ESCANABA, MI – The Bay College Norse Cross Country Team will once again be represented at the NJCAA Division II National Championship Meet. Zach Rose (SO, Escanaba, MI) will make his second appearance on the national stage, while Lindsay Cox (FR, Gladstone, MI) will run on Saturday afternoon in Mechanicsville, Virginia.
Rose, who first started running competitively last year, competed at the 2020 National Meet in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Cold temperatures and a course filled with hills prevented Zach from achieving his goal of a sub-28-minute run last year, but Head Coach Jim Murtha was pleased with his effort. "The course had more hills than we expected," said Murtha at the time. "It was cold, but Zach did an excellent job. He started off strong and kept passing runners in front of him, and never got passed by anyone else. All in all, it was a great effort and a great experience."
According to Rose, the experience last year was a motivating factor for this season. "Being there and experiencing that was a big advantage. I saw what it was like and got a feel for what to do, especially training-wise. I started to understand how to get faster."
Coach Murtha praised Zach's preparation for the upcoming race. "Zach had an early setback this season but his overall strength from training year-round allowed him to recover quickly and set him up for a very strong race on Saturday due to his relentless work ethic."
Rose returned the compliments to Coach Murtha, talking about how much he has learned in such a short time as a competitive runner. "Last year I worked hard training, but it was different, it was a learning experience. This year it was different, and Coach Murtha and my experiences helped me understand how to train for cross country. This year was planned and more regimented, and we set weekly and monthly goals that really helped me strive to be better. I came into this season with a much better understanding of the sport of cross country and how to train for it."
Lindsay Cox entered this season with a much outlook and set of experiences, having run at Gladstone High School and working with Coach Murtha during that time. Despite that, competing at the college level proved to be a new challenge for her. "Training has definitely differed from high school to college," she said. "In high school if you were to ask me how hard I train, I would have answered something along the lines of 'super hard.' Now, being in college and the cross country season almost done, I know that it would not be an accurate answer at all. I've been running so much more in college as compared to high school. Training has been way more intense for me this year."
Coach Murtha seemed to agree with Cox's sentiments. "Lindsay has learned a lot from her races this year and most importantly has gained a lot of confidence knowing that she can compete in these races. Her training has been very consistent, and she was able to get a few road races in this summer and another one since our last meet. She has definitely set herself up to run her fastest 5K race of her life!"
Cox has been using all resources available to her to prepare for this weekend's race. "I've talked to Zach about what to expect at nationals. Both Coach Murtha and Zach have helped me form my goals for this weekend based off of their information of what I should expect."
Both runners were asked about how they felt about this meet, and both expressed confidence about the long term work they have put in to prepare for this moment. "I am super excited to be able to compete at nationals," said Cox, "it is a goal I have been working towards for the whole year! Coach Murtha brought up the idea of me training for nationals last year while I ran track for him aand it gave me something to work for. I am super proud of myself for working so hard and accomplishing my goal. I was able to shave four minutes off my 5K time in four months!"
"I am nervous, but very excited," said Rose. "I am extremely confident. I have worked harder than last year, so I know I can do better than I did last year."
Cox also exuded confidence in her expected results. "I expect to definitely get my PR this Saturday at the very least. I am not too concerned about placement. I like to focus more on times as it gives me something to work towards."
The excitement wasn't lost on Coach Murtha leading up to the event. "I can't wait to see these two outstanding runners compete on Saturday; they are sure to make the Bay College Community proud!"
The NJCAA Division I and II Men's and Women's National Championships are being held at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, VA. The Division II Men's National Championship is set to being at 11:45 am on Saturday. The Division II Women's National Championship will begin at 12:45 pm.
The NJCAA Network will air the championships live. Information about the live broadcast can be found on the NJCAA website: https://www.njcaa.org/general/2021-22/releases/20211108grbqes.