For the women’s cross country team, this has been a year of potential becoming success.

After losing several key runners from last year’s team, some were unsure what to expect from this year’s team. However, doubts have been traded for anticipation as the girls have improved with every event. Now the team finds itself on the verge of capturing the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) championship, to be held Nov. 8 in Rome, Ga.

At the Lee Invitational, the Flames finished third in the team competition. Sophomore Erin Wasserfall finished first in the event, never trailing at any point during the race.

A week after finishing eighth at the Sewanee Invitational, the Flames finished second at the Berry Invitational. Joy Hrushka, Wasserfall and Maggi O’Pelt all placed in the top ten.

“Coach Jayroe has done a great job in bringing new talent to the team. We lost quite a few runner’s from last year, but the new recruits have done an excellent job filling the void,” said Anna Hrushka.

At the highly competitive Greater Louisville Classic in Kentucky, the team finished eighth out of 26. Joy scored a personal best in the 5k race with a time of 20:06.

With one race left before the conference championship, the Flames knew they could make a real statement at the Southeast XC Classic, and did just that by finishing in third place.

“All the girls have improved so much since the beginning of the season. They’ve worked extremely hard and are looking forward to seeing it pay off this weekend,” said Anna.

The Flames look to knock off cross-country powerhouse Berry College at the conference championships on Saturday. The Flames’ final run of the season will take place at the NAIA National Championships on Nov. 22.