Vargas brings mental strength to his runners

Head coach Karoly Varga begins his first year with the team and brings mental strength to the team.

“I think I am changing some kids,” Varga says. “Before, they weren’t mentally ready.”

Vargas says that he sits down and talks to his runners individually, explaining the concept of a team and that they “need to support each other.”

Daniel Mutai, ULM’s first-ever NCAA Cross Country Championship qualifier, and senior Moses Chelimo expect to put ULM in the hunt for the Sun Belt Conference title. Mutai finished seventh last year in the conference championships and was named Louisiana Men’s Cross Country Newcomer of the Year. He went on to compete in the NCAA Championships where he finished 138 out of 250 athletes.

The cross-country team is running hard to prepare for its season-opener at McNeese State on Sept. 2. The team runs dozens of miles per week individually and practices at full throttle in hopes to compete at full throttle.

Last season, the team finished fifth overall in conference, the best since joining the Sun Belt Conference. In hopes to shock the conference again, ULM adds Silah Chumba from Kenya. With Chumba, the team has a stronger five-man team, which will likely increase chances the team will have another best ever finish.

Varga plans to keep the team on a tough practice schedule and rest as needed.

“We are going to work hard. We are going to try to get rest for the home meet. We don’t want to get beat by anybody,” he says.

The team hosts the ULM Warhawk Invitational on Sept. 9.