Written by Sports Information Student Assistant Matt Tully
BEREA, OHIO -- The biggest questionmark surrounding the perennial Ohio Athletic Conference champion Baldwin-Wallace College women’s cross country team was who would succeed three-time OAC individual champion and Runner of the Year Hannah Purdy, a Berea High School graduate who graduated in May.
One answer to the question is Parma Padua Fransiscan High School graduate and Baldwin-Wallace senior standout Lynn Katanik. For three years, Katanik ran with Purdy every day in practice and then chased her in meet competition. Now with Purdy gone and attending Master’s of Education classes, Katanik will battle senior teammates Nicole Drouhard (Canfield/ Austintown Fitch) and Jessica Textoris (Akron/ Medina Highland) and junior Tatum Gruskiewicz (Williamsfield/ Pymatuning Valley) for the top spot in the lineup. A year ago all three runners earned All-OAC accolades as each joined Purdy in the Top 10 at the OAC Championship Meet.
"We have a solid corps of returning runners," said veteran Head Coach Dr. Bill Taraschke, who has been named as the OAC Cross Country Coach of the Year on seven separate occassions. "Lynn is one of four returning All-OAC runners who have the talent, ability and potential to be this year’s OAC individual champion. Lynn is a veteran who knows how to run well and knows how to prepare and run well in the big meets. We are looking for her to have an outstanding senior season.
"Lynn is very positive, but in a quiet way," said Taraschke. "She is a leader more by actions that by words, but it somehow motivates others to try more. She supports everyone on the team and tries to help and encourage them as often as she can."
One person who will have a keen interest in how well the Yellow Jackets do and who the top runner becomes is Purdy. She believes that great things are still to come for the cross country team.
"This year’s B-W cross country team is stocked with leaders and Lynn will definitely be one of them," said Purdy. "Lynn, who also runs track at B-W, had a great indoor and outdoor track season. I believe that last season built up her confidence. Take her confidence and combine it with her talent and that makes her a very good runner."
Good is an understatement when you compare it to Katanik’s accomplishments in her first three years in Berea.
Individually, Katanik made an impact as early as her freshman year. The exercise physiology major, who carries a 3.7 grade point average, had an outstanding first year of cross country and earned All-OAC honors with a sixth place finish at the OAC Championship meet with a time of 19:16. She also finished 37th at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Meet and 125th at the Division III National Meet. In track, she earned All-OAC accolades in the 1500 meter run and as a member of the 4 x 800 meter relay team.
As a sophomore, Katanik was plagued by injuries but she still managed to post a season best time of 19:15 and help B-W to an OAC title and a second place finish at the NCAA regional meet. Individually she was 16th at the OAC meet, 36th at the regional meet and 96th at the NCAA meet.
"Despite my injuries, I was just happy to be able to contribute to a team that won the OAC title, placed second at the regionals and got to go to the national meet again," said Katanik. "It was a tough year for me individually but the successes of the team made it (the season) feel better. It also made me appreciate what it is like to be a healthy runner."
That spring in track, Katanik bounced back from her injuries and made a significant contribution as B-W won OAC titles both indoors and outdoors. Overall, she earned All-OAC honors in the 1000 and 1500 meter runs and on the 4 x 800 relay squad.
"After being injured during cross country season and then to come back and have a good track season gave me more confidence," said Katanik, who is the Vice President of the Exercise Physiology Club. "It was a big boost to my moral. It also carried over to my junior year."
The resulting confidence boost led Katanik to have her best season of collegiate cross country and track as a junior in 2001-2002. Individually in cross country she earned All-OAC honors with an eighth place finish, was 18th at the regional Meet and 85th at the Division III national meet. She helped B-W to a third straight OAC title, a second place finish at the regional meet and another Top 20 finish at the Division III National Championships.
That winter and spring in track, Katanik continued to dominate in the OAC as she won the OAC title indoors in the 1500 meter run and helped the women to a narrow team title. Outdoors she won the 5000 meter title, qualified for the Division III national meet and again led B-W to an OAC crown.
So what motivates Katanik?
"My teammates motivate me," said Katanik. "My running mates keep my spirits up. They are so wonderful. I could not ask for a better team.
"Every week at practice, we not only work hard for ourselves, but also for each other," said Katanik. "We help motivate each other in races. Ever since coming to B-W to run cross country, it has become more of a team sport rather than an individual sport. We aren’t worried about who finishes first, second or third. We are interested in which team wins the team title and we want it to be us."
Fellow senior cross country standout Jen Dunlap (Concord/Painesville Riverside) is excited to be running with Lynn again this year.
"As a teammate, Lynn is definitely someone that the team can always count on because she is always consistent," said Dunlap. "Lynn is very motivated and always gives it her all in every practice and meet."
So how does Katanik balance running cross country and track with being a leader on campus and in the classroom? Her response again is a modest one.
"Any athlete at B-W can manage a sport or two, contribute to an club and the classroom," said Katanik. "It’s just like having an after school job. You just have to be able to manage your time."
As the 2002 cross country season approaches, the B-W women again have the firepower to win another OAC title and to again place in the top two at the NCAA regional meet and advance to the Division III nationals because they have a solid team. And senior Lynn Katanik is a quiet part of that team and its success. She doesn’t do it by making loud sounds. She does it with quiet leadership. As was said about former President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, maybe Katanik also speaks softly and carries a big stick.
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