Cardinal Cross Country Team Preview for 2022
CCBC Catonsville Head Cross Country coach Mark Pryor has a brand-new team in 2022 with all incoming freshman student-athletes and one returner. With the addition of Cross-Country in the Fall semester and Outdoor T&F in the Spring semester; the 2022-23 year will be full of fresh faces, an entirely new team but with the same goals in mind.
The recruiting efforts last winter & spring after the shutdown by the Covid-19 Pandemic were geared toward a big rebuild. Distance runners, sprinters, hurdlers, and mid-distance athletes were all sought after to build a more encompassing team. Since 2015, the team has enjoyed individual success with two NJCAA All-Americans. But the team aspect was missing. Coach Pryor's goal was to recruit more student-athletes to create stronger training groups across the board which he hopes translates into more success on the track.
In Cross-Country, past individual successes are evident. But this is one sport that takes a total team effort. Team scores are the aggregate of the top five (5) individual place finishers. This means that all five scorers need to perform well if the team is to be successful. Having five athletes who are all different, and run the same takes a lot of practice, cohesiveness, and trust. That is exactly what Coach Pryor is trying to build with his young team who are all new to collegiate competition.
Thankfully, the team showed early dedication by following and completing the voluntary summer training program they were sent in June just after their HS graduations. This jumpstart is critical in their transition to competing over an 8k (5.0 miles) distance in college versus the 5k (3.1 miles) distance in High School. While it does not seem like a lot, those last 2 miles are so challenging mentally and physically that if not fully prepared they can defeat you.
Leading this team will be Forest Park HS graduate Keynaud Randolph. Coach Pryor's eyes light up when talking about his young harrier. Keynaud ran in the Baltimore City school competition which is known primarily for sprints. He was the only distance runner on his team and trained all by himself with very little attention. But this young man showed enormous potential in placing 2nd (out of 62 total) at the Baltimore City XC Championships. In T&F he was All-City, All-Region, and a State Qualifier in both the 1600m and 3200m events. Keynaud's untapped potential is so vast that Coach Pryor sees his next NJCAA Cross Country National Champion qualifier in him. If he gets mentally stronger, Keynaud can surprise many people; even himself.
Thankfully, Keynaud has a training partner who is logging the miles side by side with Franklin HS graduate Ethan Bush. Coach Pryor has enjoyed watching this freshman exhibit an excellent sense of pace and rhythm not often found. The key for Ethan is to embrace the strength training within the cross-country season that will enable his 800m and 1600m times to improve leaps & bounds. It is the hope of the coaching staff that both Keynaud and Ethan lead the team and share their roles as top finishers. Coach Pryor is happy with the way Ethan and Keynaud feed off each other which ties into a training group that produces high-level results.
Overlea HS graduate Hector Camilo only ran one year of high school cross-country and track. So, he is coming in with a clean slate and an open mind about how to train and race in the distance events. But Coach Pryor notes that he has already shown excellent mental toughness. Hector joined the summer training late but upon him joining the team, he completed the first workout without missing a rep. It was an impressive show of how strong his mental capacity is for distance running.
Catonsville HS graduate Zachary Sanders is another true distance runner on the team who needs cross country. If Coach Pryor and the tough training regime can help Zach maintain his focus during the later stages of the races (miles 4 and 5), then his results will see a steady improvement throughout the season as opposed to peaks and valleys. New Town HS graduate Joshua Blackstone was a late addition to the team but Coach Pryor is excited to work with him to help him discover where his talents lie. Only competing in one season in high school, Joshua is heavy on commitment and effort but unseasoned in how to run distance. But Coach Pryor welcomes the challenge.
The one returner from last year is sophomore Ryheim Hall who experienced cross country for the first time since he played football in high school and then ran indoor/outdoor track. Ryheim has one key advantage from his experiences last year in that his mind and body will be ready for the 8k (5-mile) course challenge college cross-country affords. Last year it took him until the Region Championships to truly race over 5 miles and win the mental battle. Coach Pryor sees him as someone who can help the young freshman understand the lessons in training and racing. Ryheim is a welcomed team member showing his younger teammates how things are done here at CCBC Catonsville.
The 2022 schedule starts with two five-kilometer races (3.1 miles) which this young team is accustomed to since high school. What they will not be used to are the highly competitive college atmosphere and competition. The first mile of a college race in cross country is nothing that these young men have ever experienced, stated Pryor. But after getting acclimated to college races, the team should be prepared for its first 8k race on September 24th at the University of MD Eastern Shore. Coach Pryor anticipates that by October, his young team will be ready to race the full 5-mile distance and hopes to score as a team at the Region XX Championships. The real test will be on October 14th when the team travels to Wilkes University in PA.
Stay tuned for race recaps, action pictures, and full results after each competition. The team's first meet is scheduled for September 1st at Goucher College in Towson starting at 6:00 pm. The transition from boys to men begins on Sept 1st.
GO CARDINALS!!!!!!!!!!