Cross-country is an unusual sport. Most sports require the entire team to pitch in to score a single point or goal, but a cross-country score is determined by a collection of individual performances. The scoring takes the placement each runner finishes in a race and gives the team these points. The team with the lowest score wins.
While cross-country is an individual sport in a sense, it is also a team sport and therefore requires leaders.
“I really want this to be a fostering environment where everyone on the team feels valued,” said head coach Randy Crist.
This season, the Asbury University men’s cross-country team features a large group of freshmen who will look to the seniors of the team for leadership. The senior group is comprised of Hayden Dwyer, Codey Philips, Young Koh and Team Captain Yoel Rivas.
“I’m aiming to lay the expectations of the team for future runners,” said Dwyer. “I want this to be a fun, but hard-working, competitive environment.” But the Eagles’s quest to be competitive does not come without challenges.
Rivas is battling an iliotibial (IT) band injury and has been unable to compete. It is unclear how long he will be out.
“It has been tough,” said Rivas, “but I want to enjoy the time I have here and help others have a positive attitude.”
With Rivas out, freshman Stuart Kirkbride is helping fill the hole on the varsity roster, placing in the top three for the team in each of the first two races.
Crist said he would like to see the team finish in the top three at the conference meet in November.
The River States Conference ranked the Eagles seventh in the conference in its Sept. 18 poll. The team got off to a strong start this season however, placing second in the Rio Grande Invitational on Sept. 20. The second-place finish also resulted in the Eagles crushing Rio Grande, the third-ranked team in the conference, by 30 points.
“This was a statement,” said Philips. “We proved we belong by beating the number three team by a large margin.”
While the team showed success last weekend, its members believe that this achievement is not the end of the road.
“There is a lot more to expect from this team,” said Koh. “Everyone is working hard, and our best times are ahead.”
