On Saturday September 13th, Boys Cross Country competed in the annual Wildcat Classic hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana. The Wildcat Classic is an annual cross country event in Indiana hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University. This event features over 15 schools across the state of Indiana racing on the coveted 5K course, crowning an individual and team champion, when the races are over.
Coming off a week long break, the Boys Cross Country team was refueled physically and mentally, ready to attack the course. As the raced neared, the focus increased as each member of the team looked towards accomplishing their goals. Goals on how they will improve from when they last stepped on a course. Charlie Ritter, a team member, set reasonable expectations for the race knowing he has competed at this meet before.
“Heading into the race my main goal was to do better than I did last race,” Junior Charlie Ritter said, “I didn’t want to set too high of expectations for myself and not accomplish them.”
Understanding that a personal record is not going to happen every time out, building on the last time out would be a win. As the race started, Boys Cross Country got out to a good start. Junior Isaac Smith and Senior Monroe Cluff were amongst the top 2 pack of runners. However, as the race went on, physical and mental challenges approached.
“Out on the back half of the course we run around these soccer fields,” Junior Charlie Ritter said, “but when you are out there, there is no people cheering and more importantly no adrenaline from the crowd.”
Even though the team faced challenges throughout the race, they were able to finish 3rd as a team with Isaac Smith, Monroe Cluff, and Charlie Ritter all placing in the top 20 individually. Along with this, the Royals got a strong race out of Junior Andrew Butler, who was satisfied with his performance.
“I am very pleased with my effort, but there are things I need to improve on,” Andrew Butler said, “I need to adjust my pacing and getting more mileage throughout the week at practice.”
Overall, the Royals were able to accomplish goals, run good times, and improve their craft at the Wildcat Classic. Along with 3rd place finish, the team will look to take lessons learned from the race into the rest of the season.
“I have learned to trust the process,” Andrew Butler said, “you have to stay focused at practiced and be disciplined enough to not go out too hard at the beginning of the race.”
