Jensen Kugler
A&E Editor
On Nov. 6, Wooster cross country held their last home meet of the season on the track at John P. Papp Stadium. The annual Twilight 5K serves as a wrap-up to the season and the team’s “senior night.”
Twilight, thusly named because it is a rare night-time meet (7 p.m.), is also unique in its location. By definition, cross country is characterized by rough terrain and varied conditions while it is held on the track. This distinguishes Twilight from the team’s previous home meet, and positions it as a uniquely Wooster event.
“Some people love it on the track, some people hate it,” Assistant Coach Kara Owens said. “It’s just cool to see, and especially with track being an individual sport, everyone just kind of has their own area where they can excel.”
Facing intermittent rain and disorientingly bright stadium lights, Wooster cross country ran to the beat of energetic music and the cheers of their peers. Despite the cold, darkness and rain, Wooster students clung to the bars of stadium bleachers, where their voices carried impressively far in support of friends and unknown students alike.
For a non-scoring meet, Wooster athletes made an impressive number of personal records (PRs) at the Twilight 5K. On the women’s side, Stella Anderson ’30 earned fourth amongst all the runners with her time of 19:42.9. Wooster filled out sixth through eleventh as well, with Eloise Gravel ’30 and Elise Wheeler ’27 leading the group. Wheeler, Molly Noesen-Bosscher ’30 and Naomi Kaczor ’27 all made PRs with their times.
On the men’s side, Basil Keck ’28 led the pack, posting another fourth-place time for Wooster with his PR run of 15:59.9. Filling out the top 10, Max Kollhoff ’29 and Grant Mentzer ’28 also ran personal bests, coming in seventh and tenth places, respectively.
The team ended Twilight with a lot to be proud of, on and off the track.
“This senior group, they’ve done a lot of good work over the years, and I always see them around the campus community with other campus jobs or helping out with other teams,” Owens said. “All of them are just very community-minded people. They always look out for each other.”
For the seniors, Twilight represents a bittersweet celebration of years with a team that feels like family. Each senior left with a personalized sign as a tangible recognition of their successes and interests, demonstrating just how well the athletes get to know each other over 4 years.
“I love Twilight. It’s a great meet at the end of the season to bring us all together and all get to run together and get to know some families as well,” said Cheyenne Wentz ’27.
Here’s to another great season, and congrats to all our seniors! Thanks for sharing your magic with the rest of us. Same time next year?
Members of the Wooster cross country team will travel to Michigan for the Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 14. Go Scots!
