Another week is in the books for the fall athletes of Ohio Northern University, and one Polar Bear stood out among the crowd. Senior women’s cross-country runner, Samantha Hoffman, has earned herself the title of this week’s Northern Review “Athlete of the Week”.
Hoffman and the rest of the polar bear cross-country team, raced in the Calvin (Mich.) Knight Invitational in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Samantha led the team to finish tenth in the invite out of 24 teams competing. There were 292 runners on Saturday and the senior standout runner finished 23rd. Samantha also finished her race in 19 minutes and 11 seconds.
The Polar Bear cross country speedster talked about how she was preparing for the invite on Saturday. “Coach Maus told me before the race that I had to go out aggressive, so I had to fight for a spot up front early. It was a competitive race with very competitive teams, so my goal was to compete with the best.”
Seeing that Hoffman is a senior, she has certainly come a long way from her freshman year, to being a top-25 finisher in such a large invitational. “Each year I have successfully gotten faster, and keep making steps in the right direction. I couldn’t have gotten where I am today if it wasn’t for my coach and teammates, because they have been there for me through the ups and the downs to help me want to be the best runner I possibly can be.”
Samantha has made strides in her career just like she strides on the course, and that has made her a well-fit winner for the Northern Review ‘Athlete of the Week’. Congratulations to Samantha, the Polar Bear cross-country team, and most of all, Go Bears!