These Bulls Are Running The Show

Many people think of Cross Country as a black sheep kind of sport. In many ways, this sport is very different from all of the others. Men's Cross Country embraces that aspect of the sport along with the rest of it. They are the only athletes at this university, aside from Women's Cross Country, who have their name on three different rosters. They have a fall competition season, an Indoor Track and Field season, and an Outdoor Track and Field season. With three MAC Championships throughout the year, "training pretty much stays at the same intensity all year." This means they have no off season, and they travel all through both the fall and spring semesters. They even come back early from winter break to travel and train for their winter competition season. The men admit that this makes it difficult to have time to balance their work intensive majors with athletics, but share that as an athlete, they feel as though this year round, high intensity training helps them to improve their abilities much faster. Although our team is improving so quickly, they say that the biggest misconception about the sport is that it is easy. The sport of cross country requires the athlete to break down his body every day all year long, "and then come back the next day expecting to do the exact same thing." They get as few mental breaks as they do physical breaks, so battling physical and mental fatigue is a daily task. From eight mile long workouts (not including the warm up and cool down miles) to two hour weekly long runs, the men stress that their training is by no means easy.


As different as their demands may be, the Men's Cross Country Program is like the other athletic programs here in its success. This team is indisputably on the rise, and with no seniors on the current roster, this talented young team is ready to keep climbing. Last year, the program had a milestone in Zach Ahart's MAC Cross Country Championship win, becoming the first male in school history to accomplish this feat. This year, the men ran their way to the highest regional program ranking in school history, and they had some stellar performances this past weekend at their MAC Championships, taking fourth place. With the talent each team member possesses, the close knit bond these teammates share, and the experience they've gained this year, the team looks forward to their Regional meet in two weeks, as well as the amazing accomplishments they know lie ahead. Cross Country may seem difficult to understand, but the discipline, work ethic, and current and future successes of this team are plain to see.

To stay up to date on the Men's Cross Country Team and all of our other teams, like our Bulls Pride page on Facebook, an follow UB_BullsPride on Twitter and Instagram.