Probable Top Five:

SR Molly Seidel (15:48 5K; 33:18 10K; 1st NCAA 10K ’15; 19th NCAA XC ’14)

SR Danielle Aragon (4:13 1500; 9:22 3K; 25th Great Lakes Regional XC ’14)

FR Anna Rohrer (4:52 1600; 9:59 2 Mile; 16:10 5K; 1st FL '14 & '12) 

FR Annie Heffernan (4:48 1600; 10:13 2 Mile; 1st Ohio State XC ’13)

SR Karen Lesiewicz (9:41 3K; 48th Great Lakes Regional XC ’14; 174th NCAA XC ’14)

 

Impact Freshmen/Transfers: 

Anna Rohrer via Mishawaka, IN (4:52 1600; 9:59 2 Mile; 16:10 5K; 1st FL '14 & '12) 

Annie Heffernan via Cincinnati, OH (4:48 1600; 10:13 2 Mile; 1st Ohio State XC ’13)

Rachel DaDamio via Bloomfield Village, MI (4:46 1600; 10:24 2 Mile; 2nd Michigan State XC ’14; 13th NXN Midwest Regional ’14)

Toni Finnane via Morago, CA (4:59 1600; 10:26 3200; 2nd California State XC ’14; 22nd FL ’14)

Alex Pelletier via University of Rhode Island (9:39 3K; 16:43 5K; 23rd Northeast Regional XC ’14)

 

Analysis:

Notre Dame can put the disappointing 29th-place finish at last year’s NCAAs behind them knowing that a solid crew of seasoned veterans plus incoming freshmen are poised to come together in 2015. 

 

After winning the NCAA Outdoor 10K title with a monster kick, Molly Seidel is heading into the fall more ready than ever to take on her final cross country season for the Fighting Irish. Seidel earned All American honors with a 19th-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships last year and continued the track season with a sixth-place finish in the 5K at NCAA Indoors and her first ever NCAA title in the 10K in Eugene, Oregon. 

 

Seidel will be accompanied by incoming senior middle-distance standout Danielle Aragon. Aragon posted personal bests in the 1500m and 3K during the spring, but suffered from injury during the ACC Conference Championships. If Aragon returns healthy, she could potentially improve upon her 19th-place ACC finish and 25th-place region finish from last fall. 

 

A potentially big impact freshman could be two-time Footlocker Champion Anna Rohrer, who comes into the cross country season as one of the most sought-after high school recruits. After suffering from a career-threatening injury her junior year, Rohrer returned in 2014 to claim her second Footlocker championship of her career. The Gatorade athlete of the year graduated from Mishawaka High School as one of the most decorated high school athletes in history. 

 

Annie Heffernan also joins the Fighting Irish after an extremely successful high school career that saw an undefeated cross country season her junior and senior year. Although she suffered from injury at the end of the 2014 cross country season, Heffernan racked up personal bests of 4:48 (1600m), 17:00 (3 mile XC), and 17:35 (5K XC) her senior year. 

 

A fifth-man battle has the potential to take place with proven top five scorer and redshirt senior Karen Lesiewicz, Footlocker finalist Toni Finnane, and NXN region finalist Rachel DaDamio who all have the ability to mix it up. 

 

Between the seasoned veteran leaders in Seidel and Aragon and the incredible depth coming in, the Fighting Irish stand to not only improve upon their 29th-place 2014 finish, but contend for a top 10 spot in 2015.