Taking home their first Ohio Valley Conference Cross-Country Championship earlier this month, the USI men’s and women’s cross-country teams have had time to reflect on their victory at the University of Tennessee at Martin. Their success comes after only their third year in the conference.
Mike Hillyard, head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams, reflected on the team’s journey this season.
He mentioned a few key runners who contributed to their success. Layden Wagoner, freshman, finished in the top five for the men. Isaac Stanford, junior transfer to the men’s team, was USI’s No. 3 runner at the conference meet.
Hillyard emphasized that these runners brought “big injections of talent and horsepower to the top five.”
In addition to the new members, there were also some training changes. Hillyard said the most significant training change was due to NCAA rules requiring them to practice only six days a week rather than seven.
He said he felt like taking a rest day on Sundays benefited the team.
Ultimately, what had the most significant impact on the team’s success was their chemistry.
Hillyard noted a few key leaders on the men’s and women’s teams, but their overall chemistry was crucial. He reflected on a bonding moment at the beginning of the season that started it all.
“It really goes back to when we started the season with team camp at Lincoln State National Park, where we spent three days in the woods with no cell phone coverage whatsoever,” Hillyard said. “They were kind of forced to really know each other and grow. I felt that it was a key part of our growth, just that time that we spent that didn’t necessarily have a lot to do with running, but just them getting to know each other and grow as a family.”
While this is a massive accomplishment for all the runners, it was a bittersweet victory for two seniors: Brady Terry and Audrey Comastri.
“It’s definitely been the most fun I’ve had in a season,” Terry said.
Never winning state in high school, Terry said this was his biggest running accomplishment.
While being in physical shape is necessary when running cross country, mental toughness is not to be underestimated. Terry discussed how he finds psychological success.
“I have big faith in God,” he said. “I’m not worried about what happens. I don’t find all my value in just running, so whatever happens, happens, and I’m alright with it.”
Terry and Comastri noted that the goal for both men and women was the OVC championship from the very beginning.
Comastri said this season was personal for her as a senior, primarily due to the women’s cross-country team’s first OVC appearance.
She said that, in its first year in the OVC, the women’s team lost by a point.
“It hurt a lot,” she Comastri said. “To have it come full circle and walk away OVC champions, it’s probably one of the things I’m most proud of.”
With this being Comastri’s fifth season running, she has had quite an impact on the team. When asked how she wants to be remembered, she said, “Just leading by example.”