2008 Women's Cross Country Outlook
Guilford College's cross country teams usher in a new era as Heidi Pinkerton takes over as the Quakers' men's and women's head coach. She inherits nine returning letter winners, including the top female runner from 2007, sophomore Grace Normann, but will miss the top two men’s harriers from a year ago.
Pinkerton is recently removed from a distinguished college career as an NCAA Division I distance runner at UNC Greensboro. She hopes her age and experience will help her relate well with the team.
"I know these workouts and how they feel," Pinkerton said. "I know how it is to do a sport and school at the same time... it helps to have a coach who's been there."
The Quakers' women placed seventh at the 2007 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championships after an injury-filled season. The seventh-place finish matched Guilford's best in four tries. Pinkerton hopes to build a solid and competitive team as five newcomers join the fold in 2008.
Normann should lead the team again and Pinkerton would like to lower her personal-best six-kilometer time to under 26 minutes, which would better her school-record time by nearly a minute. Pinkerton expects freshman Linnea Saby and senior Jennifer Abelin to compete with Normann. Abelin, a captain on Guilford’s lacrosse team, is in her first college cross country season. Junior captain Dana Small and junior Rachel Dede bring experience to the team.
ODAC cross country coaches picked Guilford seventh of nine teams in the women's poll. If the team stays healthy and progresses as hoped, Pinkerton believes both squads can better their 2007 ODAC results by two places.
The Quakers' schedule opens with two six-kilometer races for the women, which will help them prepare for the league championships run over the same distance. Guilford competes twice at Hagan Stone Park in Greensboro and runs for the first time at NCAA Division II Wingate University. Virginia Wesleyan College hosts this year’s ODAC Championships and Guilford previews the course Aug. 30 when it runs in the Blue Marlin Invitational. Texas Lutheran University in San Antonio hosts the NCAA Division III South Region Championship Nov. 15.