With focused determination, sophomore Dylan Douglas crossed the finish line first on Oct. 26 at the Great American Conference (GAC) cross-country championship, finishing the 8K race with a time of 25:16.7.
\nThe Hardings men\u2019s team barely lost out to Oklahoma Baptist University after a tie-breaker put the latter team ahead by two points. The women\u2019s team finished third, and both teams will advance to the regional championship.
\nAccording to Head Coach Don Hood, there were concerns going into Saturday that the damp conditions would be too challenging. He said the teams ran well, though, and he was pleased with the overall outcome, despite losing the team title.
\n\u201cOn the men\u2019s side, it was kind of a toss up,\u201d Hood said. \u201cWe were picked fourth coming in, but I knew it was going to be close \u2026 They were just a little better than us that day. I think if we had that race five more times, it would be a different result every time. Some them, some us.\u201d
\nHood said Douglas had been inching his way closer to the second place finisher from Southern Arkansas University throughout the season, slowly closing the gap between them with each race they competed in together. There was no better time for Douglas to finally reverse that placement than the GAC Championship.
\n\u201cWith a mile to go, there were about four of them still in the hunt,\u201d Hood said. \u201c[Douglas] just put the hammer down and ran away with it. It was really fun to watch him do that.\u201d
\nTeam-focused and humble, Douglas said he went into the race with the team results in mind. While he wished they had come out with the win, he said he recognizes the potential for future victories.
\n\u201cCrossing the finish line, I had come into the race with aspirations to help my team try and get the win,\u201d Douglas said. \u201cUnfortunately we didn\u2019t get that, but that\u2019s totally OK. We\u2019re a very young team, so I was still very proud of how we finished.\u201d
\nBoth the men\u2019s and women\u2019s cross-country teams put in hundreds of miles of practice leading up to the end of the season, preparing physically. Douglas said in addition to the physical training, however, there is also a mental strength important to distance running.
\nFreshman Jackson Pruim completed his first GAC championship in 11th place at 26:09.6. He agreed that mental preparation is important to a successful season, as well as a postive team dynamic.
\n\u201cThe team dynamics have been incredible this year for a team that is so young,\u201d Pruim said. \u201cIt is fun to grow with these guys and create a family-like atmosphere.\u201d
\nHood is wrapping up his first cross-country season as Harding\u2019s head coach. Douglas said he felt welcomed by the team from the very beginning, and Douglas said Hood has been great for the team and their development.
\nDouglas said Hood\u2019s coaching wisdom helped propel him to victory last Saturday.
\n\u201cThe things [Coach Hood] tells us for most races is \u2018easy and relaxed, relaxed but effortless,\u2019\u201d Douglas said. \u201cObviously, it seems like those things kind of contrast when it comes to running. There\u2019s a very fine line for distance running between effortlessness and straining. I had to find that balance.\u201d
\nThe teams will compete at the NCAA Division II Regional championship Nov. 9 in Joplin, Missouri, with the top three teams advancing from there to nationals. Hood said he thinks both the men and women have a chance to place within the top 10 if they run well.
\nWith Douglas finishing in first as an individual and a young team with a lot of promise, however, there is a lot to look forward to.
\n\u201cIt would have been really nice to win, but to know that we\u2019re in that range, that we\u2019re fighting for a title, with what should be basically our whole team coming back next year, tells me we\u2019ve got a good chance to do some good things in the future,\u201d Hood said. \u201cI was really pleased with their effort and how they performed under pressure like that for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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