As the fall sports season resumes, the university cross country program has solidified itself as a bonafide powerhouse.
They are striving and succeeding for climbing success compared to previous years. So far, the boys and girls cross country team has competed in two meets and have two more meets before the final Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) race.
On Sept. 5, during the Mike Baumer XC Classic at Wright State University, the boys cross country placed 10th overall.
With this race came a record-breaking finish; senior Chip Smith broke the school record for a 5k, running a 15:33 minute race. Additionally, junior Mikey Arnone broke the previous record, now holding the second fastest time in program history.
The girls cross country team finished ninth overall, with first-year Laney Tarr running the eighth-fastest 5k in program history. Smith and Tarr both won “OAC Athletes of the Week” in their respective sports for their performances.
On Sept. 13, both teams took part in the Otterbein Invitational, an 8k race for the boys team and a 6k race for the girls.
After running a 26:37.5 race, first-year Justin Rona achieved a team best 15th place achieving a top 15 program record. Similarly, the girls team performed strongly, as three first-years continued to set records; out of over 150 athletes, Faith Michel placed 27th, Tarr placed 34th and Shelby Jane placed 35th. To maintain these results, both teams must keep each other accountable and stay consistent.
Each morning, both teams run together. Unlike any university sports team, both girls and boys cross country teams practice in an integrated co-ed setting. Each morning at 6:30 a.m., they run eight to ten miles in preparation for five meets.
Junior Aiden Mahony said “the key to [their] success is being consistent and staying healthy. Whether that means upping [their] mileage on [their] good days and doing less miles when [they] feel sore.”
Mahony also said, “Getting up for practice is hard but the team dynamic makes practices enjoyable.” Additionally, the team and the coach regularly touch base.
With fresh competitive performances from newcomers, returning teammates have had to step into an important leadership role. Ian Kellogg, the director of cross country and track and field, spoke on expanding the team and supporting the newcomers.
“I’m proud of the leadership that’s stemmed from our older group, as well as the maturity I’ve seen from our first-year students in the way they train and compete,” Kellogg said. “We are operating at a much higher level as a whole than we were at this time a year ago.”
The next two meets will be the Louisville Classic and the Oberlin Inter-Region Rumble on Oct. 4 and Oct. 8, respectively. The season will conclude at the OAC Championships on Nov. 1.
