Consistency and depth are two words to describe the UW-Whitewater Women’s Cross Country team in 2024.

The Warhawks consistently finished in the top 10 at every meet they attended this season. They took the podium at their first two meets of the season, the North Central Invitational at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, and Whitewater’s own Tom Hoffman Invitational. In their next two meets, they placed 10th as a team, the first race being out of 44 teams at Rose-Hulman in Terre Haute, Indiana, and the second being out of 35 squads competing at the Augustana Interregional Invitational in Rock Island, Illinois.

Ari De La Cerda led the pack as a senior, the only Whitewater women’s runner to qualify for the NCAA Championships. However, she wasn’t the only leader this team had.

“It’s obviously easy to assume the fastest [runner] or oldest is going to take a leadership role, but I feel like a lot of people really stepped up to the plate when it was really necessary throughout all of our meets,” De La Cerda said. “I think that helped as a whole because it’s not just one person, we are all working together, and it’s a big motivator for all of us.”

A great supporting cast has definitely helped De La Cerda this season. She has grown as a runner and as a person. She has poured so much into the program over her four years as a Warhawk. This has become a second family to her.

“I told [the team] how I do everything for this group and this family. I know at the end of the day, qualifying individually is cool and everything, but I ultimately wanted to do it for my team and for the girls. I just knew I wanted to make everyone proud,” De La Cerda said. “I wanted to lead with a strong head and strong feet. I was really happy with how everything went. I just love being here.”

Her teammates loved having her here as well. Four other Warhawks commented on the mentorship provided by De La Cerda and how big of a footprint she has left on the program. The impact she has made can not be matched. Juniors Payton Scoggin and Katie Erb have seen what De La Cerda does on and off the trail for the last three years.

“She puts in a lot of work behind doors that you don’t really see which adds to her success,” Scoggin said. “She’s taught me to check up on the younger runners, or ones that were injured, and she always makes a point to make sure you’re in the loop. Just make sure you are doing alright.”

Erb commented on De La Cerda’s leadership abilities and how she carries herself and her teammates.

“Ari is a great verbal leader but she also really leads by her actions. And when people see that, it helps [the environment] a lot,” Erb said.

Sophomores Ella Hansen and Renee Forystek have only had two years with the senior sensation but they have made the most of it. Whether it be by asking questions or just observing, De La Cerda is always showing the ropes to her teammates and making a positive mark wherever she goes.

“I’ve seen Ari trust the process throughout her journey as a runner. I’ve seen her go through injuries and just keep her head down and do the work. The results always come from that,” Hansen said.

This won’t be De La Cerda’s last time running as a Warhawk. The senior plans on running for the track and field team, along with the other four. These ladies displayed excellence on the trail, but now must shift their focus to the track – a transition that is never easy.

“In track, you definitely have to focus on speed work a lot more because you are on a flat terrain at all times and you are on a track. You are focused on getting around as fast as you can in an oval. You’re not worried about going uphill, or running on grass or gravel,” De La Cerda said. “There’s a lot more speed work and intensity that goes into it compared to cross [country], which is definitely a mindset shift you have to get accustomed to.”

A lot of the runners stated the biggest change being mental for the switch from cross country to running track. Running is just as much a mental strain as it is physical on the body. Having self-drive and determination goes a long way. Your teammates believe in you, but it comes down to how much you believe in yourself.

“In cross [country], there are hills that you’re trying to mentally get over and push your body to physically do it. Whereas in track, you have to prepare yourself for however many laps. You are going to see the same thing the whole time, so you have to prepare yourself to do that,” Erb said.

The underclassmen are excited for another cross country season next fall, but will not overlook the progression and training they will do to improve their running. The team will keep growing its friendships and their trust in one another, as well as stepping up the competition to push everyone towards performing at their best.

“I think we’ll all be very motivated to work really hard over the summer because we know what we’re going into next year. We know our team is going to have a lot of depth to it, so that’s just really exciting and motivating,” Forystek said.

Depth is going to be a strength for the 2025 Whitewater squad, but the focus will be on the track first.

Track and field opens their season with their annual Alumni and Intrasquad meet at home on Dec. 7 at the Williams Center.