What cross-country lacks in popularity or spectators, it makes up for in respectability. Unlike other sports, training for cross-country truly never stops. Every decision made from waking up, until the day's end has a direct impact on running performance. Cross-country running requires athletes to take care of their bodies at all times. A season-long commitment to cross-country running is never easy, especially for college students who already have a lot on their plates.
In October, 13 students finished up Walla Walla University's inaugural cross-country season. For these students, the months of August through October were filled with early mornings, many hours of travel, and extensive training. One of the Wolves' top runners,
Spencer Glubay, thrived throughout this season while still excelling in his pursuit of a bio-engineering degree.
He was a top finisher this season for the Wolves. At the Wolves' second meet of the season, The Ash Creek Invitational, he delivered the first top-10 finish in WWU cross-country history, taking 9
th place. Only two weeks later, Glubay secured a monumental top five finish for the Wolves at the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) preview meet. In an interview with Glubay, he spoke on the key to running a successful race "you can push your body to go, but your mind will eventually want to focus on the pain and discomfort. But if you can get past that and ignore it, you can just keep going." Ignoring the pain was something he did all season, as he achieved three top-ten finishes and three top-50 finishes. Glubay said over the course of this season, the most important thing he learned was "the value in running my own race. It's important to follow your own pace rather than following the pack."
On the women's side, the Wolves' standout runner was sophomore pre-med student
Alexa Johnson. In the Ash Creek Invitational, Johnson scored Walla Walla University's first ever top-five finish. When asked about her top-five finished, Johnson reiterated Glubay's point, saying, "I started slow, behind my teammates, but after about a mile and a half I began to build speed and pass everybody until I reached the top-five." Jonson finished the season with one top-five finish and one top-50 finish.
She worked very hard for her team this season. When asked, Johnson said the key to success in cross-country is "Consistent training, and pushing yourself in training. I found sprint-interval training to be the most helpful." Johnson was all smiles when talking about her experience this season. It was clear she really valued the time spent and friends made on this team. When asked about the highs and lows of this season, she said "The lows were the late nights followed by early mornings, and the highs were all the friends I made. It was great getting to know the other runners, and it made me feel more involved on campus."
The student athletes on the cross-country team this year did more than just jump-start a program, they laid a foundation of success that we hope to see carry over to next August. They exceeded expectations, and, in this program, have given Wolves fans something to look forward to for years to come.
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