Marshall Women’s Cross-Country Feature
By: Owen James, Training Coordinator, FM88 Sports
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WMUL-FM) — Marshall women’s cross-country and track and field runner Rachael Withrow has been in championship form all year long.
The senior Bowling Green transfer won her fourth straight individual meet at Morehead State, finishing the regular season perfect and earning her program-best fourth consecutive Sun Belt Conference Women’s Runner of the Week selection. Withrow finished the 5K in 16:26, beating out 239 other runners.
She hasn’t been squeaking out photo finishes either — her winning margin has averaged more than a minute faster than the runner-up. Withrow’s speed and remarkable resilience and adaptability in different environments have helped her set a course record and record the best 5K time in the Sun Belt Conference in the process. With the conference championships tomorrow, the four-time SBC Women’s Runner of the Week is the favorite to take the women’s individual championship.
However, Withrow’s conference takeover has not been the most fulfilling part of her first semester at Marshall. For the Winfield, West Virginia, native, transferring to Marshall is a return to her home.
“We got to wear the jerseys with the West Virginia on them, and I really like that jersey just because I feel like that means a lot to represent your home state, especially just being in Ohio before,” Withrow said.
A ubiquitous sight for any West Virginian became a source of comfort for Withrow upon her return, a sight she had missed at Bowling Green. “The hills,” Withrow said. “When I was in Ohio, it was flat as could be. So, coming back was nice.”
Besides the familiar hills, Withrow’s transfer to Marshall also brought her closer to family and allowed her to reunite with high school rivals, now as teammates rather than opponents. “It’s been very different being close to home,” Withrow said. “My family’s able to more easily come to a lot of the races and just be around if I need anything, which is a lot different.
“It made the moving process a lot easier, but also it’s just really fun to be back competing on those courses that I did run in high school, and then also with the girls I raced against because it’s just really cool to be on the same team as them.”
Junior runner Destiny Berryman is perhaps the teammate with the closest and longest relationship with Withrow. Withrow said that, before transferring, she reached out to Berryman, who shared her experience as part of the Herd over the past two years.
The pair’s friendly rivalry culminated at the 2022 WVSSAC State Cross Country Championships, when Withrow crossed the finish line two and a half seconds ahead of Berryman, narrowly clinching second place in her last high school meet.
However, the pair’s relationship is much more than that of competitors. Berryman said Withrow’s example of excellence has long pushed her to reach her full potential as an athlete. “I’ve looked up to her for years,” Berryman said. “We raced against each other — not just cross country but also track. She was always my biggest competition, which was very exciting.
“She pushed me. She made me feel brave. She made me go out and get it. And every race that I’ve ever had with her, I’ve never felt unsatisfied. So, she’s always been the person that’s pushed me past my limits.”
Another teammate with a significant history with Withrow is junior Ellie Hosaflook. Hosaflook — who attended Ripley High School, an hour north of Winfield — raced against Withrow numerous times in middle school and high school.
Hosaflook said one photograph came to mind when she heard Withrow would be joining her at Marshall: the two sharing the podium at the 2017 Ripley Covered Bridge Invitational, their first year competing against each other. “I was just looking at that picture the other day, and I was like, ‘Wow, we’re on the same team now,’” Hosaflook said.
The reunions didn’t end with Withrow’s teammates either; cross-country head coach Caleb Bowen is also from Putnam County and watched Withrow race throughout high school. “It felt like I already knew Rachael by the time we actually met,” Bowen said. “It’s like we had been friends — almost friends — a long time, like coach-athlete, before we even got there.”
Bowen recalled watching Withrow in her first race in the green and white — the Thundering Herd Invitational in September — where Withrow ran an astonishing 16:11.2, beating her competition by a minute and a half and obliterating the course record by 50 seconds. “[Withrow’s performance] met my expectations, but also kind of blew me away because I
was thinking I’d been very happy with anything sub-17, which had been a course record, and yet we almost broke 16,” Bowen said.
While Withrow’s performances have certainly been spectacular, the warm welcome from some familiar faces has been the greatest gift of all.