Posted: Oct 06, 2023
Cardinal Distance Runners Perform Very Well at Caslin Classic
October 9, 2023 - Towson, MD
Distance running is one of the truest tests of one's mental toughness and focus. The longer the race, the more focus a person needs in order to be successful. The marathon became popular in the 80s with hundreds of people lining up to test themselves over the 26.2-mile distance. In college, the longest distance in cross country is the 10-kilometer race which is 6.2 miles. But the standard remains to be 5-miles or 8 kilometers. Regardless of the division (NCAA, NJCAA, NAIA), 5-miles is the testament of a collegiate distance runner over grass, hills in all types of weather. The mental toughness built in running cross country is what can dictate the difference between college distance runners in Track and Field. Thus, if you perform well in cross-country, your performances on the track will be noteworthy. That is the premise of why athletes run in the Fall in cross country. Not much fanfare, but the rewards may come much later on.
Head Cross-Country Coach Mark Pryor is trying to teach this to his team as they continue to test themselves each weekend over 5-miles. This past Friday, the team traveled to Goucher College in Towson to compete in the Coach Caslin Classic 8k race. The campus at Goucher College is a scenic and serene portion of Towson that allows one to forget the hustle and bustle of the downtown area. The Goucher coaching staff have done a fine job at mapping out a challenging and competitive cross-country course on their campus. The 2-kilometer loops allow for 5k, 6k and 8k races. In college, men compete over the 8k distance but sometimes 5k. The women's race is usually 6k. After competing at the Paul Short Run at Lehigh, which is considered one of the toughest tests in cross-country running on the Eastcoast, Coach Pryor was looking for his team to reap the benefits of being previously tested.
Sophomore Keynaud Randolph knows the Goucher College cross-country course well. At last year's Caslin Classic, Randolph led the race for over 3 miles. When asked about that race, Coach Pryor proudly notes that's when he knew Randolph's mental toughness had taken a major turn. Later that season, Randolph ran well at the Regions and the NJCAA National Championships. Coming into Friday's race, Coach Pryor had big expectations for his team's performance leader. And Keynaud did not disappoint his coach. Running from the front at the start, Randolph managed the 5-mile course like a seasoned veteran. After the 1st mile, Keynaud was in 3rd place overall. At the 4-mile mark Randolph was comfortably in 2nd place in front of a long line of runners from Potomac State College, Coppin State, Penn State Univ - Harrisburg, Hagerstown CC, Gallaudet, Washington Adventist and host Goucher College. The only runner in front of him was an athlete unaffiliated with a school as college races sometimes allow athletes to compete who are "unattached".
Also running well were Keynaud's teammates who were inspired by his front running and motivated by seeing him battle to win. Freshman Gamaliel Adejo finished in 16th place and continues to adjust to the 5-mile distance. Adejo enjoyed a :29 second improvement in his 5-mie time from last week. Sophomore Ethan Bush also improved his season's best time by :33 secs. But the best improvement came from freshman Ronak Rami who's 5-mile time was 32:50 which is a 1 min and 30 sec faster than the 34:19 he ran at Paul Short.
Here is the link to the full individual and team results of the Coach Caslin XC Classic:
The team is scheduled to compete at the University of Delaware on Friday, but Coach Pryor wants to give his young student-athletes more time to recover as well as put in some much-needed training for the upcoming Region 20 Championships on Oct 28th.