Our Team Philosophy
From its earliest days, the one word that's stuck with our program is Godspeed. It forms the heart of our breakoff before every race, and it serves as a wonderful summary of our team philosophy. The word says it all: God comes before speed. More than any time on the course, success for our runners means striding toward the person God calls them to be. The ultimate finish line we race toward isn't the one at Gans Creek in Columbia. It's Heaven.
BELONGOur sport has no bench. Whether you can run the fastest 5k in the state or have never run more than a mile, there's a place on this team for anyone willing to buy into our team culture. Everyone has a role to play in the team, and the team helps everyone grow as a runner and human being.
From the warmup to the pre-race prayer to the finish line, we stand together as a team. Through Fun Wednesdays, team meals, and wacky dress-up days, we set a tone that our runners, coaches, parents, and fans are a family that lasts well beyond one's years of running. 
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BECOMESuccessful runners are healthy runners. For this reason, injury prevention is one of our primary goals. This comes through daily strength and mobility training and an emphasis on sleep and nutrition.
Health also extends beyond the physical. We develop mental skills like goal-setting, visualization, and a positive relationship with the race while also cultivating virtues like discipline, resilience, and fortitude. In the end these help each individual move towards not only running their best but living their best. 
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BELAYIn rock climbing, belaying is the process by which one climber helps another safely reach new heights using a rope that connects them. In a similar fashion, the bonds between our runners allow them to do the same for each other.
Our veteran runners take the lead over many aspects of the team. In doing so, they give back to our youngest team members the very formation they once received themselves. In this way, our runners learn that the ultimate success is found in helping others--and thus the entire team--climb. 
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The Team Difference
We really like running, and we're pretty good at it. In our program's 15-year history, our boys and girls teams have each qualified for the State Meet 8 times, including 4 trips to the podium for the boys and 2 for the girls. Individually our athletes have accumulated 24 all-state medals.
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That being said, we realize that running is just one part of the picture for our athletes, and we want it to support and complement their success as students more broadly as in so many other areas:
Extracurriculars
More than 90% of our team this year participates in at least one other sport. Roughly 70% are members of the school marching band, and nearly half were involved in our school's theater production.
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Academics
For two years in a row, 9 of the 14 eligible athletes on our team earned Academic All-State honors. Seven alumni from our team's history have earned valedictorian or salutatorian honors.
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Faith, Virtue, and Service
The majority of our runners are actively involved in Vincentian Marian Youth and participate in weekly youth group meetings. Last summer alone nearly half our team attended Operation Overhaul. So far this year 8 members of our team have earned Virtue of the Month awards in their grade. The Archbishop May Service Award winner in 5 of the last 15 years has come from our team. In addition, since the school instituted the St. Vincent de Paul Award in 2019, 3 of the 7 winners have been cross country runners.
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Lifelong Athletes
For many of our team members, running doesn't end with graduation. They continue to train and race, whether collegiately or recreationally.
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Top Objections to Joining Our Team
Despite all of the good that comes out of our runners and our team, many are still hesitant about joining. We'll be the first to admit that cross country isn't everyone's jam. We're okay with that, but we're not okay when the objections many give to joining don't have to be deal breakers. There are certainly others, but we hear four excuses more than the rest:
We wanted to offer our responses to each of these in hope that they might help show the sport can still be a legitimate option.
- I don't like running.
- I can't run that much.
- I won't be good and will probably finish last.
- Cross country isn't cool.
We wanted to offer our responses to each of these in hope that they might help show the sport can still be a legitimate option.
I Don't Like Running
Most of our athletes didn't have a passion for running when they started. For many it was the punishment for poor performance or attitude in other sports. Having similar feelings is understandable, but it by no means should be a deal breaker.
What draws our athletes to the sport is the sense of family, belonging, and support. As senior Jocelyn Weibrecht put it, "My favorite thing about being part of cross country is how no one ever gets left out. The whole team, both the boys and the girls, feels like one big family. Everyone cheers for everyone, and when someone is struggling, we’re all there to lift them up." Freshman Adeline Carlton added, "I love the fact that even other teams' coaches are willing to cheer you on and encourage you. There’s competition but not to the point that it is would make you uncomfortable or want to quit."
