During the 2024 indoor track season, times set by Kelley, Sarussi, and graduate student Danielle Schultz made the WashU trio three of the 15 fastest runners in the 800 in all of Division III. Their success is emblematic of over a decade of dominance by the WashU track & field team’s women’s 400/800 meter training group.

The No. 14 WashU men finished behind only No. 1 Wartburg College and upset rival No. 9 North Central College, in their best team performance of the year, while the No. 4 women came in second to No. 3 Wartburg and ahead of No. 7 University of Chicago.

Head coach Jeff Stiles had nothing but praise for both of the teams after their thorough wins, commending their performance as “phenomenal.” 

Despite often flying under the radar, WashU’s men’s and women’s cross country teams have been the school’s most consistent teams in recent years.

From football to soccer and cross country, athletes and coaches have never been more excited to step back onto the field and compete with some modicum of normalcy.

Both the men and women finished outside the top 10, as the men came 16th and the women 59th. 

“I don’t think any athletes are being asked about what makes sense for us,” senior Julia Dannenbaum said. “It’s definitely disappointing.” 

The men’s team’s performance raised them 14 spots in the rankings, from No. 25 to No. 11, while the women fell two spots, from No. 10 to No. 12 

Many Bears teams have found their stride as the weather starts to warm.

COVID-19 quarantine brought isolation and prevented student-athletes from accessing typical training materials. How did they cope with it?