The origins of cross country as a sport can be traced back to the early nineteenth century with an activity known as “hare and hounds running.” In this kind of running, the hares receive a head start before the other runners and lay down pieces of paper along the trail. The hounds start running minutes later and try to catch the hares. Similar to these hounds, the Moravian Hounds showcased their speed and determination, chasing down opponent teams, in the kickoff of their cross-country seasons. The season began at the Lehigh University Invitational on Sept. 2, 2022. Since then, they have competed at three other meets including the Kutztown DII/DIII Challenge on Sept. 16, the Paul Short Run at Lehigh University on Sept. 30, and the Coach Caslin Classic at Goucher College on Oct. 8. All stats in this article and more about each of these performances can be found by visiting the following websites.

• Men’s Cross Country Stats
• Women’s Cross Country Stats  

Stats Recap

Lehigh University Invitational Sept. 2, 2022

• The course was 6k for both men and women
• Both teams scored seventh of eight competing teams
• Highlights:
  • Shane Houghton, a fifth year, earned fifteenth in 18:16.8
  • Days later, Houghton earned Landmark Conference Athlete of the Week

Kutztown DII/DIII Challenge Sept. 16, 2022

• The men’s team progressed to racing the 8k course while the women’s team raced the 6k course
• The men’s team finished second of thirteen competing teams
• The women’s team finished ninth of twelve competing teams
• Highlights:
  • Owen Nahf, sophomore, finished ninth in 27:01.70
  • Shane Houghton finished tenth in 27:04.80

Tara Smurla, freshman, finished fifteenth in 24:18.00

Paul Short Run Sept. 30, 2022

• The men’s team finished thirty-fourth of forty-five competing teams in the brown race
• The women’s team finished seventeenth of forty-one competing teams in the white race
• Highlights:
  • Ten women and sixteen men ran personal best times
  • Shane Houghton ran the twelfth fastest time in MUXC program history in 25:24.18
  • Owen Nahf ran the fifteenth fastest in MUXC program history in 25:31.5

Coach Caslin Classic Oct. 8, 2022

This race in particular was one of my favorite races to watch because of the teamwork demonstrated throughout the race. As a racing strategy, the Hounds ran in groups and focused on consistent pacing. For both the men and women, the dedication put forth by each individual was  crucial to the success of the entire team. Both teams earned first place!

• The men’s team earned first place of six competing teams
• The women’s team earned first place of four competing teams
• Highlights:
  • The women’s team earned a perfect score of 15 points
  • Tara Smurla placed first place of 38 runners, earning her Honeystinger Athlete of the Week as well as Landmark Conference Athlete of the Week
  • Owen Nahf took first place of 57 runners in 26.43.30, earning him Landmark Conference Athlete of the Week

Coaches’ Corner

The coaching staff for the cross country teams is made up of Head Coach Jesse Baumann along with assistant coaches, Sarah Hughes and Jon D’Ottavio. When asked about what he’s most proud of this season, Coach Baumann stated, “Something I take a lot of pride in, especially in recent years, is our team camaraderie. I think we have a really tight knit team. I try to do things like “teammate of the week” to encourage the team atmosphere, and I am really happy this year with where our team is at this year. It’s something that I’ve worked to promote and empowered some of our athletes to promote.” With this kind of team atmosphere along with the dedication and talent of the athletes, I see no problems keeping the Moravian Cross Country team from achieving their goals. Some of which, Coach Baumann said, includes winning conferences, finishing in the top at regionals, and sending some athletes to nationals!