Charger men’s cross country poses with their trophy.
Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

As the men’s and women’s cross country teams gear up to start their seasons with a home meet Sept. 5 at Hayden Park, both teams are looking toward exciting possibilities throughout the next few months.

The men’s cross country team is chasing lofty goals this season after securing the Men’s Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship title last year. Head coach R.P. White plans to enter the new season while still reflecting on the success of last year. 

“I would love to defend that title,” White said. “The goal of this year is to continue that winning tradition.”

On the women’s side, senior captain Anna Roberts was hopeful and confident about the upcoming season.

“Ideally, we would love to make an appearance at the national championship meet in Kenosha, Wisconsin Nov. 22,” Roberts said. “So we’re really gearing ourselves towards that this season.” 

While staying focused on big championship season goals, Roberts also highlighted the importance of fostering a vibrant team culture in the meantime.

“I would love to make being a cross country and track athlete not just something where you show up to practice and run, but rather where you have a lot of fun, it feels like a family, you look forward to training, you look forward to coming to practice, you grow to love running, and you let it become a lifelong passion,” Roberts said.

While team culture is facilitated by upperclassmen, freshman Jefferson Regitz demonstrated that it is experienced in a tangible way by underclassmen when he expressed how appreciative he was of the welcoming team environment.

“A bunch of guys on the team just put themselves forward and have gotten to know me really well and asked me questions about my life, about who I am, which I think is super gnarly,” Regitz said. 

Preparing for his first race as a Hillsdale Charger, Regitz said he was excited to see the results of training for himself and the other freshmen. 

“All the work put in over the long summer months, even at the end of my senior year, it’s all coming to fruition,” Regitz said. “It’s all going to play out, and I think it’s going to happen pretty quickly.”