BLUFFTON, Ohio - When the 2021 cross country season kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 4, the Beavers will be under the direction of newly-minted Head Coach Scott Black. He takes over a program that returns a wealth of sophomores who will be preparing for their first full season of cross.

The 2020 fall saw Bluffton match up against Manchester multiple times while competing in the first-ever HCAC Virtual Series due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Beaver women placed fifth for the season, while the men were just a tick back in sixth. The different-looking season then saw the HCAC stage for the cross country championship in Louisville on Sunday, March 14. Bluffton took fourth on the women's side and placed sixth on the men's.

Women's captain Jenia Freewalt (Delphos/St. John's) secured a top 12 finish and with that HCAC All-Conference honors. Justine Lesniewski (Mantua/Crestwood) and Miranda Billman (Castalia/Margaretta) both earned Honorable Mention All-HCAC acclaim. 

With seven returners on the women's side, including five sophomores, and seven incoming freshmen, the Beavers have the depth to continue their ascent up the Heartland Conference ladder. Senior Hope Nixon (Jamestown/Jamestown-Monroe) and Lesniewski, a junior, are the only two women who were on campus when the pandemic brought athletics to a standstill in March on 2020.

Ethan Ly (Celina) earned Honorable Mention All-HCAC recognition when he ran a 27:26.45 at the Heartland Conference Championship in March. He and fellow freshman Alex Montross (Perrysburg) led the way for Bluffton in Louisville.

Junior Max Chandler (Liberty Township/Lakota East) will be counted on for his leadership as he is one of just two men who have been at Bluffton for more than a year. Chandler was a driving force for the Beavers in 2020-21, helping the freshmen acclimate to collegiate stressors. Senior Austin Hernandez (Marion/Ridgedale) is another stabilizing influence for the men's cross country team, having experienced the rigors of training at the NCAA Division III level for three years.

With four freshmen and three sophomores on the men's side, youth is a strength for the Beavers in 2021. The men have four 6th place finishes at the conference on their resume the last four years following a 4th place finish in 2017, while the women placed second twice in the past five years to go along with a third place finish in 2017.

Bluffton will travel to Franklin College for the HCAC and NCAA Regional Championship Preview on Saturday, Sept. 4.

-BEAVERS-