By: Isaiah Blakely
Cross country is all about hitting your stride at the right time, and for the St. Bonaventure Bonnies Cross Country team they feel they’re doing that.
Coach MacFarlane has been instilling the idea of “getting a little better each meet, and have one of your better races in the championship season.” MacFarlane has taken notice of the team’s improvement as well as junior captain Dahron Wells.
“This season has been impressive to say the least,” Wells said. “With runners dropping significant time each and every meet.”
MacFarlane credits the improvement on the track and classroom to the juniors and seniors, “Some of our older kids are really showing the younger kids the proper way of training and how you need to have the desire to strive for excellence,” he said.
Cross country is a team sport, but it is about the individuals having great performances and putting those together to win. Sophomore Christine Walsh said “every individual on this team has been putting in the work they need to in order for us to improve.”
“What’s impressing me is they are looking at themselves and trying to get better,” he said. “They want to get to their goals.”
MacFarlane is coaching a very young team this year but, he said “the freshmen are coming along very nicely.” Wells was impressed by the freshmen as well, during their first 8k at the National Catholic Invitational hosted by Notre Dame.
“When the first 8k rolled around all of our freshmen stepped up to the plate and put all their training to the test,” Wells said. “The freshmen showed heart and pushed themselves every kilometer of the way.”
With the season creeping towards the A10’s the expectations have not changed, “Continue to work hard, be smart in your actions not only in competition but outside the classroom,” MacFarlane said.
Wells echoes a similar sentiment, “I expect the team to keep the same energy that they’ve had all season, and remain focused on the goals we’ve set individually and as a team.”
“We want the difference between the first runner and the seventh runner at a minute,” MacFarlane said. “We’re getting there, not there yet but we’re close…Can we be there, absolutely yes.”
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