Over the next several weeks, the University of Detroit Mercy Department of Athletics will be releasing its All-Decade Teams of the 2010s. For a full schedule of the teams set to be released, click here.
DETROIT (4/17/2020) -- The University of Detroit Mercy Department of Athletics is unveiling its All-Decade Teams of the 2010s, compiling the best student-athletes across the past 10 seasons (2010-19) into a First and Second Team in each intercollegiate sport. Next up is another fall sport in Titan women's cross country.
The Titans had several individuals perform well on the cross country course during the 10-year span (2010-19), including First Team All-Leaguers in Louisa Coppola (2012, 2013), Samantha Zakalowski (2015) and Devon Sutton (2016). Coppola placed fifth at the league meet in 2012, before finishing third individually in 2013 in a time of 18:14 in the 5K race. Coppola then set a PR in her final cross country race at the 2013 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship, finishing in 47th with a time of 21:34 in the 6K race. It was the best time in the 6K during the decade for a Titan women's harrier.
Sydnie Fetherolf was the 2014 Horizon League Freshman of the Year in women's cross country and also was two-time All-Horizon League (2014, 2017). Other All-Leaguers were Zeinib Baydoun (2015) and Claire Kendell (2018).
As a team, the Titans finished inside the top-four at the Horizon League Championships twice during the decade (2012, 2013), inside the top-five as a team four times and was in the top-six teams at the league championship six times out of 10 seasons overall. The Titans had arguably one of its best team runs in 2014, finishing with a Titan decade-low 112 points and placing fifth in a competitive league championship as four runners finished in times of 23:00 or under and all inside the top 27 at the meet. Fetherolf had a time of 22:19 to lead that way that year as she captured her HL Freshman of the Year honors -- the first for a Titan since 1997.
Sutton had a time of 22:23 to finish seventh at the 2016 Horizon League Championships, before registering the 13th-best time in school history in her final run at the 2016 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship, crossing with a PR of 22:16 in the 6K for 105th place. In her first year of competition in 2018, Claire Kendell ran a time of 22:09 at the 2018 Horizon League Championships to lead the Titans that season.
Two Titans ran under the 18-minute mark in the 5K during the decade -- Fetherolf (17:57, 2017) and Coppola (17:58, 2013), while five more Titans eclipsed the 19-minute mark at least once in the distance -- Claire Kendell (18:15, 2018), Devon Sutton (18:22, 2016), Zeinab Baydoun (18:47, 2014), Katrina Oberski (19:00, 2012) and Samantha Zakalowski (19:00, 2015).
Detroit Mercy Women's Cross Country All-Decade Team of 2010s
First Team
Zeinab Baydoun (2011-15)
Louisa Coppola (2012-13, two-time First Team All-Horizon League -- 2012, 2013)
Sydnie Fetherolf (2014-17, HL Freshman of the Year -- 2014)
Claire Kendell (2017-18)
Katrina Oberski (2009-12)
Devon Sutton (2013-16, First Team All-Horizon League -- 2016)
Samantha Zakalowski (2013-15, First Team All-Horizon League -- 2015)
Second Team
Ciara Curley-Poppe (2013)
Kayla Hughes (2016-Present)
Kirstin Mooney (2008-11)
Jenny Ponkowski (2014-17)
Taylor Smith (2014-17)
Sara Taylor (2011-14)
Veronica Towianski (2016-18)
Take a full look at our other All-Decade Teams:
April 13 --
Women's Soccer
April 15 --
Men's Soccer
