There is 3 things for certain in life: death, taxes, and the SXU women’s cross-country team being good. Just last year, the team was one of the topped ranked teams in the NAIA. Not only that, but SXU is home to one of the top runners in the division: Ellie Willging. Willging had a phenomenal season last year, doing so much as to break school records and become an NAIA outdoor track and field champion.
Friday, September 8- Midwest Classic
With all the hype surrounding the women’s team, they certainly did not let us down as they came out and won the tournament.
Out of the 4 teams there, SXU took the top spot behind some incredible performances. Ellie Willging had a pretty good day as she finished first among the 6 other runners, finishing with a time of 18:54.85. Not far behind her was senior Sierra Downey, who finished 3rd with a time of 19:57.89.
As nice as the individual stats are, let us not forget that this is a team sport, and SXU did not let down as a team. Five of the top ten runners in fact were SXU students, which shows the amount of dominance SXU had at the meet. The team finished with an average time of 20:05.28 beating out the other team by 21 seconds.
I had the pleasure of interviewing junior Deandra Stokes, who is one of the top runners on the team. When I sat down with Ms. Stokes, one of the first things I asked her about was this win and how it influenced her expectations for the season. Her answer shocked me as she said, “My expectations are about the same, win or not I still expect us to be one of the top teams in the conference.”
Not only that, but Stokes noted that this win did nothing for her as she’s seen the girls run a faster in practice! If what Stokes is saying is true, that means the team is not in top form yet. So, if they are winning tournaments 75 percent of the time, imagine what the team will do once they exceed maximum expectations. While cross-country is a team sport, individual performance is important for the team to succeed. So, after asking Deandra about her expectations for the team, I asked her what her expectations for her own personal performance was.
Deandra stated, “I see myself improving from where I was last year so that I can continue to be a contributor in the team’s success.” After this, I asked Deandra if she ever sees herself achieving the same success as her fellow teammate, Ellie Willging. Deandra looked at me shocked as she noted how much of hard worker Willging is, running 2 times a day, 80 miles a week. Stokes said, “I think I can achieve the level of success, but I don’t think I’m prepared for the amount of work physically and mentally that come with it.” This statement shows how committed Willging is to cementing herself as one of the top in her craft.
Being a NAIA champion is not easy. Winning races left and right is not easy. But, Willging makes it look easy and that’s because she works endlessly. Not only Willging, but the whole team works hard and works tirelessly and as a fan of these women, it is inspiring to see them in action, because it’s the physical embodiment of hard work paying off.
Friday, September 15- National Catholic Invite
It was the second tournament for the women, and after finishing first in the last one, they finished second in this one. Once again, Willging finished first in the 4k finishing with a time of 17:34.8. Sierra Downey followed close behind finishing 10 with a time of 19:27.7.
As a team, the women finished with a time of 1:38:53, 5 minutes short of the top team Walsh and Fourteen of the toughest Catholic schools in the NAIA. The Cougars ultimately finished in second place overall. This shows that the women’s team is soon to come for the top spot in the conference.
The team’s next meet will be on Friday, October 6th as they try to win the Bethel College Pilot Invite, St. Patricks. Keep it locked to the Xavierite for all your Cougar news!
Kenneth Washington
Sports Reporter