Cross country team aims high despite obstacles

Every now and then you might hear someone mention the UNCG Cross Country/ Track team. What you won't hear is anything about a home meet or the locale of an actual track. So where does a team without a track or cross country course train and furthermore, how do they convince kids to run for UNCG out of High School?

Coach Linh Nguyen admits, "the toughest part of recruiting is not having a track." Chances are you will never see these kids train, compete, or even make headline news due to obstacles beyond their control. Much of this is due to the disparity in funding for athletic programs that don't fall under the "marquee" category namely basketball and soccer.

Despite all of this Head Coach Linh Nguyen aims to win the conference title this year. The irony in this being Nguyen and his cast might be able to pull it off. With the addition of former captain and school record holder Nicolas Vaccaro as assistant coach, the team looks to add more experience and depth to their training program. Conference rivals Appalachian State have won the title the past two years and look to make it three. Elon has a solid program as well, placing first overall (men and women) during last week's Hagen Stone classic with four runners finishing in the top ten.

Senior captains Xavier Rutz and Josh Wyatt will be leading the pack for cross country/track and with enough training Coach Nguyen expects "both to contend for the individual title in conference this year."

Coach Nguyen describes Xavier as "one of those kids, that anything he does, doesn't really surprise me." Xavier holds the best time in the conference for the 5k. Coach Nguyen believes Rutz and Wyatt serve as a benchmark of how training for the long haul can pay off. On the Women's side keep your eyes peeled for Sherrika Jordan, who in high school off of virtually no training ran a 5:11 mile. Head Coach Nguyen believes "even now as a junior I don't think she grasps how good she can be."

This past Saturday Sherrika paced fellow Spartans at the Mason Invitational. Jordan ran the 6K course in 22:18, placing 12th but setting the third highest time for the 6K in UNCG women's history. This is only a sign of things to come for Jordan and the rest of the team as they continue to grow with the seeds they have sown. With conference a mere five weeks away, the team is now moving from a strength based conditioning into a more competitive speed based workout.

Cross country and track fall under a small group of sports that require long, consistent cardiovascular workouts. It is not for the faint of heart. A strict dietary regimen must be maintained as well. Coach Nguyen admits "most of these kids have been training hard since May" with rigorous workout schedules spanning months on end. Interestingly enough many universities are dropping men's track and cross country. Within the past seven years alone six MAC schools dropped their programs, and Tulane recently dropped theirs. Although UNCG may not be able to fund a new track, they haven't given up on these athletes and don't intend on doing so in the foreseeable future because UNCG athletics support Olympic sports and track is one of these.

Even though you might not witness these athletes train, or hear their story, be aware of the dedication and hard work that for the most part, goes unnoticed. If you do wish to spot them this year, the Southeastern Regional championships take place on Nov. 15 at Tanglewood Park in Winston-Salem.