All-Americans Alex Ross and Paloma Hancock return for Blue Jays, who also look to showcase strong freshman class at Michigan State Spartan Invite at Forest Akers East Golf Course, site of Division 3 national final Nov. 19 and chance to surpass SUNY Cortland with record-breaking championship

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

Bobby Van Allen knows what’s lingering.

The Johns Hopkins head coach is fully aware of the history, and the opportunity. Van Allen knows come this November, his team could break the record for the most NCAA Division 3 women’s cross country titles.

But that’s a long nine weeks from now. 

“The whole season is not just built on one day,” Van Allen said. “Certainly, we’re having the training geared toward that, but the relationships we are building, and the team culture becomes the focal point. Not to say that we don’t know what's out there, the team knows this would be the eighth national title. But we’ve got three months, and what can we do to control the progress to give ourselves the best opportunity to compete with some of the best teams out there.”

Right now, it’s still early in September and Johns Hopkins is focused on preparing for a big opportunity Sept. 16 as they travel to East Lansing, Mich., for the Michigan State Spartan Invite – a meet that will feature a smattering of high-caliber Division 1, 2 and 3 teams.

The meet will also give the Blue Jays an early look at the Forest Akers East Golf Course, the site Nov. 19 for the NCAA Division 3 Cross Country Championships.

“The hope is that we can focus on working on racing together as a team,” graduate senior captain Alex Ross said. “We want to make it about seeing the course and getting a good race in and getting the work in for later in the season.”

Van Allen is a master of his craft. In his 23rd year with Johns Hopkins, he has accumulated 13 Centennial Conference titles, 13 NCAA Regional titles and produced 34 All-Americans.

The Blue Jays captured the program's seventh national title in November with a lineup of individuals who had never raced in a national collegiate cross country final before.

“Bobby's ability to really foster talent and then our ability to bring the new members of our team together is really special,” Ross said.

For the Blue Jays, it’s always been about a team-first mindset in garnering success.

Last fall, Johns Hopkins was without All-American Ella Baran for most of the season. Ross was also out for a portion. Van Allen said despite the absences, the approach remained the same.

“We’ve always relied on the pack of our team and the depth that we have, so nothing really changed with how we executed,” Van Allen said. “Alex (Ross) certainly had a great season to step in, but so did many others. Paloma (Hancock) was another big step up as well, she just kind of steadily progressed throughout the season. You know, we were just so thankful to be back racing again last year and not having stuff taken away from us. We certainly still had goals, but so much of it was to enjoy the things they may have taken for granted before.”

Without the headliner Baran this fall – she transferred to Colorado to compete as a graduate student-athlete – senior Katharine Priu (who ran on the 2019 national championship team), along with All-Americans Ross and Paloma Hancock, who was the was the second-highest-placing freshman at the NCAA final in 2021, along with seniors Sara Stephenson and Sydney Friedel lead a talented but youthful group.

“We really are tight-knit, especially the incoming freshman class, they are so social; I was not that social when I was a freshman,” Ross said with a laugh.

Isis Diaz, Viviana Li and Cooper Brotherton were all among the top seven athletes for Johns Hopkins and placed in the top 15 overall in their collegiate debuts Sept. 1 for the Blue Jays at the Baltimore Metro meet.

“We have a nice core of returners that so far are stepping up really well, and we have a great incoming freshman class I think that are going to do some remarkable things here,” Van Allen said. “It is going to take them time to develop, so it’s not that we lower our expectations, but I think we realize we have to be patient with this process. We have big goals, but give it time for those goals to really develop.”

Ross guided the Blue Jays to first-place finish at the Baltimore Metro event, as five runners finished in the top eight for Johns Hopkins. Ross, who is coming off a breakout track season that saw her finish third in the 10,000 (35:20.26) and ninth in the 5,000 (16:51.47) at the NCAA Division 3 Championships, covered the 5-kilometer course in 18:01.1 to produce a 15-second victory and earn Conference and NCAA Division 3 Athlete of the Week honors.

“I was really pleased with how the first race went for me and for the team as a whole,” Ross said. “We don’t try to put too much pressure on the first meet as a team, just trying to get used to running with a team. It was really a rust-buster, and definitely things to work on; Michigan State will be a big stepping stone toward that.”

Van Allen said the opportunity Friday at Michigan State is more than a potential national course preview, as they will be taking the entire team – men’s and women’s – 48 in total, the most Van Allen said they have traveled with on a plane. While it will be a quick turnaround, these are the types of things that help build a positive and winning culture.

“The team is very excited to bond together and compete,” he said. “That’s something we take a lot of pride in our program of providing a lot more opportunity than most any other schools would.”

A big opportunity is looming Nov. 19 for an eighth national title, after Johns Hopkins edged Claremont-Mudd-Scripps by a 130-132 margin to secure a seventh championship last year in Louisville.

Johns Hopkins is tied with SUNY Cortland, which dominated NCAA Division 3 women’s cross country during the 1990’s (winning seven titles from 1989-97), and coached by one of the greatest of all-time, Jack Daniels.

Hopkins and Van Allen could establish themselves as the new standard in Division 3 cross country this fall, although every NCAA women’s cross country program continues to chase Adams State and its Division 2 all-time mark of 19 titles. Villanova still holds the Division 1 women’s record with nine championships.

“It’s not that I ever set out to break Jack Daniels records. I think when I first read his books, it wasn't, ‘I’m going to be like this guy,’” Van Allen said. “I think when I reflect back on all the success that our program has had, I feel very blessed with the people that have surrounded me and who helped to get us there, to athletes, to our administration, to assistant coaches. And now, it’s what things can we do better, and I hope that I continue to do that in year 50.”