La Verne, CA - The University of La Verne women's cross country season is ready to embark upon the 2022 season. An offseason of preparation has enabled the team to be in the perfect position for optimal success. Head Jamie Norton expects his team to display the fruits of their hard work this past summer with their season starting next month. Norton is pleased with the team's commitment to maximizing its potential. "The team put in a lot of work on their own with their summer training, putting in more miles than they ever have before and combining higher volume runs with speed workouts to develop in a well rounded way. They stayed accountable to each other through social media and took advantage of the opportunity to "level up" their fitness. The goals of the team were set collectively and Norton understands the importance of holding everyone accountable. "The team has set themselves a goal of trying to finish top 5 in the conference, which is a big target to shoot for but exciting to have an ambitious group. For me, I just want to see us get better each week and improve our workouts, training, and race performances. If we are all working hard and getting better together, then good results will take care of ourselves, and I feel confident that we can be a stronger team than last year despite having a very new group." The importance of leadership will be essential to the continued development of the team. Norton knows the importance of the upperclassmen leading the way for his young team. "Upperclassmen leadership is very important, two-thirds of the team are first years, so we will rely a lot on the leadership and guidance of our two women's juniors, as well as the collective experience between the men and women teams. We have no seniors on either team but a junior class that is rising to the occasion and helping to steer the ship in a really positive direction."

The Leopards start their season on September 1st at the Pomona Invitational.