The Lafayette Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams are coming off seasons in the bottom tier of the Patriot League standings, with the men’s team finished last, while the women’s team finished eighth.

“Our team’s goal is always to be better than we were last year,” Coach Jen Buirkle said. “We have a lot of talented upperclassmen returning as well as a few new faces that will make an immediate impact.”

Key Matchup: Tomorrow at Monmouth for the Monmouth XC Kick-Off. This will be the first meet of the year for both the men and women’s squads.

“[It’s] a great way for our upperclassmen to get back into the swing of things after training all summer,” Buirkle said.

As the season opener, the Monmouth meet will also help the freshmen runners adjust to racing at the college level.

Women’s Player to Watch For: Steph Benko ‘16 captured the school record last season for 3000M Steeplechase with a time of 10:33.79. She will look to continue her successes as she shifts to distance running for the cross-country season.

Men’s Player to Watch For: Tom Day ’16 is confident that he can have his best season to date barring any injuries.

“I’ve been concentrating on getting more mileage in during the summer and preseason so that I can benefit from a higher aerobic base later on,” Day said.

Final Remarks: “Our cross-country team should be in a better position this season than last season,” Day said. “Everyone has been working hard at increasing their mileage and intensity all summer long, and we are excited to get the chance to show others that our efforts are starting to pay off. We are on the right path, we just have to keep moving forward and we will make steady progress towards our goals.”