POCATELLO, Idaho - Northwest Nazarene Cross Country found their second gear at the hilly Idaho State University Invitational in Pocatello, Idaho this Friday as the men's and women's teams tackled the grueling 6k race with 460 feet of elevation change at ISU's Centennial XC course.
"It was a pretty tough course with a lot of elevation," said Assistant Cross Country Coach Greg Mitchell.
"Some things weren't in our favor today, but ultimately we have to keep moving forward and getting better. On paper, the results don't look super impressive, but I think the athletes took a lot away from the experience.
"They raced against some pretty big Division I schools which was great for the competitive energy. The course was a little short, so the times were a little wonky. At the end of the day, it was the athletes against each other and the course," explained Mitchell.
Sophomore Quincy Ellis was in pretty good spirits despite the hard race.
"The team did well; no one gave up or complained. Everyone took the hills in stride and got through it," said Ellis.
"Going into next week's training, I'm going to focus on attacking hills better and staying locked in mentally. We don't have a meet next weekend, so we'll really be able to knuckle down in practice."
Ellis crossed the finish line in 21:14.3, following freshman teammate Brody Kemble (19:54.8). Josh Lady (21:20.3), Aaron Heberlein (22:39.7), and Bryan Bach (23:52.3) rounded off the scoring five.
"This race was different than the other ones we have had in the past," said junior Olivia Klein.
"There was no grass and it was a lot more hilly than a lot of us are used to. Even though it was a hard course, everyone fought hard today.
"All the girls did amazing! We have had a lot of people sick so it was nice to see everyone run well," mentioned Klein.
Freshman Morgan Erler was the first Nighthawk to cross the line, coming in at 24:09.2 followed by Klein at 25:33.4. Keelin Stewart (26:49.6), Emily McMahon (27:09.5), and Katelyn Van Zanten (27:19.2) made up the women's scoring five.
Klein found inspiration in a message from Coach Mitchell the night before the race.
"Coach Mitchell sent out a devotion last night of Matthew 5:14-16. The main message from this is that we need to be a light to everyone and show them Jesus through how we act, run, and carry ourselves as a whole. I think this is a great reminder of how it's not about us because we are representing more than just ourselves."
"Overall, I am very excited for this season and all of our new and talented freshmen. Everyone is so encouraging and a joy to be around!" said Klein.
The Nighthawks' next race will be the Steve T. Reeder Memorial Invite in Logan, Utah on October 7th.
