Men's Cross Country Runs Career Bests at National Championships

Huntsville, Ala. - November 11, 2023

The men's cross-country team enjoyed its best season of competition since it's return to the Catonsville campus after a 20+ year absence. 7^th year head coach Mark Pryor was extremely pleased by how his student-athletes traveled, stayed focused and performed well at the National Championships for Division-II Junior Colleges. Coach Pryor has enjoyed individual success cross-country, with his athletes finishing in the Top 5 in the Region Championships and qualifying individually for the National Championship. But 2023 saw his team take a momentous step forward by winning their first Region 20 team title in over 20 years. It was the reward Coach Pryor had hoped for this group of athletes who have been working hard since August 1st. Especially since this was the first competitive season of cross country for the freshman who did not run the sport in high school prior to coming to CCBC Catonsville.

The plan from the beginning of this season was to ease the athletes into college level training, use a couple of 5-kilometer races early in the season as indicators and then compete in several high level 8-kilometer races so that the athletes were ready for championship level racing. From this weekend's results, that plan worked very well.

The NJCAA National Championships this year were held at the John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama. The weather on race day was a crisps 65 degrees, cloudy but no wind. The cross-country course was 8-kilometers or 5.0 miles total, all grass terrain with 2 loops and a hill at the 4-mile mark.  It was challenging but very fan friendly. 

Coach Pryor's instructions before the race to his team was to run quick but under control for 5-kilometers (3.1 miles) and then manage the hill at 4 miles with the best finish they could build for the last mile.  Each athlete executed the race plan for the first 3 miles to the letter as their split times were career bests. It was the half-mile hill at the 4-mile mark that took a lot of the spring out of their legs along with competing against almost 300 other runners.  But that is where the mental toughness kicks in and athletes will their bodies to listen to their minds.  As they each crossed the line, it was evident that some special had transpired for each one.  Here is a summary of the team's individual results: