New runners boost team

With fall right around the corner, the men’s and women’s cross-country teams are gearing up for the season ahead.

The women’s team is looking to rebuild after an 11th place finish in conference last year. Junior runner Josi Wood thinks adding more players on the team this year will greatly help.

“With four new freshmen, it will definitely help us in the long run, and everyone looks like they’ve trained a lot this summer,” said Wood.

The women’s team has typically been smaller, and they have even had to borrow players from the track team, however, head coach Josh Mayhan talked about how he’s changed that.

“One of my biggest goals last year was that I needed to heavily recruit women to come here. It’s traditionally been a small girl’s cross-country team here, but now we have eleven girls and that’s about the perfect size,” said Mayhan.

Off-season training can be crucial for these athletes as their season starts when they return to campus for the semester.

Wood started off the summer by running 40-50 miles a week and brought her average up to around 60 miles a week by the end of the off-season.

“I know my top week this summer was 70 miles, so we’ve built up a lot and it’s been pretty hard.”

On the men’s team it was no different. Senior Jonathon Jeffcoat and sophomore Brandon McDonald have been training hard in the offseason to bounce back from their 8th place finish in conference last year.

While Jeffcoat is impressed with the Warhawk’s top-five runners they have to offer, he is looking forward to the additions made to the team during the off-season.

“We added a bunch of pieces this year that I think will make us a good all around team. We’re a young team, but we still have a lot of experience,” said Jeffcoat.

The team is not the only thing runners are worried about when it comes to success in cross-country, being able to perform well in different locations must be essential.

The runners, along with their coach, all agree that their favorite meet to run at is in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

“Every year we go to the chili festival where some of the best people run. Everyone usually gets a good time, so that’s one of our main meets every year,” said McDonald.

Coach Mayhan added that last year was his first time going to the chili festival with the team, but it proved to be a great run for all the Warhawks.

“It’s really good competition, so it gives us that confidence going into conference races,” said Mayhan.

Besides the season, coach Mayhan is also looking forward to the “Michelob Ultra Beer Mile,” which will be taking place on Sunday, September 4th at 8 p.m.

The beer mile is set to be at ULM’s track and field stadium and will even feature coach Mayhan along with former coach, and now director of high school recruitment, Seth Hall.

Hall and Mayhan are currently roommates, so their goal for the race is to, “keep the title in the house.”

The cross-country team starts their season with a home meet this Saturday at Selman Field. The women will run at 6 p.m., and the men will run at 6:30 p.m. Come out and support our Warhawks as they hit the ground running on their new season.