West Liberty’s Cross Country teams are raring to go for the return of competition.
After a long break in competitive action, WLU’s Mens and Womens Cross Country teams are ready to get their season underway and put their months of practice into motion. Both teams had their seasons cancelled due to the pandemic in early March 2020 and have spent the last 6 months preparing for their upcoming seasons, which start in under a week.
Although their last season was a very disruptive one, the Cross Country teams at West Liberty still brought success to the Hilltop with various athletes breaking school records and placing highly at the MEC Indoor Championships last Spring, resulting in the men’s team finishing 3rd overall. The Hilltoppers will be hoping to build on both their individual and collective performances to break more records this coming spring.
Although this season will be a unique experience for both teams, athletes are eager to start competing in their respective events. “It is an odd season but I still expect to perform at a high level and I know my other teammates are ready to go out and compete as well.” said junior distance and cross country runner, Danah Phillips. “I am just ready to lace up and start destroying the competition again. It has been too long. I can not complain about the cross country and track hybrid season because as this past year has shown us, nothing is guaranteed.” said Phillips.
The Cross Country season gets underway with both teams competing at the North Carolina Wesleyan Invitational this Saturday, Feb. 13. They then travel to both the University of Charleston and the University of Toledo for meets before the MEC Cross Country Championship in Wheeling on March 20.
Both teams did not allow the COVID-19 pandemic to halt their preparations for the upcoming competitions and, while taking the appropriate safety measures, they had a very busy off-season. Head Coach Justin Simpson will be hoping that all the hard work that both teams have put in since their last outings will pay off and result in more records and success for his runners.