Impact Freshmen/Transfers: 

Audrey Belf via Birmingham, MI (4:45 Mile; 10:10 2 Mile; 7th FL '14; 14th NXN '14)

 

Analysis:

Although Georgetown is losing some key contributors in All Americans Katrina Coogan and Madeline Chambers, the Hoyas are making way for a deep upcoming squad of talent looking to improve upon the fourth-place finish in Terre Haute last year. 

 

Senior All American Samantha Nadel leads a team of upperclassman-heavy Hoyas that provide a great amount of NCAA Championship experience to the team culture. Nadel most recently won the JMU Invitational on Saturday with a finishing time of 18:37 over the 5200m course. She was followed by sophomore Piper Donaghu who finished second in 18:43 and Autumn Eastman who closed for third. Nadel is returning from an impressive 2015 indoor track season that included an 11th-place finish in the 3K and a seventh-place finish as part of the Georgetown DMR at the NCAA Indoor Championships. She has also contributed as a a consistent scorer on the cross country squad in years past, with a 37th-place finish and All American honor last year in Terre Haute. 

 

Andrea Keklak is another senior that should return to make an impact after finishing just behind Nadel at the NCAA Cross Country Championships last year. Keklak finished 40th overall, also earning an All American honor and contributing to the team’s fourth-place finish in Terre Haute last year. Keklak did not compete on the track in 2015, but brings years of experience competing at the NCAA Championships in the 800m distance. Fellow senior Kelsey Smith should also prove to be a solid contributor for the Hoya squad after consistently finishing as part of Georgetown’s top five during the fall of 2014. Last year, Smith finished eighth overall at the Big East Conference Championships, 19th overall at Pre-Nationals and 18th at the Battle in Beantown. Although she did not race during the outdoor track season, Smith finished third overall in the mile at the Big East Indoor Track Championships in February. 

 

The junior class of Haley Pierce and Sarah Cotton will also be runners to keep an eye out for this fall after turning out solid track seasons. Pierce competed in both the 1500m and 5K this spring with season’s best marks of 4:22 and 16:16, respectively. Cotton moved up to the 10K this spring and turned out a season’s best of 34:44 at the Big East Championships where she finished fifth overall. Cotton also nabbed a personal best of 16:14 in the 5K at the Penn Relays. 

 

With a squad of experienced upperclassmen, the Georgetown Hoyas should live up to the expectations of last year’s top five NCAA finish.