ANTHONY GETTINO
Sports Editor
It’s been two years since the last time Kyle Campbell laced up for a cross country regionals race.
Saturday, Nov. 13, that’s going to change.
“My individual goal for the regional meet is to go All-Region. As a team, I want us to place in the top 10.”
Campbell is a senior sport management and criminal justice major with a minor in coaching. The athlete is on the men’s cross country and track and field teams.
While most would assume that COVID-19 would take the work ethic out of most, it actually helped to strengthen Campbell’s.
This past summer was the hardest Campbell has trained going into a season in his life — and it paid off.
Trading off with Anthony Ruiz as Fredonia’s top runner all season, Campbell was able to race his way into the top 15 in the SUNYAC Championship meet in Cortland, earning him third team All-SUNYAC honors.
“Making the All-SUNYAC team means so much to me because of all the hard work and dedication I put into this sport. I’m thrilled with what I accomplished, but the jobs not done yet,” Campbell said.
Campbell hopes to come in the top 35 individually this Saturday at the Niagara Regional Championships in Geneseo to earn All-Region honors.
When asked how he was able to improve, Campbell praised his teammates. “Having that inner team competition definitely helped me become a better runner. I have to give props to my training partners Anthony [Ruiz] and Josh [Walters] because we push each other day in and day out.”
Campbell’s All-SUNYAC performance was able to help the Blue Devils to their best finish at the SUNYAC Championships since 2016, with the team placing 5th overall.
“I feel like it was a team effort behind our improvement since the last time we ran at SUNYACs because one person can’t make a team. For most of these guys, this season was their first time running 8Ks or even competing at the college level… We still placed better than we did last time SUNYACs were held. It just shows the potential this team has.”
Campbell was quite vocal about what the future of the team could look like. He will be using his eligibility from the lost COVID seasons to return for an entire year of both cross country and track and field to complete his two majors and minors.
With his return and minimal losses, Campbell says the hope is for a top three finish at the conference level. He also says his individual goal will be to place in the top five at the race, which would give him first team All-SUNYAC honors and an induction into the SUNYAC Hall of Fame.
For track, Campbell is hoping to find the event that fits his running type best and roll with it. Making the SUNYAC and Regional Championships is his current goal for the upcoming track season.
But he’s not thinking too much about what the future holds just yet.