MECHANICSVILLE, VA – The Bay Norse Cross Country Team sent two runners to the NJCAA Division II National Championship on Saturday afternoon, and Lindsay Cox (FR, Gladstone, MI) and Zach Rose (SO, Escanaba, MI) did not disappoint. Both were able to put up personal best times in their races.
The conditions were excellent for today's event, as noted by Bay Head Coach Jim Murtha. "The weather was perfect today. This may be the best ever cross country course I have ever seen, as it was built specifically for the sport. Competition-wise, spectator-wise, it was definitely a great venue for the event."
Rose echoed Coach Murtha's observations. "The course was perfect. It didn't have as many hills or wasn't really muddy at all."
The Men's Division II Championship led off the action. Rose got off to a great start and came in the first mile just a touch under his goal at about 5:20. Zach did have to fight through some adversity however, as a shoe came untied during that first mile and was loose for the rest of the race. "The shoe came untied somewhere in the first mile," recalled Rose. "Because of that I could have done better. I have a huge blister because it was rubbing the whole time."
"Zach had a great game plan and paced himself well, coming in right around where he wanted to in that first mile," said Murtha. "The loose shoe probably cost him about thirty seconds, but despite that he finished with a personal best time and a positive mindset. I thought he ran well and set himself up to do something special next year."
Rose finished the race in 62nd place out of 221 runners. His time of 28:06.2 beat his previous best time of 28:08.4 set at Muskegon on October 17 of last year.
"Being here last year helped a lot," commented Rose. "I was not as nervous this year, definitely more relaxed and that was a huge help. There were a lot more runners this year as compared to last, but I thought my training helped me and I felt a lot better and definitely more confident coming in."
"I know I could have been faster if not for my shoe, but I am happy with my effort today. I am thankful I did it, it was a good experience. I am looking forward to a full summer of training for next year and am setting a goal of being around that top 25 group and being in the talks for an All-American."
That set the stage for the Women's Division II Championship. Being the first time at nationals, Cox mentioned she was not nearly as calm as Rose going into her race. "I woke up a nervous wreck this morning, but that is normal for me on a race day. I usually like to run first to get it out of the away and get rid of the nerves. The only good thing about it was that the guy's course is similar to the women's course, so I was able to talk to Zach and he was able to give me some information on what to expect."
Cox started off strong and kept a good pace according to Coach Murtha. "She is a realty good runner and has worked really hard this year. We had a first mile goal of being under seven minutes, and she came in at 6:50."
While Cox finished 125 out of 197 runners, the focus was on her times and continuing to improve. Improvement would be an understatement in this case. Lindsay finished the course with a time of 22:38.6. That blew away her previous best at the college level, which was a time of 25:27.8 posted at Kirtland Community College on September 24 of this year.
Cox said she had some idea that she was running a pace that was nearly three minutes faster then her previous record and was extremely happy with her results. "I run with a watch, so I knew what my pace was. I have been running some road races and done well, but this was almost thirty seconds better than my best time a few weeks ago. This was without a doubt my best race."
"The adrenaline was definitely different. It was a great experience, and I am really glad I got to do it. It definitely gives me more motivation heading into next year. I would really love to put up some better times next year, and it gives me something to work for."
"It has been a really good trip," said Coach Murtha. "It has been a great experience and I am proud of these two athletes. They definitely represented Bay College and the community well."
Cox becomes the fourth runner in Bay College history to compete at the National Championship, and just the second woman. Zoie Berg (Gladstone, MI) was the first in 2018.
Last year Rose made his mark as the third ever Norse National Championship participant, and the second ever man to do so after James Young (Gladstone, MI) was the first in 2018. By qualifying this year, Rose is the first ever Norse athlete to compete in multiple National Championships.