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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's cross country team has been eagerly waiting to lace up its spikes and hit the course in 2021. KU opens its regular season Friday afternoon at Adelphi University in Farmingdale, N.Y.
 
"It's great being back and seeing the excitement that our athletes are showing to be able to race again," said head coach Ray Hoffman in his 24th season at the helm. "This squad as a whole has shown that they want to be challenged and are looking to bring the success of the program to the next level."
 
The Golden Bears will be back to competing in the fall this season after a brief spring season last year. They ran in just two meets last year, both in March, due to the fall season cancelling because of the pandemic. They ran at Shippensburg and in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships at Lock Haven. KU will look to improve upon its 12th-place finish at PSACs this year.
 
Prior to the start of the regular season, Hoffman named seniors Kiara Mayers (Damascus, Pa./Honesdale) and Lynne O'Connor (Southampton, Pa./William Tennent), along with junior Mya Ostermiller (Red Bank, N.J./Middletown South) as team captains.
 
"Our team captains are individuals who understand that individual success leads to the overall team's success," Hoffman said. "They are individuals who don't take short cuts, lead by example and raise the level of work in their teammates."
 
Hoffman sees a lot of talent up and down his roster this year, which should make for a leap in the standings.
 
"Our women's squad has a blend of talent this season," Hoffman said. "Jaelyn D'Amelio (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional), Lynne and Mya are our top returners from our previous squad and bring much needed experience to an overall pretty young squad. Our freshmen class has been pretty impressive through pre-season and should make an immediate impact."
 
Sophomore Julianna Elsesser (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland), as well as D'Amelio, O'Connor and Ostermiller all ran at PSACs last season and are all back looking to improve their rankings.
 
Mayers, O'Connor and Devon Montanari (Northampton, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) are the lone seniors on this year's squad. Ostermiller, Avery Meiners (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) and Emily Neff (Etters, Pa./Red Land) round out the upperclassmen as juniors.
 
Along with the Adelphi Invitational, Kutztown will host its annual Division II/III Challenge on the North Campus course on Saturday, Sept. 18. KU will also race at the Paul Short Run at Lehigh University on Friday, Oct. 1, and will stay near Bethlehem when it competes at DeSales University on Saturday, Oct. 9. Kutztown University will host the PSAC Championships on Friday, Oct. 22.