The St. Thomas University cross-country team attended its first meet on Saturday afternoon at Odell Park.
Greg Allan is the new head coach for the four-person team. He was brought in last season to fill the position after previous head coach Alex Coffin resigned part way through the season. When asked about how he thinks this season is going to be, Allan said he is waiting to see what will happen.
“This is my first year as cross-country coach at St. Thomas,” he said.
“My team is small, composed by students of both first and second years, and I would say we are still building. We are a young team.”
Ryan Terry, the only runner for the men’s team, said his time was not what he expected it to be. He finished 45th out of 57 runners.
“I have done a few minutes faster, but there is always a race to redeem yourself on,” Terry said.
“My goals are continuing to progress and strengthen for this year and years to come.”
Terry is also on the Tommies track and field team, which will begin shortly after the cross-country season ends. He is hopeful the season will get better as it goes on.
“I see our team growing a lot… Greg is an amazing coach, so I see a lot of personal bests this season,” he said.
The three women finished 40th, 48th and 60th out of 64 runners. Chelsey Hall was the first of the STU women to finish out of the three of them.
Sarah Hickman, who is on the track and field team, was there to cheer the runners on.
“They are a small and dedicated team, who have been training over the summer and for the past weeks,” she said. “I think this weekend will set a great mark for the season.”
Allan said he plans to lead the team with simple words of wisdom.
“As a coach, what I tell to my athletes is for them to work hard, work smart,” said Allan.
