As ISU women’s cross country coach Andrea Grove-McDonough gazes into the crystal ball, she must find a replacement for redshirt senior Katy Moen next season.

One candidate who has an opportunity to fill the shoes Moen will soon leave behind is redshirt freshman Erin Hooker.

With a redshirt year and one full race under her belt, Hooker has already become a future core runner for the team.

Hooker spent her freshman year learning how the system works, how the girls interact on the team and what the coaches expect of her.

“I learned a lot and I changed a lot of my views on what makes a good runner, and what’s right and what’s wrong in terms of training,” Hooker said. “I think I needed a year of learning so I could apply that to my future years.”

The Wisconsin Adidas Invitational on Oct. 17 gave Hooker experience in a loaded race and a peek at what the environment will be like at the NCAA Championships. Hooker was the fifth ISU runner to finish the event and placed 103rd overall.

“[The Wisconsin Invitational] was alright,” Hooker said. “It was not my best race I’ve ever ran, but it was definitely an improvement from Griak. The goal is to keep improving throughout the season. It feels really good to focus on other races knowing what goes on.”

Grove-McDonough said she was impressed with Hooker’s ability to fight and grind out the final two kilometers of the race.

“I think she just had to get out there, get it done and experience the race,” Grove-McDonough said. “I think moving forward, we’ll see big improvements from her over the next month.”

Hooker will have another opportunity to improve at the Big 12 Championships on Nov. 1 in Lawrence, Kan.

Grove-McDonough said it’s important for Hooker to start stronger, relax more during the middle portion of the race and press more during the final two kilometers.

“The biggest issue for her will be experience and confidence,” Grove-McDonough said. “Those things will come over time.”

Along with the experience Hooker is receiving as a redshirt freshman, she’s also had the opportunity to learn from the team’s top runners.

“Even Katy Moen is still learning,” Grove-McDonough said. “We look back at what if she made the break at the front three in Wisconsin because she knows she could have. That evolution is going to be the same for Erin, and she’s lucky she has those people in front of her to show her the way.”

As the season progresses through the final three events, Hooker’s focus remains on gaining experience and improving each race. Hooker said it’s important for her to not tense up during races and stay relaxed.

The future of the program is built around the young runners on the team and Grove-McDonough said she expects Hooker to be one of the team’s top three runners next season.

“We know she’s a really good runner,” Grove-McDonough said. “She’s a tough little kid and she’s going to be a big part of the group that we built around. We hope she’s the next Katy Moen.”