The men’s cross-country team is off to a fast start in 2015.
After a strong showing at the Memphis Twilight Classic on Sept. 5, which saw them defeat every non-DI team in the race, they followed it last Saturday with a fourth place finish at the Southern Stampede, hosted by Missouri Southern State – a meet that boasted a field of 25 teams.
For head coach Steve Guymon, the results were a good sign, but he said he still feels like the best is yet to come.
“I was happy we finished fourth,” Guymon said. “We’re ranked 10th in our region and we probably beat four or five of the teams ahead of us, but I don’t feel like we ran our strongest race, and I don’t think the guys think that either.”
Harding’s top finisher for the second week in a row was junior Lucas Goodspeed, who placed 13th overall in the 8K race with a time of 25 minutes, 9.39 seconds. Goodspeed said that his fast start to the year has a lot to do with the work he put in over the summer.
“I trained really well this summer, as most of our guys did,” Goodspeed said. “So it feels great being able to see the results of the work that we’ve put in. The past two races have shown me that I can set higher goals for myself this year.”
The Bisons also got a big lift at their No. 2 spot from freshman Camden Barrett, who ran 25 minutes, 14.95 seconds, good for 18th overall. Guymon said that both Goodspeed and Barrett have stepped up nicely thus far.
“Lucas (Goodspeed) – I’ve known he was a good runner since he got here; and now with some experience behind him, he feels like he can run with anybody,” Guymon said. “And Camden (Barrett), he’s just a great competitor and he wants to challenge Lucas. Running 25:14 as a freshman is not something you see very often, so we’re very lucky to have him.”
The Bisons have jumped in the United States Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association Central Region standings from 10th to sixth. The top five teams in the region meet will advance to NCAA DII nationals, something the Bisons have not done since 2010. Goodspeed said that while it will not be easy, the sky is the limit for this team.
“The race last weekend proved we can compete with any team in our region,” Goodspeed said. “I think a lot of guys are just starting to realize how talented we are. We’ve done well these first two meets, but we think our best races of the season are still ahead of us.”
