CHARLES PRITCHARD
Staff Writer
“This is the best cross country season I’ve seen,” Coach Tom Wilson said, “and it’s only going to get better.”
It was a long and bumpy road to the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship, but, with the big race and Wisconsin behind them, three senior runners have some time to reflect appreciate just how far they’ve come.
Collin Mulcahy ranked 146th overall in the country. Kyle Collins ranked 107th in the country. Laura Morrison, a first time runner at the collegiate level, ranked 61st overall in the country for the women’s race.
While only those who finish in the top 35 get the prestigious title of NCAA Division III All-American, Mulcahy, Collins and Morrison gave a lot to get where they are, especially considering how training took place back in November.
“Approaching the championship, we did interval workouts some days which consisted of running shorter distances and incorporating speed. On off days, we did easy long runs to keep our mileage up and recover from the workouts,” Morrison explained.
According to Wilson, the training and keeping themselves healthy and fit was a huge part of it and calls his runners “phenomenal” for it.
But despite all the training, the best case scenarios and well-laid plans, there’s always that one thing that can throw everything off and Collins attested to that.
“I was about 400 meters into the race, in front of the pack and it put me in a good position when one person in front me tripped over someone else, making me fall as well and threw me to the back of the race,” Collins said. “From that point forward, I was just catching up to where I needed to be.”
Wilson admits that if Collins hadn’t fallen, he definitely would have ranked higher, but he rebounded well.
“I hadn’t noticed how many people I had passed until after the race, when everyone was giving me the lay down of how I race,” Collins said.
Out of the three seniors who ran for the NCAA championship, two of them are graduating from Fredonia in the Spring and looking towards bigger and better things. That doesn’t mean the camaraderie between the runners and coach is fading. If anything, it’s more solid than it has ever been.
“You’re talking to someone who has never in his entire life qualified to be in the biggest cross country or track and field race of the season. This whole trip was exhilarating for me,” Collins said. “There wasn’t a bad moment that I had on this trip with my coach, my teammates and best friends. Everything that happened will probably be engraved into my mind as one, if not the best experience I have had as a runner.”
“I couldn’t have asked for a greater team this season,” Morrison said. “Everyone was behind each other 100 percent, and it really was an honor to be able to run with Collins and Mulcahy at this meet. I’m going to miss Fredonia and the team a lot once I graduate.”
“I have a bit of a philosophy,” Wilson said. “You need to take chances, get organized and learn to overcome any task that presents itself. And my athletes are definitely ready.”