The men’s and women’s cross country teams were able to continue their remarkable seasons at the Mid-East Regional Championships in Carlisle, Pennsylvania this past weekend. The men’s team was able to place 16th out of 51 teams, while the women’s team placed 12th out of 49 teams.

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Savanna Carr placed seventh overall in the women’s 6k at a clip of 22:14.1, was the lone Lion to advance to the National Championship and was named to the All-Freshman Team in addition to being the leader of the All-AMCC Team. Also for the women’s team, Riley Crissman was able to sneak into the top 50 with a time of 23:39.5. Courtney Sargent and Jenna Shelton tied at the event, obtaining times of 24:38.6, and finishing tied for 113th out of 351 runners total.

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For the men, it was Zach Wortman’s time to shine, as he finished 42nd in the 8k at a clip of 26:12.1. Wortman was also named to the All-Freshman team and had been awarded the Newcomer of the Year Award in the AMCC after the conference championship. Dylan Buffington continued his astonishing performance this season, posting a time of 26:32.5 and finishing 54th overall. Ian Grifith snuck into the top 100 by placing 99th at a time of 27:10.1. Needless to say, Buffington and Grifith left their mark on Penn State Behrend Cross Country. Both men graduate soon. Behrend wishes them and all the seniors on the cross country team great success in the upcoming track and field season and into the future.

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Prior to the team wrapping up their season at regionals, I had the privilege of sitting down with members of the team and cross country head coach Greg Cooper. They provided valuable insight into the sport of cross country, how they motivate each other and how the Behrend community has contributed to their success. Cross country, and running in general, is much more of a mental game than a physical one, contrary to popular belief. The runners described cross country as a “99 percent mental” sport with a foundational reliance on physical conditioning. The mental aspect of the sport consists primarily of intrinsic motivation to continue competing. When asked what is the more challenging sport between cross country and track, there was a general consensus that it varied by the person, but that there is a large difference in how much of a mental game cross country is, as compared to running track. It also largely depends on one’s experience, whether positive or negative and the types of events that one prefers.

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They continually emphasized that even though the sport largely involves individual  efforts, the team and coaches build off of each other to reach what they referred to as the “end game”, or goals of performance for both the team and individuals. AMCC medalist Dylan Buffington attributed his success to “...sticking to the grind…” and again reiterated the importance of building off of the work of his teammates and instructions of his coach. Coach Cooper, who was named the AMCC Coach of the Year for the third year in a row and tenth time overall, stated that the team has made him into the best possible coach he can be, iterating that the aforementioned award was a team award, not an individual award. The team, from what I was able to observe, is very united toward a common goal. Runner and coaches alike consistently bring the energy and laughter to the sport of cross country, and that is certainly reflected in their performance and style.

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When discussing what the Behrend academic and social community does for the team, AMCC Champion and Regional Finalist Savanna Carr discussed the structured and encouraging support system that Behrend offers. She stated that Behrend has provided her with a foundation for success inside and outside of the sport and that what she was provided to her in high school pales in comparison to what she has here. Obviously, Behrend seems to be a great fit for Carr, as she has experienced a multitude of success in her freshman year. Coach Cooper, a Behrend alumni, reiterated this point in saying that Behrend “...is right in the sweet spot,” in terms of providing a quality education while still imploring students to make deep, interpersonal connections with faculty, peers and administrators. And because Behrend has a relatively small enrollment, coaches and players in virtually any sport, not just cross country, are able to know each other on a more personal level than at a larger school like University Park. They are able to understand each others’ tendencies and be more sympathetic to each others’ struggles. Just as well, they are able to create a greater sense of a community within the team. They have established a community that is willing to work as hard as they can, despite their drawbacks and obstacles. Behrend is full of people that are willing to work hard to achieve their goals, no matter what sacrifices need to be made. There is certainly no shortage of these kinds of people on the cross country team.