Cross country set multiple records

Personal bests are the theme as season hits its stride

With the final meets of the season fast approaching, the St. Bonaventure University men’s and women’s cross country teams have been rigorously training while in the midst of setting new personal records and breaking school records.
Head coach Bob MacFarlane expressed that he wants to see his runners hit their stride as they approach the most important time of the season.
“The whole idea is to gradually start improving and have your best time come during what we call the championship season.”
On Monday, both cross country teams competed in the Harry Anderson Invitational, where 19 runners set new PR’s.
In addition to new set records, many of the underclassmen took the opportunity to display their talents, landing a few spots in the top five, for their first official collegiate 8K race.
“In order to set the 19 PR’s we had this weekend, all the different competition variables had to come into play, such as: players attitude, training, the conditions and the course,” MacFarlane explained.
For MacFarlane, it was “gratifying to see the players succeed.”
William Delaney, Nathan Prisella, Ryan Chmiel, George Laraia, Kyle Haller, Mark Vaccaro, Daniel Janak, Luke Gobel, Ryan Signorino and Isaiah Callahan all set new PR’s during Saturday’s 8K race.
On the women’s team, Sydney Beeman, Theresa Dristle, Amberlee Robertson, Natalie Cummings, Morgan Evarts, Emily Holstein, Carly Olles, Jenna Cherry, Tristen Reid and Meaghan Ralph set new PR’s.
“The goal for this season is team oriented. I want us to have the best team performance St. Bonaventure’s cross country team has ever had at the A10 Championships this October,” senior George Laraia said.
MacFarlane went on to explain that the team’s mental approach this year is not to only improve individual times, but to gel as a team.
“We want to gradually come together and build a team that can feed off of each other’s talents and skill level,” MacFarlane said.
“This year, we take each meet and we have a theme each player thinks about going into the competition. This weekend’s race was centered around risk taking,” MacFarlane said.
In the perspective of many coaches, the key to any successful team is having the right mentality when it comes to practicing and competing.
“This year, the team’s mental approach is way more confident than it ever was. You could just tell we wanted more than years past,” Laraia said.
The St. Bonaventure University Cross Country program has made a name for itself throughout the past few years, which has been commented on by opposing coaches.
“The program is progressing, but it’s a slow process. Teams see us as being very competitive and we just need to make that next step in the A10’s,” MacFarlane said.
The strong leadership from the upperclassmen has proven to be a huge factor in the team’s cohesion and success this season.
“The team’s structure has definitely put people on the their A game. With our freshman class being so talented, the older guys have to work harder this season. When everyone is putting in this kind of work, it doesn’t surprise me that basically everyone’s running PR’s,” Laraia said.
The cross Country team will next compete at Race in the Park on Oct. 6 in Erie, Pa.