In his first season at the helm of the Longwood University men’s and women’s cross country teams, Daniel Wooten, the new head coach, has appointed senior men’s runner John Bapties, a former Cumberland County High School student-athlete, and sophomore women’s runner Casey Williams as team captains for the 2018 season.

Those two Lancers will take on posts of paramount importance for Longwood this season, as the Lancer roster receives an influx of new talent, with 15 total newcomers, including eight on the men’s side and seven on the women’s side.

“A quality team captain is essential to the success of any team and not a title coaches give out lightly,” said Wooten, who was named head coach this past May after serving as assistant coach in 2017. “That said, appointing John and Casey to that position was an easy decision based on their leadership abilities, body of work and how respected they are by their teammates.

“They have taken the role to heart during the summer and preseason, and our young roster has been especially responsive to their influence at practice and in all other aspects of our program.”

Bapties, a native of Cumberland, is the longest-tenured runner on this year’s team, having run 17 races over the previous three seasons. He has missed just two races as a Lancer. Last season he experienced the biggest jump of his college career by finishing among Longwood’s top three in every race, including two top-two finishes.

“John is an exceptional young man, and I am happy to announce him as the new team captain of our men’s cross country program,” Wooten said. “As he enters his fourth year with the team, I have no doubt he is capable of leading our men’s program. His knowledge of our team and his experiences on the course provide him the necessary skill set to lead.”

The coach continued by noting that “John has a humble attitude and a strong work ethic. His approach to our workouts is consistent and complaint-free, which is one of the many ways he serves as a positive role model for our young program moving forward. I look forward to watching John continue to grow as a leader for our team over the next season.”

Williams, meanwhile, made an immediate impact as a freshman when she emerged as Longwood’s top runner, finishing in Longwood’s No. 1 spot in the final four races of the year. The Suffolk native set personal bests in five of her six races in 2017, including the 4K Hokie Open on Nov. 3 when she ran a 16-minute 22.8-second time to clock the 10th-fastest 4K time in school history.

“Casey has been strong on and off the course for us since she first arrived, all while maintaining an exemplary academic record,” Wooten said. “As a freshman, she excelled from the start of her first collegiate race and continued that trend through this past spring and summer, as well as our preseason.”

“In addition Casey has shown immeasurable maturity and commitment to her team, and she sets the tone for her teammates every day with her grit and accountability. While we will count on her to consistently finish at the front of the pack, her impact on Longwood cross country this season will extend well beyond her individual race results.”

Bapties and Williams will lead the Lancers into Friday’s season-opening race at Virginia Tech. The Lancer women race at 6 p.m., and the Lancer men race at 6:30 p.m.