Fall is a very busy time for sports fans, with both college and professional level football games being played every single week.  With the sport’s incredible popularity in the US, it can occasionally overshadow other teams that put in just as much effort. So today, the captain’s log will shed some light on one of them, that being Cross Country. For readers who are unaware, cross country refers to a team sport where competitors must run through a predetermined track anywhere from 5 to 10 kilometers (that’s a little more than 3-6 miles). What makes cross country different from typical road running is in the name, Competitors regularly run through forests, wilderness and nature’s most difficult terrain. 

Led by Coach Wingard, who also coaches for the winter and spring track seasons for 16 years, the team started way back in August, and meets at 6am in the morning for their workouts. “We are still in the early stages of the season,” Says Coach Wingard, “…we are still largely assessing where we are as a team and getting back into the competitive groove ….Everything looks really good so far- the team is fit and in good spirits. They have handled the transition from Coach Feldman’s departure and the start of the semester well and are getting into a good rhythm.”

Very recently the team had a race at Richmond’s Spider Invitational. Wingard praised the team saying that despite some difficult weather conditions the women’s team had some very impressive performances. As for the men’s team “(They) Managed a way-too fast start up set by (another school’s) team and finished really strong. That bodes well for the big meets at the end of the season.”

All in all the coach of the team is very pleased with the results he has seen thus far from both the men’s and women’s teams. As practices continue and the teams get stronger, I have nothing but hope for the remainder of the season. Their next race will be held on CNU’s own course, Lee Hall Mansion on Friday, September 16. Women will be starting at 5:30pm and the men at 6:20pm.  They will also be hosting the NCAA South Region championship in the same location on November 12. If anyone is interested, I highly recommend watching if you can.  As a High School runner myself, there’s nothing more motivational than watching some use all of their will power to get to the finish line regardless of how tired they are.