XC Times for November 10, 2018: Regionals!

XC Times November 10, 2018 – THE NEWS XC FANS DEPEND ON – A GANNETT COMPANY

NCAA Central Regional XC Times Editorial Board

The Women’s Race

Last week, freshman, Kaitlyn Murano had a breakout race at conference. Kaitlyn, last year one of the star runners for DCG is now poised to be a enduring leader for the storm. Junior Audrey Klein, continues to have one of her best seasons as a member of the storm.

Senior Shelby Hunemiller running perhaps, her last XC race for the Storm and we have certainly appreciated Shelby’s leadership and great example.

Sophomore Emily Buchheit has been battling some injuries at the end of the season, but comes to the line today, feeling good and fast. Junior Ashlee Litterer continues her injury free season and has made great strides this season. Freshman MacKenzie Laughlin has endured running with a torn labrum, even so she has been our solid number five. Mackenzie will have surgery on her hip in the off-season. We are also excited with our freshmen Kylie Orr and Cat Lucht. The future is bright for the Storm!

Men’s Race

The big day is here and credit to our men for putting them in a postiton to have their best races of the season. They have done a terrific job of doing the “little” things all season. We’ve been lead all season by our outstanding duo of Trey Thompson and Jonathan Facio. They have performed well in the previous big races, and expect to do so once again. Our next 3-5 spots are wide open and all each of our remaning men have a chance to help lower our team score. The men are a wonderful bunch of “listeners” and it’s been a joy to coach them this season.

XC Times November 10, 2018 – THE NEWS XC FANS DEPEND ON – A GANNETT COMPANY

NCAA Midwest Regional

XC Times November 10, 2018 – THE NEWS XC FANS DEPEND ON – A GANNETT COMPANY

In the Chute

By Ashlie Litterer

As I am nearing the end of my third year of collegiate cross country, there is so much to reflect on. I am beyond thankful for my teammates, coaches, and parents for pushing me to continue running, even when I didn’t want to. My cross country career started in 8th grade, when my mom suggested I give it a try.

Long distance running had never even crossed my mind, but I decided I would do it because I had quite a few friends who were also going out. I had no idea cross country would become such an important part of my life.

Once high school came, I knew I wanted to run, but I was not yet serious about it. There were days where we were told to run around town for a recovery run, but instead I would just run to my grandparents’ house that was a few blocks away and wait there until it was time for me to go back for the end of practice. As high school progressed, I eventually came to realize that cross country was something I could be successful at if I really put in the effort. I truly fell in love with the sport and running became part of my daily routine. But, as with everything else in life, there were bumps in the road.

After countless injuries and many months spent on crutches, I came very close to hanging my spikes up for good. Not only was I frustrated that I was always restricted because of injury (or so it seemed), but I no longer had the desire to compete. During my senior year of high school, I thought pretty seriously about calling it quits after I graduated. At that time, running felt like a chore rather than a privilege. But, it was at that point that I began considering where I wanted to attend college, and I decided to meet with Heath on a visit to Simpson; you can probably figure out what happened from there.

Fast forward a few years, and I am loving this sport now more than ever. I have no doubt that I can attribute that to my teammates and coaches. I can say with 100% honesty that coming to practice every afternoon is the highlight of my day, and I can’t begin to thank God enough for leading me to this school and for the people he has surrounded me with. Simpson Cross Country has reminded me why I fell in love with running so many years ago, and I know that the memories of early morning long runs, late night bus rides, and everything in between will last a life time.

XC Times November 10, 2018 – THE NEWS XC FANS DEPEND ON – A GANNETT COMPANY

We Blinked

By Jeff and Kelly Roen

It seems like such a cliché to say that time goes fast as we raise our kids, but it is SO true. It’s hard to imagine that our son only has a couple of Cross Country meets left. After all, didn’t we just drop him off at college?

