Attending college can truly be one of the greatest things that can happen to someone for many reasons. College allows you to better yourself and expand your knowledge and skills. It is a time to try new things that may just help lead to new friendships and great memories. One person has a great story on how trying something new has lead to him becoming passionate about a new sport he did not know he would enjoy. This person is Michael Cross, a 2015 graduate of Fairview Area High School. Joining the Penn State Behrend men’s cross country team was a decision that Cross was hesitant about heading into his sophomore year, but he is thankful that he decided to make cross country a part of his life.

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Cross was a very successful soccer player and track runner at Fairview, and he has four varsity letters in each respective sport. While Cross had great success as a runner in high school, all of the events he competed in were short distance runs. Cross competed in the 200, 400, 4x100 and 4x400 meter runs, and was a part of a 4x400 relay team that was a state meet qualifier. He was recruited to be a sprinter for the Behrend track and field team, but he soon found out that he was unsure that being a sprinter in college was for him. “I did not have the freshman track season I was hoping to have. Some of my teammates from the track team who ran cross country told me I should give cross country a shot next school year. I was pretty hesitant at first because I had no experience as a distance runner. I decided to give it a shot, and it has been one of the best decisions I have made,” Cross said of his decision. Instead of competing as a sprinter for the track team, he now competes as a distance runner. While Cross competes in two different sports here at Behrend, he also has a lot great professional experience that will suit him well upon graduation.

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Cross is a supply chain management major with a minor in management information systems. He has already had two internships in business related fields and he will have a third this summer. Cross is a business ambassador for Hudson Lofts. As business ambassador, he is responsible for working the front desk, sorting mail, helping coordinate events and assisting residents with whatever they may need. His other internship was as an employee of the Port of Corpus Christi last summer. Cross worked in a shipyard and was in charge of incoming and outcoming goods at the port. The internship Cross has this summer is in Vancouver, Washington, working for BNSF Railway. At this job, Cross will be in charge of managing, organizing and timing trains’ routes. Cross hopes to be working in locomotive logistics upon graduation, and is looking forward to the new experience this summer that will suit him well moving forward.

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While Cross has a lot of great professional experience, he also has been a part of some notable charity work. Cross assists local voters during election time, and plays a part in making sure voters know how to successfully work the machines. In addition, he has played a part in Adopt a Highway projects, helping to maintain the appearance of a stretch of highway. Cross has a lot of great experience in his professional and athletic career, and has also had a lot of people his life that have guided him in his journey.

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In his academic career, Dr. David Ding has been a great help to him over the last couple of months. Cross stated of Ding “Dr. Ding is a great guy. He is extremely flexible in terms of when he can meet with me and also he wants all of his students to find success. I have not known him for very long, but his impact has been huge.” One person who has helped him athletically is Behrend assistant track and field coach Bill Hoffman. “Coach Hoffman has been coaching running and has been passionate about running for a long time. He was a high school coach in the area for a long time, and I am very happy to be able to run for him in college. He has always been a great mentor to me since my high school days, and I am lucky to have him as a coach now.” Cross would also like to thank all of his coaches in both cross country and track for all of the support they have given him the last three years. In addition, Cross would like to recognize his parents for all they have sacrificed for him. “I really appreciate my parents coming to my races all the time. In high school, my races were so short, but they were always there for me even if the event lasted just a few seconds,” he stated. While Cross has a great support system in his life, he continues to find ways to make these people proud on his own.

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Cross is an Academic All Conference Selection in both cross country and track and field, as he continues to become a better runner each season. He was also a CSAC Honorable Mention in the 800 meter run. If there were two moments he would like to relive as a runner, it would be the meet in Geneva, New York this past cross country season and the District 10 Championships his senior year of high school. “The Geneva race was outstanding for us as a team. We had a really tough week of training, but almost everyone on our team ran their best time to that point at that race on both the men’s and women’s teams. It was such a good feeling to run so well when it mattered after such a tough week of preparation...I would like to relive districts my senior year because I had an awful race to start, but our 4x400 team came in only seeded fifth, and we ran so well we ended up finishing second. This gave us an opportunity to run at states, which was something I will never forget. I want to relieve this because I could have easily folded the towel that day, but instead I did not give in and ran some great races to end my District 10 career,” Cross stated of these memories. While Cross has a lot to be proud of, he had something great to say of his teammates. He said of his teammates “The biggest reason why I continue to compete as a two sport athlete is because of my teammates. Our team cheers each other on at practice, meets and just in life. We are there for each other through the ups and downs of the season and the school year, and I truly could not imagine a better group of teammates to have.”

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Cross serves as a great example of where hard work and an open mind can get someone. He is hopeful to capture another CSAC title in track as well as another AMCC crown in cross country to end his athletic career next year. He is also hopeful to continue working in the locomotive industry upon graduation and is excited to continue his professional career.