Rowan women’s cross country kicked off their season on Aug. 30 with a trip to Salisbury, Md., for the Salisbury Fall Classic. The team finished in second out of the five teams competing behind the U.S. Naval Academy, a Division I program.

Senior Gabriella Pagano started her season off strong with a first-place finish, running a 21:25.10. She beat second-place finisher Susanna Henderson of Navy by over 20 seconds. Juniors Shannon Stakelbeck, Ally Wernik, and Emily Zanni also impressed. They finished eighth, ninth, and twelfth, respectively. In the first race of her collegiate career, freshman Juliana Sieminski placed sixteenth.

The Profs look to defend their New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and Metro Regional titles, while also returning to nationals this season. Head coach Shedrick Elliot III felt the team performed well in a good tune-up for the year ahead. 

“I felt like it was a good starting point just to help build some confidence,” Elliot III said. “I would also say the team camaraderie was amazing. Ultimately, it was good to see us perform at that level in a unified way.”

Pagano is one of Rowan’s top returning runners and was pleased with the team’s results in Salisbury.

“I’d say Salisbury was a great showcase of our summer training, and a very good starting point for us,” Pagano said. “The girls on the team, we all opened up faster than I think anybody ever has.”

The team looked to regroup over the summer after losing senior standout Mia Guerra to graduation. Now, the team’s top five consists of Pagano, Wernick, Stakelbeck, Zanni, and transfer Jezenna Aponte, who came to Rowan from NJCU.

Pagano says that all take on an important role for the team.

“Our top five this year is really gonna be sharing the responsibility,” Pagano said. “It’s not just one person’s job to do what they need to do.”

The Profs will now hit the road again later this month, as they will travel to Galloway, N.J., to race in the Osprey Run at Stockton on Sept. 20.

Wernik says her team’s showing in Salisbury was a strong start, but things will only go up from here.

“I think for the first meet, it’s always basically dusting off the rust,” Wernik said. “I think for us, we dusted off pretty good the first meet. All we can do is go up from here, work harder together, and push each other to new limits.”

For comments/questions about this story, DM us on Instagram @thewhitatrowan or email [email protected]