year streak atop the Presidents Athletic Conference standings, Coach Chris Hardie still sees a potentially brighter future ahead.

This past weekend, the Yellow Jackets traveled to Bethany, West Virginia to partake in the Bethany Invitational. The women finished seventh out of 16 teams – however, the standings weren’t what the coaches were watching.

“We wanted to give the top six a rest, and so strategically we talked to everyone in that top six to kind of figure out what was a break for them,” said Hardie. “Was it a break if [they] just got into the race and hit a pace, or helped [their] teammate by pushing them in a group.”

Ultimately, the senior girls on the team, Julie Gerber and Angie Marchetti, who are also the team’s captains, decided to run and help the other girls on the team with pacing during the race. Pack running, having multiple runners from the same team together, has been a strong suit for the team in recent years. However, cultivating those groups takes training and time during the season.

“[The women] went two miles… it was a strategy to hit a pace, which they all did, so having Julie and Angie was perfect for that second group,” said Hardie. “And then at two miles they could break off if they felt good, which a few did – Gianna [Pugliano] and Katherine [Fair] did as well.”

Already, Marchetti sees a lot of potential in the freshmen class.

“We have a strong freshmen class, on both the men’s and women’s [team],” said Marchetti. “I think it’s exciting to see them come out and perform – they all definitely have the potential, with the talent they have, to make more history for the program.”

Thanks to help from Gerber and Marchetti, the coaches feel the team largely hit their times and accomplished the goal of paces for the two-mile mark.

Collegiate runners are permitted to wear watches during races to see their time as they run, however Hardie and Assistant Coach Michelle Cross agreed that only the designated pack leader of each group was allowed to wear a watch during this race.

“It was really kind of a ‘feel’ thing,” said Hardie. “So, they didn’t get a split coming through, and that was kind of the strategy for at least our top 15, and then we gave paces to runners 16-22 and had them hit a pace, which worked really well too. So very successful day in terms of strategy, it was implemented very well.”

Overall, the differential from runners one to five for Waynesburg was just 28 seconds – the smallest time gap of the day in the women’s race.

The freshmen duo of Pugliano and Fair ended up placing 32nd and 38th in the race, with Pugliano already making some history for the program, earning her first PAC Women’s Rookie of the Week honor.

The women are in action next Saturday, Sept. 16, when they head to the Allegheny Cross Country Classic in Meadville.