Fall Preview: Women’s Cross Country Set To Showcase Their Depth In First Season With The NCAC

8/28/2025 9:24:00 PM | By: Jamie Dailey '22, SID Assistant

Women's Cross Country Comes Into 2025 Season Ranked Fifth In The Great Lakes Region

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio – From earning their fifth consecutive OAC title to becoming a top team in the Great Lakes Region in 2024, this group's goals remain at a high level.

As the group gears up for the 2025 cross country season, the women will look to continue their success heading into a new conference while also maintaining a culture that has helped them in previous years.

To recap last year's cross country season, the women came away with their fifth-straight OAC championship since 2019 with seven runners earning All-Conference honors. At the Regional Championships, the women placed fifth overall with two runners earning All-Region.

With almost one year under his belt at JCU, Coach Steve Fuelling, Head Cross Country/Assistant Track & Field Coach will return for his first full year with the group after being hired in October 2024.

Daniel Tutskey, Director of Cross Country/Track & Field at John Carroll University returns for his sixth season with the program and is excited about this women's group.

"It's an exciting time to be a Blue Streak," Tutskey emphasized. "You can feel the excitement as we embark on our journey. A new conference, a brand new facility opening soon and a team hungry for success will make for a memorable year."

Coach Tutskey is looking forward to what this group has in store and is excited for what's to come.

"This is a year of firsts and there is something different about this group. You can't point to exactly what it is, but you just know."

This past year, the women's team has lost a total of ten seniors, but they are ready to prove themselves against a conference that has represented well in the past, both regionally and nationally. The women are ready to be one of those teams heading into 2025.

A key contributor that returns for the Blue Streaks this year is senior Abby Schroff. She is coming off of an All-Conference season for the third straight year and will look to lead this group to new heights.

Sophomore Anne Rea will be another athlete to look out for this year as she finished All-Conference and was one place shy of earning All-Region honors. She was also named the 2024 OAC Freshman of the Year in cross country.

Another senior looking to make an impact for the women is Alyssa Vis. After securing All-Conference honors in both cross country and track this past year, Vis will look to continue her momentum and place herself in the mix.

Several key athletes who will look to be potential contributors are senior leaders Cassie Klein and Sydney Wingler.

Klein will look to make one final push in her final season with the Blue Streaks after gaining valuable NCAA Great Lakes Regional experience in 2024. Sydney's season was cut short due to injury, but she'll provide that spark and leadership that will make a lasting impact in her senior year.

Kylie Bennington is another athlete who can make a jump and provide that push to help propel the group moving forward.

This women's team is ready to accomplish great things heading into 2025 and ready to make a statement in their first season in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

The women will make their 2025 season debut at the Bill Sudeck Invitational hosted by Case Western Reserve University at the Squire Valleevue and Hunting Valley Ridge Farms in Hunting Valley, Ohio on Friday, August 29th. The women's 4k will kick off at 5:30 pm. Meet information and live results will be posted on the website before the day of the meet.

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