Cardinal Distance Runners Complete 2021 Cross Country Season on a High Note
Cardinal Distance Runners Complete 2021 Cross Country Season on a High Note
Soph Ryheim Hall earns Division 2 All-Region XX honors
Oct 31, 2021 - Latrobe, PA
The Region XX meet is the precursor to the NJCAA XC National Championships. A peak performance can earn an athlete the opportunity to compete against the nation's best junior college distance runners. In the first 2 years of the program under Head Coach Mark Pryor, CCBC Catonsville enjoyed excellent Region performances which led to a trip to the nationals. It is a goal of the team's overall season training to help the athletes qualify and compete against the nation's best which can help propel them to a 4-year school scholarship offer.
In 2017, it was Jamal Richardson who won CCBC Catonsville's first Region XX title. Then in 2018, Kris Purdie placed 2nd at the Region XX meet defeating every competitor except one. Both traveled to the NJCAA XC Nationals to represent the Cardinals proudly.
Sophomores Ryheim Hall and John Nyoro who didn't run cross country in high school adopted well to cross country training as opposed to the Track & Field specific training they were accustomed to. Coach Pryor was very happy and optomistic going into the Region meet that the athletes were ready to run well.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature wasn't very cooperative. The week of the Region meet, it rained very hard every day heavily soaking the race course. The temperatures were in the high 50s on race day but luckily the rain held off. So while it wasn't ideal racing weather, everyone toed the line eager to compete.
Hagerstown Community College came in with the strongest team from their 1st to 5th man running as a cohesive pack all season. In the first mile, they occupied the first six places. Coach Pryor knew from his past cross country experience that the grass course would be slow due to the week-long rainfall and wet conditions. He advised his athletes to go out conservatively in the beginning of the 5-mile race. Ryheim followed those instructions to the letter putting himself in the top 15.
After the 3-mile mark, the team race was already decided and dominated by favored Hagerstown CC. The last 2 miles would determine and show how motivated every athlete was to run well and place high. Ryheim was in a tight battle with runners from Potomac State, Carroll CC and Harford CC. John Nyoro was fighting hard to finish. With the finish line in sight, Ryheim sprinted home to place 21st overall out of 51 total runners. John had a rough time but hung tough to finish in 40th place.
After the race, Ryheim was rewarded for his tenacious race by earning Division 2, All-Region honors. Not too bad for a first time cross country runner. He was heard saying after the race, "I wish I had a couple of more races cause I'm getting used to this 5-mile distance". When asked for his thoughts after the race, John said, "cross country is a test against yourself more than the other athletes running in the race".
Now the focus turns to training for the outdoor T&F season and incorporating weight lifting, speed, technique and pacing. Coach Pryor is excited for Ryheim and John who have built a strong base which will serve them well in April and May. Coach Pryor is also excited to talk to high school seniors who are looking to run in college and may see CCBC Catonsville as a great opportunity athletically and academically.
GO CARDINALS!!!!!!! #JUCOProduct