After being named Patriot League Rookie of the Week following her first collegiate competition, first-year Zoë Louis hasn’t wasted any time leaving her mark on the Lehigh women’s cross country team.
On Aug. 29, Louis competed in the Lehigh Invitational. In her first 6,000-meter race, Louis finished as Lehigh’s top runner with a time of 21:55.2, placing fifth overall.
Coach Deborah Utesch said Louis has great range and leg speed that translates into shorter events. She said it is exciting to see Louis extend her short distance skills into success during a 6,000 meter race.
Louis’s cross country journey began when she was in seventh grade. She said she did a “jog-a-thon” for her school and was surprisingly good at it, which got her into cross country and running during COVID.
She then decided to continue her journey in high school and college. Coming from Seattle, Louis was recruited to Lehigh based on statistics of her progression and results rather than in-person performances.
Although Bethlehem is far from her home, Louis said her commitment to Lehigh was an easy choice.
“When I came on my official visit to Lehigh, all of the people were super great, especially (Utesch)” Louis said. “The campus is really pretty, and Lehigh has really good academics, so it’s kind of the best of both worlds.”
Like other fall sports, the women’s cross country team returns to campus before the academic year starts for preseason training.
First-year teammate Mallory Sherrer said preseason gave her and the other newcomers a chance to quickly bond with the team.
“The older girls automatically brought us in as sisters when we first got there,” Sherrer said. “I didn’t know any of them, but it took only one week, and I already felt like I was best friends with them.”
Sherrer said preseason also gave her the chance to further connect with Louis.
“(Louis) is a super funny person,” Sherrer said. “She’s pretty witty, and she makes runs really fun. Hearing about her transition from Seattle, and being from Texas myself, has helped me because we’re both going through the same thing, sort of being far from home.”
Louis said the camaraderie built during preseason carries over to competitions, especially during the Lehigh Invitational. She said running with teammates on the course gave her a lot of confidence, especially at the beginning of the race.
At the Lehigh Invitational, the team didn’t have their full squad. However, more of the team was there to compete at the Lehigh-Lafayette dual meet on Saturday, where both the men’s and women’s teams claimed their 20th straight victory against the Leopards.
Utesch said she thinks Louis running with the full squad will help her navigate the race and head-to-head team competition.
Both Utesch and Sherrer said Louis is quietly competitive — she’s humble and keeps to herself, but has an inner competitive streak and a strong drive.
“I think what impresses me most about (Louis) is that she’s super humble,” Sherrer said. “When she won Rookie of the Week, she was very humble about it, and she really deserved that, but she didn’t show that she was overly happy or excited.”
As the season continues, Utesch said she’s eager to see what Louis and the rest of the first-year class can contribute.
“Zoë is a part of a really strong (first-year) class, and we have some really good upperclassmen,” Utesch said. “I think our squad this year is going to be a mix of (first-years) that are able to come in and impact right away, along with being led by some upperclassmen with a little bit more experience.”
Louis said she was surprised and grateful to learn she had been named Rookie of the Week, not realizing it was something that was even possible.
Although Louis said earning this title is an honor, she said she is determined to keep her head down and work.
“I want to take it one week at a time,” Louis said. “We set goals for every week, and those help to keep me on track to reach my end of season goals.”
The men’s and women’s cross country teams will be competing next in Connecticut in the Ted Owen Invitational on Saturday.
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