Oswego State’s cross country team was in desperate need of a reset following the 2019 season. The SUNYAC Championship results revealed a team in need of change after the men’s team finished in last place out of nine teams and the women’s team finished sixth out of 10 teams.
2020 is the start of that change, with many new athletes joining the team and more expected to join before the 2021 season according to head coach Jacob Smith. With all the turnover, there is a new excitement around the program due to the younger nucleus of runners and what they could potentially accomplish.
“I’m really excited for what these guys can do,” Smith said. “Particularly next year when we can add another recruiting class on top. Recruiting seems to be going OK right now, so I’m excited to see when we take this group and we add a few more to it. I think it is going to be very good.”
Smith has high expectations for his first two recruiting classes, after a 2019 season that did not deliver team results in the SUNYAC. The SUNYAC championship meets were on Nov. 2, the men’s team saw just three Oswego State runners finishing inside the Top 80 runners. The women’s team had slightly better results, placing four runners in the Top 50.
Defeat is a great catalyst for change and a reason why the program is going in a new direction. Smith is satisfied with the efforts put in by the runners during the current pause to Oswego State sports due to COVID-19. The advantage of cross country running is the ability to practice at all times and in many conditions. Runners have been getting practice plans from Smith through group texts and emails, giving an opportunity to individually improve before organized training can begin again.
“The people on the team right now, I think they are doing a great job with training,” Smith said. “They were doing a great job when we were still able to practice. I know I have seen many of them just by chance. They have been out running and I have been out running, and I have seen them. So, I know they are out there doing it.”
Smith hinted toward the need for time to develop competitive collegiate runners. Many of the stronger runners in the SUNYAC are juniors and seniors. He believes that the young runners coming into the program will be able to stay focused on their development to be able to reach the top of the SUNYAC.
“I am pretty confident with this group,” Smith said. “I think they are really into it, and this is something that is very important to them. The fact that they are committed to doing the training now on their own when we can not have practices, I think it shows how important this is to them and that demonstrates how committed they are.
The biggest factor this program is going to have to overcome is the recent results in the SUNYAC Championships. Neither the men’s or women’s team has been able to place higher than sixth the past two seasons. A new culture was needed to attempt to change that result in 2021.
“I am really excited, I like the direction the team is going,” Smith said. “I appreciate that the culture has changed now with the turnover of the athletes. Eventually, the results will come in a couple of years.”
Photo from Oswegonian File Photo 2019
