All of the expectations of Muskingum’s upcoming season will be placed upon a new coach. Coach Cooper has moved on to a new position leaving the Muskies with a new coach and a new outlook for the 2008 cross country season. The lone senior for Muskingum is Lauren Jackson, and she has made tremendous strides each of the past two seasons. She has high expectations for herself and the women’s team. Jackson’s surrounding cast will have a lot of added depth with the incoming freshmen along with the other returning letter winners Anna Baker, Katie Smith, and Jessica Bauer.
The men’s team will be anchored by Ian Hankins, aka the Ginger Warrior. He is known by OAC aficionados for his pace-pushing racing style and pure determination at the end of the race. Hankins is the lone returning letter winner. The men’s team graduated three seniors last year including Tom Aluise who will be attending Xavier for graduate school, Justin Metzger who will be teaching and coaching at the high school level, and J.D. Walters who will also be teaching and coaching at the high school level. The Muskie men will depend heavily on the growth and maturity of the incoming freshmen to round out the top 5. Erik Reed, a transfer from Mt. Union, is not eligible to compete for cross country because of his transfer between OAC schools, but look for Reed to have a solid track season. The future looks bright for the Muskies with all the new faces.
Several reputable sources have expressed the fact that Jake Gleason will be William Cooper's successor at Muskingum College.
