The 2020 campaign isn't going to be the kind of season the Hillsdale College men's and women's cross country teams were expecting.
But, given the events of the last six months, the Chargers are just happy to get the opportunity to compete.
Every member of the 2020 Hillsdale men's and women's cross country teams lost a chance to compete in the 2020 outdoor track and field season at either the collegiate or high school level earlier this spring due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and as recently as a month ago, the fate of the cross country season was very much up in the air.
On August 10, however, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference confirmed they would be moving forward with the conference championship meet in cross country, paving the way for a season in the fall for Hillsdale's cross country teams.
"One thing we really preach in this program is not to take the opportunities in front of you for granted, but I feel like this fall, I've had to remind our kids of that less than I ever have before," Hillsdale College cross country coach Andrew Towne said. "Everyone on this team experienced the feeling of having that opportunity disappear this spring, and went through a long summer not knowing what would happen in the fall.
"Ever since we got back on campus, the energy around the program has been great, and I feel like our cross country athletes are really hungry to get back on the course on Saturday."
There will be no NCAA Division II national championship this fall, but the Charger men and women will still compete in a three-meet season, starting with a home invitational this Saturday, Sept. 12 at Hayden Park. Hillsdale will be joined by G-MAC rivals Walsh, Malone, Findlay and Cedarville in both the men's and women's races, as well as Ursuline on the women's side. The women race first in a 6K at 5:30 p.m., with the men's 8K race to follow immediately after.
Along with Hillsdale, Walsh, Malone and Cedarville made up the top four teams in both the men's and women's races at the 2019 G-MAC Cross Country Championships, and the 2020 champions are likely to emerge from that group as well, making this a great early season test for the Chargers.
"We've got some very high-quality teams from our conference on the course on Saturday, so it should be a good race and a good test of where we're at," Towne said. "We're six weeks out from the G-MAC championship, so it'll be nice to get a base-line for the rest of the season."
Along with Saturday's home invite, the Chargers also will travel to Tiffin, OH for an invitational on Oct. 2, and will return to Tiffin on Oct. 24 to compete in the 2020 G-MAC Championship Meet.
It should be a strong season for both the Charger women, who are looking to defend their 2019 G-MAC crown, and for the men, who are looking to win their first team conference title in 20 years after finishing runner-up in the G-MAC last year.
Hillsdale's women will seek to repeat as champions despite the loss of graduated senior Arena Lewis, a 2018 Division II All-American, 2019 G-MAC runner up and three-time first-team All-G-MAC runner.
The Chargers return five of their top six female runners from the 2019 campaign, led by senior Maryssa Depies (Muskegon, MI/Reeths-Puffer), a three-time first-team All-G-MAC runner who finished third in last season's G-MAC Championship race.
Junior Sophia Maeda (Mead, CO/Mead) and sophomore Gwynne Riley (Archbold, OH/Archbold), both second team All-G-MAC last year, also return for the Chargers, as does senior Christina Sawyer (Tecumseh, MI/Tecumseh), who finished 17th in the 2019 G-MAC Championships.
To round out the lineup, Hillsdale will look for growth from its pack, including junior Claire McNally (Canton, MI/Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard), who finished one spot between Sawyer at the G-MAC Championships in 2019, and Margaret Scheske (Sturgis, MI/Sturgis), who had a solid first season in 2019.
A three-runner freshman class also brings with it potential to bolster Hillsdale's lineup as the season develops, as it did last year with the emergence of both Riley and Scheske.
On the men's side, the Charger cross country team will have to chase a conference crown without 2019 individual G-MAC Champion and two-time All-American Joey Humes, who graduated.
Despite the loss of Humes, Hillsdale returns a deep and experienced squad, with four of their top five runners and five of their top seven at the 2019 G-MAC Championships back to compete for what could be the Chargers' first men's cross country conference title since 2000.
Leading the way are seniors Mark Miller (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) and Morgan Morrison (Harrisburg, PA/West Shore Christian), who finished fifth and sixth, respectively, at the 2019 G-MAC Champioships and earned first-team All-G-MAC honors.
The Charger men also have a solid core of younger runners who could make big jumps in 2020, including junior Adam Wier (Versailles, KY/Lexington Christian), who took 11th at the 2019 G-MAC Championships and sophomores Mark Sprague (Clarkston, MI/Clarkston), Isaac Waffle (Tekonsha, MI/Olivet) and Sean Hoeft (Genoa, OH/Genoa), among others.
A four-man freshman class will look to bolster the Chargers' depth as Hillsdale attempts to overtake defending G-MAC Champion Walsh at the top of the standings.
"Our depth this year is really what stands out with this group," Towne said. "Our women are strong top to bottom, and our men are as deep as they've been in a really long time.
"Physically, we're healthy, and the mentality of our athletes and the chemistry they have with each other is healthy, as well, so we're very excited about what we can accomplish this season."