What draws our athletes to the sport is the sense of family, belonging, and support. As senior Jocelyn Weibrecht put it, "My favorite thing about being part of cross country is how no one ever gets left out. The whole team, both the boys and the girls, feels like one big family. Everyone cheers for everyone, and when someone is struggling, we’re all there to lift them up." Freshman Adeline Carlton added, "I love the fact that even other teams' coaches are willing to cheer you on and encourage you. There’s competition but not to the point that it is would make you uncomfortable or want to quit."
Our team is about much more than running, whether that is fun days like our color war or scavenger hunt, breakfasts and pasta dinners, summer camps, and traditions like our Spirit Stick, pre-race break-offs, and post-meet awards. Sophomore Luke Ryan said it best. "It’s some much fun eating at pasta dinners with teammates and playing games with them. Also, running as a team on a course is such a fun experience for me and practicing as a team can get very wild at times, which is fun."
Our athletes come to love the opportunities to take on new challenges and set then attain huge goals. Sophomore Jackson Strattman remarked, "I really never thought that I would run for fun, but it helped me so much. It made me an even happier person. The feeling of accomplishment after crossing the finish line is so amazing. You will be in so much better shape if you do any other sports, and it will completely change your perspective on everything." Junior Carter Hennemann furthered this sentiment. "Cross country has given me a sense of tenacity, a purpose to improve, confidence, and discipline. I have built meaningful relationships, bonded through shared suffering, and learned to lead younger teammates."
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I Can't Run That Much
Beyond a dislike, many of our athletes initially feared their capacity to handle so much running. Many had seen races before or heard about the 10-mile runs of our experienced athletes. Being able to complete a race covering more than three miles does take some fitness, and it's understandable that this can be intimidating. But that level of endurance isn't required out of the gate, and summer training provides ample time to get there.
To reduce the risk of injury and avoid overwhelming new athletes, we start at very tolerable levels. On the very first day of practice, new athletes only do six minutes of easy running followed by four repeats the length of a soccer field at slightly faster pace. There is some other strength and mobility work, but that's it in terms of the running. Even the longest run of the first week is only 15 minutes at a comfortable pace. We do build up the volume from there, but gradually in such a way that doesn't feel intimidating to athletes and meets them just beyond their confidence level. Sophomore Anna Welker summed this up well. "Cross country gives me something to look forward to, keeps my body and mind in shape, and improved my confidence because of how supportive the team is. It's so worth it and it doesn't matter how good you are as long as you have fun."
10-mile runs only come after several years of consistent training. New athletes who show up consistently to summer training can expect to build up to longer runs by the end of August. That doesn't make races feel easy, but it certainly makes them feel attainable rather than impossible. Fellow sophomore Collin Tilley remarked, "Cross country made me physically healthier and helped me realize I can run really well."
To reduce the risk of injury and avoid overwhelming new athletes, we start at very tolerable levels. On the very first day of practice, new athletes only do six minutes of easy running followed by four repeats the length of a soccer field at slightly faster pace. There is some other strength and mobility work, but that's it in terms of the running. Even the longest run of the first week is only 15 minutes at a comfortable pace. We do build up the volume from there, but gradually in such a way that doesn't feel intimidating to athletes and meets them just beyond their confidence level. Sophomore Anna Welker summed this up well. "Cross country gives me something to look forward to, keeps my body and mind in shape, and improved my confidence because of how supportive the team is. It's so worth it and it doesn't matter how good you are as long as you have fun."
10-mile runs only come after several years of consistent training. New athletes who show up consistently to summer training can expect to build up to longer runs by the end of August. That doesn't make races feel easy, but it certainly makes them feel attainable rather than impossible. Fellow sophomore Collin Tilley remarked, "Cross country made me physically healthier and helped me realize I can run really well."
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I Won't Be Good and Will Finish Last
It's natural that we want to be successful at the things we undertake. A fear of failure is understandable, especially when there's a crowd of spectators. However, a few things could be said that might quell these legitimate concerns.
