During Family and Friends Weekend, the Goucher Cross Country team hosted the second annual Coach Caslin Classic. The race was dominated by Moravian University, who placed eleven runners in the top fifteen spots. However, one Goucher runner stepped up to ensure they didn’t sweep the podium– Tanise Thornton-Fillyaw ‘26.
Thornton-Fillyaw is a new addition to the team, coming in as a freshman from Bethesda, Maryland. Despite being a first-year student and collegiate athlete, she’s wasted no time in making an impact on the team.
“Tanise has been a great addition to the cross-country team this year,” said Coach JT Klopcic, “Her commitment to her training on and off the course, as well as to her teammates and success has put her in the position to be one of the top first year runners in school history, the [Landmark] Conference and the Mid-Atlantic region.”
The results speak for themselves; Thornton-Fillyaw currently holds the twenty-sixth fastest time for a 6K (the standard women’s collegiate cross country racing distance), at the school, and is ranked as the ninth overall runner in Goucher athletics history. An impressive feat, especially considering this is Thornton-Fillyaw’s rookie season.
When you take her rookie status into consideration, the statistics only get more impressive. She is among the top five first-year runners in the Landmark Conference this season.
“If there is one thing you can be sure about Tanise, it’s that she always brings the heat,” said teammate Skye Washington.
As for Thornton-Fillyaw, she remains unruffled, despite the hype.
“Wow, I wasn’t even aware of those rankings,” she laughed, “That’s crazy. I would say I’m very excited about that, and with some continued hard work, I hope to become rookie of the year.”
Thornton-Fillyaw said that while she’s “happy with the start to [her] collegiate cross country season, [she’s] hoping to continue to drop time in the last few races of the season.”
Thornton-Fillyaw and the Goucher cross country team have two races left in the season; Landmark Conference championships will be held here at Goucher on Saturday, October 29, with the race starting at 11AM. Thornton-Fillyaw is projected to also race in the Regional Championships on November 12.
