After leading their men’s team to fourth and their women to fifth in their first year as coaches for the Ashland University Eagles, coaches Tom Scott and Jeremy Wilk know what it takes to create a consistent and strong roster.

The team will be returning a number of front-runners as well as adding some strong freshman to their squad.

One of those returning is senior Nick Hall. After being named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Runner of the Year in 2014, Hall took a redshirt in 2015 in hopes to train and improve before his 2016 senior season.

“We are excited to have him back,” said Scott. “He is going to be our leader. His energy motivates and drives the team.”

Despite redshirting last season, Hall used the year in a committed battle to train and return at his highest potential in 2016.

“This season I am looking forward to being back on the team,” said senior Nick Hall. “I am excited to lead an experienced, motivated squad to achieve the ultimate goal of taking the trip to Florida for NCAAs.”

Returning on the women’s side are a number of seniors including Jackie Genetin, and Linda Morales who placed in the top 50 in the meets they participated in.

Many of these athletes, both on the men and women’s side, have been present on AU’s campus throughout the summer preparing for a season they hope to dominate in.

“Summer training has been more intense than ever but as a fifth year, my body is strong and ready to work,” said Hall. “This is the most humidity I’ve ever run in which has made afternoon running more of a struggle and sometimes inconsistent.”

As a result of the team’s tradition of success, they have added numerous freshmen to their squad who have found success at the high school level.

Joining the Eagles this season are Duvan Bautista-Catalan from Ridgedale, Kaylie Murray from Theodore Roosevelt, Johannah Stefanek from Huron and Bryce Sinclair from St. Mary’s in Michigan.

Also being added to the squad is Kyle Shively, a transfer from Indiana State University. He will be joining the team as a freshman after redshirting his first college season.

“Bringing in a transfer from Indiana State, we have created depth to our distance team,” said Hall. “I am confident we can make some noise after only losing one man from the 2015 top five.”

After being with the team for an entire year, both Scott and Wilk are focused on prepping their squad to compete and qualify for the GLIAC and NCAA Tournaments, but more importantly, are focused on ensuring their team creates a strong bond.

“We want to be a close group,” said Scott. “If that means we [need to] have more team functions and activities we will do that because it is important. Being a tight team will allow us to compete better together.”

The team will have their first meet on Sept. 3 in Dayton, Ohio at the Dayton Flyer 5K.