“This is the most fit team we have ever had,” Coach Jon Bell said before his Cross Country team departed for their first meet of the year.
Going into last weekend’s Duquesne Duals in Pittsburgh, Pa., the team’s mindset seemed unified and focused. Just as they were physically fit, they were mentally ready to compete.
“I feel very confident in this team heading into the first meet of the season,” said sophomore Jack Holstettler.
“Since early May, we have all been committed to working harder than ever before. That is the key to progression – you have to train like the team you want to be, not the team you are.”
Last year, the men’s and women’s teams both finished in the bottom half of the Atlantic 10 in the November conference championships. But with a more experienced team and a more rigorous training style, the squad expects to increase their standing in the conference.
“Even if an A-10 championship is not realistic for the group we currently have, we are going to work as hard as we can to place as high as we can,” continued Holstettler. “We expect to place higher than ever before, and I feel confident we have the athletes here that can make it happen.”
Last weekend in Pittsburgh, freshman Margo Richardson and junior Hilary Orf went first and second in the women’s meet.
Richardson set the school 5k record, running a time of 18:01. The previous record of 18:07.05 was set by Laura Coyer in 2007. Richardson’s time beat that mark by over six seconds.
Richardson was also the first SLU Cross Country runner to place first in a meet.
Going into the meet, the freshman said that she was optimistic about SLU’s chances at Duquesne.
As a team, the Billikens finished fourth place in Pittsburgh, the site of this year’s A-10 Championship.
Orf placed second in the same event, running a 18:07. That time would have been good enough to break the previous SLU record had Richardson not finished out in front.
Sophomore Elise Medley placed twelfth overall with a personal-best of 18:49, and senior Sara Fraley placed thirty-third with a time of 19:34.
On the men’s side, senior Brian Holdmeyer finished twelfth with a time of 26:06, and sophomore Jack Hostettler finished 37th with a time of 27:06.
The Billikens have three more meets before returning to Pittsburg for the A-10 Championships in November.
