Season Review: 2023 Michigan Women's Cross Country

NCAA Championships: Individual (Kayla Windemuller, 92nd Place)
NCAA Great Lakes Regional: Fourth (150 points)
Big Ten Championships: Third (102 points)

The University of Michigan women's cross country team steadily improved throughout the 2023 season, highlighted by a pair of top-four team results in the final two meets of the campaign.

Guided by head coach Mike McGuire in his 32nd season at the helm, the Wolverines rallied behind All-Big Ten runners Kayla Windemuller and Lani Bloom and All-Region honoree Samantha Saenz to finish third in the Big Ten Championships and fourth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.

Windemuller represented U-M at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Charlottesville, Va., on Nov. 18., finishing inside the top 100 to close the 2023 season.

Team Highlights

• The Maize and Blue entered the season with high expectations, checking in at No. 25 in the preseason edition of the USTFCCCA national rankings.

• After sweeping the top five at the season-opening Michigan Open, U-M put on a strong showing at the Badger Classic on Sept. 9, finishing second as a team and placing six runners inside the top 20. Windemuller clocked a 5K time of 18:03.2 to grab second overall while Saenz finished fourth with a mark of 18:07.1.

• Michigan got a preview of the national championship course as well as top competition at the XC-23 Pre-Nationals on Oct. 14. Behind strong efforts from Windemuller and Saenz, the Wolverines finished eighth out of 24 teams to build momentum heading into the postseason.

• The Wolverines saved their best performance for the Big Ten Championships in Madison, Wis., on Oct. 27, scoring 102 points to finish third. Windemuller earned All-Big Ten first team honors by finishing seventh overall with a 6K time of 21:14.2. Bloom earned All-Big Ten second team recognition by clocking a 21:35.9.

• In its final race as a team, Michigan placed fourth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 10, scoring 150 points at Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course.

Individual Highlights

• Windemuller had an outstanding season, leading the team in every race she started this season. The graduate student finished in the top 20 overall on six occasions and posted a 6K time under 21 minutes in four races. Windemuller garnered several individual accolades, including All-Big Ten first team and All-Region recognition. Windemuller represented Michigan at the NCAA Championships on Nov. 18, placing 92nd overall with a time of 20:37.7.

• Saenz had a remarkable season as she finished second for Michigan in five of six races. Her consistency as Michigan's second-best runner allowed the Wolverines to finish top 10 in every race that they competed in this season. Saenz capped off her 2023 campaign with a 17th-place result at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, earning All-Region recognition.

• Bloom put together a strong debut campaign for the Maize and Blue. She was a top-five runner on the team in four races. Bloom saved her best performance for the Big Ten Championships, finishing 12th with a time of 21:35.9 and earned a spot on the All-Big Ten second team for her efforts. The conference also recognized Bloom as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, the first Wolverine to win the award since Sam Tran in the 2020-21 season.

• Samantha Hastie was a top-five Michigan runner in every race she ran this season. She placed fourth in the Michigan Open, 37th in the Big Ten Championships and 52nd in the Great Lakes Regional. After the Big Ten Championships, Hastie earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, an award given to athletes who have set themselves apart through hard work, sportsmanship and honorable behavior.

Honors and Awards

Lani
Bloom

Samantha
Hastie

Samantha
Saenz

Kayla
Windemuller

NCAA
All-Region: Samantha Saenz, Kayla Windemuller

Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Freshman of the Year: Lani Bloom
All-Big Ten (First Team): Kayla Windemuller
All-Big Ten (Second Team):Lani Bloom
Sportsmanship Award: Samantha Hastie

Academic All-Big Ten
Abby Bonnema, So., Pharmaceutical Sciences
Haley Deighan, So., Movement Science
Natalie Desarbo, Jr., Data Science; Environment
Amber Gall, Gr., Int Prac IH MH&Subst Abuse MSW
Katelynne Hart, Sr., Biology, Health, & Society
Samantha Hastie, Jr., Data Science
Leah Hill, So., LSA Undeclared
Catrin Koselka, Jr., History ; Political Science
Alyna Lewis, So., LSA Undeclared
Jennie Line, So., LSA Undeclared
Mara Longenecker, So., LSA Undeclared
Lisa Luecke, So., LSA Undeclared
Yasmine Mansi, Jr., Business Administration
Gabbie Michael, Jr., Molec, Cell & Dev Biology
Danielle Page, Gr., Design Science MS; Movement Science MS
Lucy Petee, Sr., Cognitive Science; Communication and Media
Samantha Saenz, Gr., Sport Management MS
Faith Smith, So., LSA Undeclared
Rylee Tolson, So., Movement Science
Sam Tran, 5th Year, Movement Science
Kayla Windemuller, Gr., Nutritional Sciences MPH
Ainsley Workman, So., LSA Undeclared