MILWAUKEE – The Mount Mary University cross country season is in the books for 2015. This year was loaded with firsts, and as always, it seems the Blue Angels runners cut their times nearly every race.
"My number one goal every season is to see the majority of our runners improve on their personal records from the previous season." Head Cross Country Coach Eugene Miranda went on, "I am very satisfied with the results as only one of our returning runners did not accomplish that goal."
The Blue Angels runners did just what the coach had wanted, trimmed their times week after week. Danielle Sherrer(Sr./Milwaukee, Wis.) led by example for yet another season. The senior continued to be a vocal leader, and most notably the consistent work and effort by Sherrer led the younger runners via example. Starting with a 23:45.7 time at a five kilometer race, and a 28:16.8 time at a six kilometer race, Sherrer decreased her time in every race of that distance to finish with times of 22:25.1 and 26:20.3 of the respective lengths.
That spirit is what kept the Blue Angels runners impressing the newly joined Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. A combination of newcomers Jori Galles (So./Waukesha, Wis.) and Christina Ishaq (Fr./Milwaukee, Wis.) joined with the consistency of the returners Sherrer, Natalie Guyette (Jr./Shiocton, Wis.) and Hayley Hove (Jr./Golden Valley, Minn.) meant the team continued to finish higher and higher as both individuals and as a team.
To begin the year, MMU finished 10th out of 10 teams at the Tom Barry Invitational, but quickly bounced back the following week at the Ken Weidt Classic. MMU finished ninth out of the 16 teams participating, and outran a number of NACC schools including Alverno, Concordia Chicago, Dominican and Rockford.
The success of the Blue Angels continued on throughout the year. The very next race, MMU finished second out of six teams at the Sabercats Invitational for their best team finish of the year, and their best individual placements as Galles finished with a third place spot and Guyette finished at fifth.
Galles finished with another top ten performance in the Warrior Invite placing ninth while her team finished sixth out of 13 teams.
As the season progressed, it was evident that the consistency of the Blue Angels runners could keep them in any race. After competing with NCAA DI, DII and DIII talent at the Lucian Rosa Invitational, the Blue Angels took that experienced gained to their next race and finished the Wisconsin Private College Championships in sixth place out of 16 of the region's top teams.
Then the Blue Angels set their sights on the first ever NACC Championship race. Galles and Guyette both placed in the top 20 of the 120 conference runners. Of the 11 teams in at the meet, the Blue Angels finished sixth as a team, and Galles brought home the first ever NACC All-Conference award for MMU cross country.
Head Coach Eugene Miranda, "The most memorable moment with this group was how the team performed in the NACC Championships despite the most trying weather conditions."
MMU ended their year on a great note when five out of the six Blue Angels set their season's best time for a six kilometer track. At the NCAA Regionals, both Guyette and Sherrer shaved off 40 or more seconds from their previous best. Sherrer's 26:20.3 time was her best collegiate time for 6k, a fitting end for the fourth year student-athlete who was a consistent piece to the Blue Angels success.
Coach Miranda added, "Danielle, who is graduating, was definitely a big influence on the team. Her dad was a strong supporter and was at every meet with his entourage. I will certainly miss him and the family."
2015 was one of the most successful seasons on record for the Blue Angels cross country team. Although MMU will say "goodbye" to Sherrer, they will be returning a solid core of experienced runners for 2016.
"This season will certainly have a positive impact on the upcoming seasons. The team members who are juniors have seen how hard work and determination can take them to performances that they never thought possible." Coach Miranda continued, "The freshmen have noticed how the juniors have improved over the years when the juniors started at the same level the freshmen are at currently."
As the underclassmen can learn from the hard work from the upperclassmen, next season is sure to be another big stride forward. Stay tuned to mtmaryathletics.com for all the updates concerning Blue Angels cross country.
