Cross country rumbles into a new season

Although it still feels like summer, autumn is fast approaching. With that comes seasonal favorites, cooler weather, football and changing foliage. But another fall staple is cross country.

The Miami University RedHawks cross country team is expecting strong results this season. In the Mid-American Conference (MAC) preseason poll the men’s team is ranked second and the women’s team is ranked sixth. The University of Toledo tops both of the polls.

The RedHawk Rumble will be the first test for Miami on both the men’s and women’s side. This race is a shorter race than the usual 10K for the men and 6K for women, but it will be a good opportunity nonetheless.

“The goal is to make this a starting point and see where everyone’s at,” said 10th year coach De’Sean Turner. “It’s in the same realm as an exhibition game before the basketball season.”

The RedHawk Rumble is the first of at least six races the RedHawks will compete in. The early season opportunity is vital to show Turner exactly what he has coming into the season with a tough schedule on the horizon.

The RedHawk Rumble takes place on Friday, Sept. 4 on the Miami University Cross Country Course. The men’s team will run a 6K race at 9 a.m. followed by a 5K race by the women at 9:40 a.m.

Senior Chris Perkins leads the charge for the RedHawks. The England native is coming off a second team All-MAC result last cross country season. Perkins placed 13th in the conference meet last year.

The women’s team will be strong one through seven with sophomore Marisa Heil anticipated to lead the charge. The Lancaster, Ohio native is coming off a strong freshman season, winning the John McNichols Invitational and being named MAC runner of the week.

Turner has coached the team to two MAC titles for the men and one women’s conference championship during his time in Oxford. The team completed an impressive sweep of both the men’s and women’s championships in 2022.

Turner was a six-time All-American at Indiana University with professional running experience with Team Indiana Elite and Hoka One One. Turner brings experience both in coaching and competing at the highest level of collegiate cross country and track.

“I am very excited about the group this year,” Turner said. “We have a lot of talent, and I’m ready to get going. It’s going to be a fun season.”

Senior runner Petros Sanchez Ropero is looking forward to what he hopes will be a successful season and final chapter to his Miami career. The Spaniard placed first in the MAC steeplechase run last track season and 14th in the MAC championship cross country race last fall. He is looking to build off that success both personally and as a team.

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“I am excited for the opportunities this season, and I think we can do well,” Sanchez Ropero said. “We have a lot of talent, and I am excited to be able to show that off.”

It will be a revenge year for the RedHawks. The team is trying to avenge its runner-up finish against Toledo this past season. Sanchez Ropero figures to be a large part of that effort. Perkins and Sanchez Ropero led the charge for the RedHawks in last year’s MAC championship effort, and both will need to have similar success for the RedHawks to win in Kalamazoo, Michigan this November.

Senior athlete Cara Razavi looks to take advantage of this early opportunity. Razavi hopes that early success can be a springboard for a successful season.

“It’s nice to start at home and get back into racing,” Razavi said. “It will be fun to race on the same course that we train on.”

Before regionals, nationals or even a MAC Championship can be a glimmer in the eyes of the athletes or coaches, a strong start at the RedHawk Rumble is a necessity.

jollifvm@miamioh.edu