St. Peter, Minn. – A consistent trend for the Gustavus women’s cross country team through the opening month of the season has been that Caitlin Fermoyle (So., Mendota Heights, Minn.) is likely to be seen at the front of the pack, challenging the leaders and setting a strong tone for her teammates. For her efforts, Fermoyle has been named the September Female Student-Athlete of the Month by the Gustavus Sports Information Department.
Head coach Dale Bahr used two words to describe Fermoyle’s performances through the first half the season – consistent and steady. “Her summer training and mileage has been consistent; her fall training has been consistent,” said Bahr. “For a runner, consistent training leads to confidence, and confidence leads to successful racing. Caitlin is running with confidence and each race has a purpose.”
After leading the undergraduate Gusties with a third place finish (19:51.2) at the team’s annual Alumni Meet, Fermoyle led the team to a second place finish at the Saint John’s Invitational the following weekend. The sophomore recorded her first career win at the 6k race after crossing the finish line in 23:24, defeating the second place finisher from Concordia by 17 seconds. She was then named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week following her performance in Collegeville.
On the following weekend at the St. Olaf Invitational, Fermoyle led the Gusties once again, this time with a 14th place finish with a time of 23:23.2. Gustavus placed sixth out of a 24 teams – its largest competitive field of the year.
Following a weekend off, the Mendota Heights native came back with a strong race to close out the month. She joined four other Gusties in the top five with a first place finish at the Gale Woods Invitational, crossing the finish line in 23:05.6. Gustavus won the meet, as Fermoyle became the first Gustie to win multiple events in the same year since Hailey Harren `07 won six races in 2006.
Although she is just a sophomore, coach Bahr is impressed with Fermoyle’s leadership qualities, attitude and work ethic. “She believes in the team concept and understands that individual goals and success will come after the team goals are accomplished,” Bahr explained. “She has developed a great work ethic, and is a true leader by example. Caitlin does the things that are expected of her and she always does it with a smile.”
The Gustavus women’s cross country team, which is ranked seventh in the Central Region according to the most recent USTFCCCA Division III rankings, will be back on the course Saturday, Oct. 13 when it travels to La Crosse, Wis. to take part in the Tori Neubauer Invitational.