Drew, who has always been willing to try new things, was urged by a friend to join the track team as a freshman in high school. That first season was a lot of learning, and more running than he had ever done. He hung in there and enjoyed it enough to agree to give Cross Country a try. Welcome to summer training, long days, hill workouts, after-school practice, quick Jimmy John’s dinners, marching band, homework, sleep, repeat. Whew!

As parents, two things stand out as we look back on those days—camaraderie and self-confidence. The team always welcomed all ages and all abilities.

That’s what runners do. It was gratifying to watch. We believe that acceptance helped Drew become more outgoing, and he was more willing to get out of his comfort zone. We could see the change in him. He was growing—literally and figuratively!

Then it was time to choose a college, and he began talking about running Cross and Track. We were a bit apprehensive about the time commitment of collegiate athletics as a freshman leaving home for the first time, learning the ropes of college life. He also planned on playing in the band and orchestra. Could he handle school work, music, and sports? We were assured by everyone that we asked at Simpson that, yes, he could. All of the faculty at Simpson know that these young men and women are students first.

About a week after dropping him off at Simpson to begin cross country camp, we were checking out the Storm athletics website, and we found him--decked out in red and gold, officially a member of the Storm. We don’t know if he felt the sense of pride that we did, but it was very selfassuring to see him settling in to his new life.

Fast-forward 4 years, and here we are. We blinked, and he is now a Senior. His experience with Simpson has been wonderful. We truly feel that it was a perfect fit for Drew, and he has thrived in every way since he has been here. We are sure that the friends and connections he has made will be life-long. Thank you Coach Moenck and Coach Kirby for your commitment to helping him become a better athlete and person.

Roll Storm!

XC Times November 10, 2018 – THE NEWS XC FANS DEPEND ON – A GANNETT COMPANY

SCXC

By Drew Roen

My name is Drew Roen, and I have not cut my hair since my freshman year. I understand this may seem like an odd choice for an opening sentence in a cross-country newsletter, but please allow me the opportunity to explain myself.

In my first year of collegiate cross country, I crossed the finish line in our conference meet as Simpson’s slowest runner, timed at 32 minutes and 20 seconds. After a similar track season in the spring, I considered a variety of ways to push myself to improve in the coming years. Eventually, I came to the solution that I would not cut my hair until I broke four minutes and thirty seconds in the mile, which would require me to run nearly thirty seconds faster than my personal best.

Running a mile under 4:30 is a straightforward answer to the endless number of relatives and friends asking when I am “planning on getting rid of it”. While I have not accomplished this goal, I have also come to realize over the years that this goal was never a true endpoint. Deep down, I understand the real goal I’ve been searching to accomplish has been to perform at a level that I could not previously imagine was possible for myself. This is a common theme among many of us on this team; very few of us started our collegiate running careers with astonishing personal bests, yet this has failed to keep anyone from accomplishing incredible feats on both individual and team levels.

Over the years, I’ve come to recognize and appreciate the unique culture Simpson Cross Country possesses; this team is a group of motivated individuals, both inside and outside of athletics, who genuinely and wholeheartedly enjoy what they do. This team has never had a special trick or “secret weapon”; those that succeed on this team, and in this sport, enjoy running and the process that surrounds it. This culture begins with great coaching, where the focus has always been to ensure that running is something we truly appreciate and love, and extends to the athletes, who maintain and continue this incredible culture year after year.

Time and time again, members of this team have refused to let others define their limitations. It is very common for runners at Simpson to have incredible breakthroughs and improvements during the season that seem impossible to those who look in from the outside. Make no mistake, these improvements aren’t quirks or accidents; these are direct results of our culture and the values that runners at Simpson possess, including a motivation to be their best selves.

As the conference meet approaches, we have team members who are running their final cross country meet, as well as members who are competing in their first collegiate championship season. I’m proud and excited to have the opportunity to compete alongside my teammates on Saturday; continuing the momentum generated in the past few years, this year has the potential to be the best season Simpson Cross Country has had in a long time

Women’s and Men’s Course