First, success and failure is often a matter of perspective. Reagan Meyer winning our home meet and breaking our school record was certainly success, but so was Tristin Anders shaving two and a half minutes off his fastest time from the previous year, even though he never finished higher than 40th place in any race. The mission of our program is to help every athlete become the best version of themselves, regardless of where that puts them in comparison to others. The true failures aren't the runners who cross the finish line last. They're the ones who don't dare to step to the starting line, the ones at home on a couch who were too afraid to take on something difficult. Senior Audrey Amschler commented, "I used to be scared that I would be horrible and lose every race. I quickly learned it’s not always about winning. It’s about giving your best and improving."
Second, only once last year did one of our athletes finish last in a race. We put great effort through our training and race strategy to ensure our athletes can perform at their best level. But come to any cross country meet, and what you'll observe is that often the athletes at the end of the race receive just as much applause and support as those at the front, even from athletes, coaches, and spectators from other schools. Cross country is a sport where even the spectators recognize the difficulty of the task of completing a race and acknowledge the dedication of those who rise to the challenge. As junior Noah Winschel put it, "Cross Country definitely positively impacted my life because, at first, I just did it because I didn’t know what sport to do, but now I keep coming back because of the friends and thrilling races. It is hard, but the social aspect of the team is worth it."
First, success and failure is often a matter of perspective. Reagan Meyer winning our home meet and breaking our school record was certainly success, but so was Tristin Anders shaving two and a half minutes off his fastest time from the previous year, even though he never finished higher than 40th place in any race. The mission of our program is to help every athlete become the best version of themselves, regardless of where that puts them in comparison to others. The true failures aren't the runners who cross the finish line last. They're the ones who don't dare to step to the starting line, the ones at home on a couch who were too afraid to take on something difficult. Senior Audrey Amschler commented, "I used to be scared that I would be horrible and lose every race. I quickly learned it’s not always about winning. It’s about giving your best and improving."
Second, only once last year did one of our athletes finish last in a race. We put great effort through our training and race strategy to ensure our athletes can perform at their best level. But come to any cross country meet, and what you'll observe is that often the athletes at the end of the race receive just as much applause and support as those at the front, even from athletes, coaches, and spectators from other schools. Cross country is a sport where even the spectators recognize the difficulty of the task of completing a race and acknowledge the dedication of those who rise to the challenge. As junior Noah Winschel put it, "Cross Country definitely positively impacted my life because, at first, I just did it because I didn’t know what sport to do, but now I keep coming back because of the friends and thrilling races. It is hard, but the social aspect of the team is worth it."
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Cross Country Isn't Cool
Says who? But seriously, we get that cross country is never going to get the award for most popular sport, whether that's based on student polls, spectator attendance, or media coverage. We're okay with that, and we hope you are, too. We believe you should do something because it's what you want and what's best for you, regardless of what other people say or think.
We want athletes to feel acknowledged and supported, but we can't control other people. That's why we try to create our own community, our own family where athletes feel like they belong, where they can become stronger athletes and human beings, and where they can help others do the same. As senior Sybina Nations put it, "In cross country I can actually be myself. With other sports and in some of my classes, I can't do or say some stuff out of fear of being judged. On the XC team I am able to have fun and be more engaged in the sport because I am able to be myself." Sophomore Sydney Taylor added, "If someone is thinking about joining cross country, I would say try it. I never thought in a million years that I would be in cross country but I've really liked it. I love the people, and the community is awesome."
We want athletes to feel acknowledged and supported, but we can't control other people. That's why we try to create our own community, our own family where athletes feel like they belong, where they can become stronger athletes and human beings, and where they can help others do the same. As senior Sybina Nations put it, "In cross country I can actually be myself. With other sports and in some of my classes, I can't do or say some stuff out of fear of being judged. On the XC team I am able to have fun and be more engaged in the sport because I am able to be myself." Sophomore Sydney Taylor added, "If someone is thinking about joining cross country, I would say try it. I never thought in a million years that I would be in cross country but I've really liked it. I love the people, and the community is awesome."
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Give It a Shot!
We hope this page has given a better sense of what our team is all about and how it just might be the right fit. Of course the only way to know for sure is to try it. Maybe the testimony and accomplishments of so many of our athletes makes that seem a little bit more like a potential reality. But if someone didn't get enough here, any of our coaches and athletes would be happy to share more and answer any questions or objections that weren't covered. Feel free to reach out!