Water splashes under the thunder of footsteps as grass is torn from its roots. The course line is spotted with mud.
Such were the conditions at the Missouri Valley Cross Country Championship Oct. 31 at Bradley University.
This year the Creighton Cross Country team has a new look. The program is led by two new coaches, Chas Davis and Marty Kinsey. Another noticeable change is the teams are made up mostly of freshman student-athletes.
The team as a whole is very young,” junior runner Liam Dawson said. “Half of the top squad are freshmen, which they have done an amazing job jumping into college running and adjusting to the 8k (5 mile).”
Even with a young team, many Bluejay runners felt the team performed well.
“As a team, we had our ups and downs, but I feel that as a whole we have all gotten stronger as the season progressed,” Dawson said. “Over the next two to three years, you will begin to see some major improvements on both the men’s and women’s side.”
The coaches echoed similar sentiment on the season.
“I am very encouraged by the future of this program based on how this season went,” head coach Chas Davis said. “We have 50 percent freshman on both squads and a total of three people over the age of 20; this is really the first piece of the puzzle.”
Both the men’s and women’s teams placed 9th in the conference race.
“It was very muddy and there were some points where the team had to run through standing water, but I am sure that the both the men’s and women’s teams were both disappointed,” Dawson said. “It hurt not having Mike Hitt run at conference, as he has been one of our top three runners throughout the entire season, as he was sidelined with an Achilles injury.”
Coach Davis stated that leadership was a big factor in the women moving up a place in conference from last season where they finished 10th.
“Our three seniors Melissa Greig, Molly Jergenson and Celeste Lorenzo helped set the tone and expectations for the women’s team,” Davis said.
The runners also feel the new coaches are an asset to the program in the present and for the future.
“Coach Davis and Coach Kinsey have helped us grow as a team immensely,” Dawson said. “Our coaches have helped us begin to live the runner’s lifestyle, which may take a little time to adjust to, but if you want to get better you need to buy into what coach Davis and coach Kinsey are doing.”
The first year coaching tandem of Davis and Kinsey hoped they had a positive effect on the team.
“My goal was to instill confidence in racing, but more specifically to give them confidence in my desire to help them be the best they can be,” Davis said. “Coach Kinsey has done an excellent job where I couldn’t in helping the athletes embrace collegiate running.”
The team is looking ahead to the Midwest Regional Championships in Springfield, Mo. on Nov. 14. Historically, the Bluejays have held an average finish at regionals. Three seasons ago, after the team finished a program-best fourth in the conference championship, then finished 13th at regionals.