Anna Henry

A year after establishing a new standard for the Wittenberg program with a fourth-place finish in the 2008 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championships, fourth-year Head Coach Craig Penney and his young group of runners have their sights set on the top of the conference and a run at an NCAA Division III appearance. The Tigers appear primed for an even better 2009 campaign as they return the entire scoring pack from last year's squad, including a trio of All-NCAC returnees.

Much of the 2008 success could be attributed to the stellar freshman campaigns of Mary Pfeifer (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), Darcy Dubuc (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven) and Anna Henry (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston). Pfeifer turned in the Tigers best NCAC finish - fifth - since Abi Gerstle won the meet in 2002. Right on her heels, Henry took sixth for first-team All-NCAC honors and Dubuc placed ninth for second-team All-NCAC recognition.

Pfeifer and Dubuc landed on the 2008 Great Lakes All-Region teams after their top-35 finishes at the regional championship meet - both just missed out on individual berths to the national championships. Dubuc also added an individual championship at the Wittenberg Invitational early in the season.

As sophomores, the trio of Pfeifer, Dubuc, and Henry look to guide the Tigers to higher aims in 2009. Joining the top returners are fellow sophomores Emma Crosby (Rockford, Ill./Rockford), Jordan Stafford (Enon, Ohio/Greenon) and Samantha Iden (Pickerington, Ohio/North), all of whom played prominent roles in the scoring pack for the Tigers in 2008.

For leadership, the Tigers also turn to seniors Lauren Woodard (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) and Ali Brown (Chillicothe, Ohio/Zane Trace). Woodard joins Dubuc and juniorLindsay Pepper (Edina, Minn./Edina) as team captains for the fall.

Penney added more depth to the Tigers this fall with the addition of 17 freshmen to the squad. Pursuit for a top spot in the NCAC standings and the first Tiger representation in the national meet since 2002 begins with the season opening meet on Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Meijer Flyer Invitational hosted by the University of Dayton, followed by the Wittenberg Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 12, at picturesque John Bryan State Park.

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