RICHMOND, Va. – In his first season as Director of Cross Country at VCU, Wesley Stephens looks forward to leading a group of veterans and newcomers throughout the season, the men's and women's first full seasons since 2019.
 
"Both teams came into camp in tremendous shape with a burning passion to get better every day," said Stephens. "We have the opportunity to shock a lot of teams this year."
 
Sophomore Kasandra Aulenbach will lead the women's team and look for more success after finishing 19^th at the 2020 Atlantic 10 Championships. In addition to Aulenbach, the 2021 roster features a talented freshman duo of Nia Warren and Cassidy Guyton. A native of Baltimore, Md., Warren was the 2021 Maryland state champion in the 800-meter run and state runner-up in the 1600-meter run. Guyton collected all-state honors in cross country and track in 2021 at Albemarle High School.
 
On the men's side, senior Hisham Vohra and sophomore Noah Peterson will lead a young team. Vohra earned all-conference honors during the 2019 cross country season, while Peterson finished 8^th at the 2021 Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championships in the 3000-meter steeplechase. VCU welcomes several talented middle-distance runners, including Nahim Abdallah from Texas. Jaden Luczak and Kendall Phillips will also look to contribute. In 2021, Luczak recieved all-state honors in the 1600-meter run, while Phillips became the AAU Junior Olympic national champion in the 2000-meter steeplechase.
 
The Rams cross country squads open their seasons Saturday at the Spider Alumni Open in Mechanicsville, Va. The Atlantic 10 championships will be held in Cedarville, Ohio on Oct. 30, and the NCAA Regionals will take place on Nov. 13 in Lexington, Ky.