Week ends in mixed results for Cross-Country teams

Photo by Abby Bellow

While the Oklahoma Christian University men’s cross-country team struggled without two of its veteran runners on Saturday at the Missouri Southern Stampede in Joplin, Missouri, the women finished in the top 10 of their meet.

All five Lady Eagle runners crossed the finish line within 68 seconds, with Maci Rich leading the team in 31st place in the 198-woman 5K race with a time of 19:41.65.

“Maci has been doing great in practice,” Women’s Cross-Country Assistant Coach Kaili Tucker said after the meet. “She’s looked strong and has been in the top pack during workout. She is a talented runner and it doesn’t surprise me at all that she led the girls in this past weekend.”

Following just behind Rich were Layne Hammer and Ainsley Ibison, placing 34th and 36th, respectively. Tara Lewis finished less than 60 seconds later at 20:43.49, earning the 86th slot and Katie Jones finished in Oklahoma Christian’s top five at 91st with a 20:49.93.

Oklahoma Christian faced challenging conditions at the Central Oklahoma Land Run in Edmond, Oklahoma, but according to junior Maria Sargent, the race on Sept. 6 wasn’t the only possibility of stormy weather on the Eagles’ radar.

“We were actually expecting rain again at Missouri,” Sargent said. “The past three years, the [Missouri Southern Stampede] has been either cancelled or delayed due to the weather conditions. So personally, I just tried to stay mentally tough so I could race in the rain again.”

Runners were surprised with clear skies on Sept. 20, as the Lady Eagles finished 8th of 24 teams – their second consecutive top-10 performance of the season.

According to Tucker, a large part of the Lady Eagles’ success is the addition of new runners.

“Having a young team is great,” Tucker said. “Their energy levels are high, and they are eager to get out and compete.”

Despite the Lady Eagles’ success at Joplin, the men’s team struggled, finishing as a team 14th of 16. Oklahoma Christian competed with a small team, missing two veteran runners with injuries.

With a time of 25:59.66, Bryant Keirns crossed the finish line first for the Eagles, claiming 26th place in the 154-man field. Sisay Gillock finished soon after with a 39th-place 26:30.94.

Evan Durrill ran a 27:40.31 and Blake Thompson finished in 28:22.22, earning 83rd and 106th, respectively.

According to Durrill, concentration before and during a race is as important as the run itself.

“My biggest issue from last season was not being mentally focused,” Durrill said. “I’m trying to improve on that this year.”

While mental focus is important, Tucker said, being smart with your physical limits is also something the coaches have emphasized to the runners.

“Listen to your body has been something [Coach] Miller and I have both been stressing this year,” Tucker said. “The key is to train hard and remain healthy for the whole season. [The runners] have spent some time in the pool and cross training in between workouts this season to help keep the stress off their legs.”

Sargent said Miller and Tucker’s training is essential to recovery after a difficult race.

“Coach Miller is great at working us through tired legs,” Sargent said. “We spent some time in the pool to give our legs a little break. Coach Miller also stays consistent with his training. He always wants us to focus on working hard, no matter what the circumstances, which I think really helps.”

Durrill agreed, stating that Miller pushes athletes while also allowing time to heal.

“Coach Miller has emphasized paying attention to details,” Durrill said. “He stresses on getting [a] good workout, but that we also make sure to give our bodies time to recover.”

The Oklahoma Christian cross-country teams will run at the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Oklahoma on Sept. 27. According to Tucker, the teams have a lot to look forward to, but also a lot of work to do.

“The Jamboree in Stillwater is one of my favorite meets,” Tucker said. “The competition there is fantastic and the meet itself has history. It is the longest running cross-country meet. The energy is high, and the spectators are great. That being said, it is one of the toughest courses we race. There are a lot of tough hills to face.”

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