The Crimson Tide defeated Samford last week with a team composed of mostly freshmen. Coach Dan Waters said the Samford meet allowed the new recruits to adjust to collegiate sports.
“It’s tough for young athletes making the transition from high school to college competition,” Waters said. “I think [the meet] helped their morale quite a bit, as well as serving as a great team-building opportunity, because our other runners went on that trip and were out there encouraging them and cheering them on.”
The Asheville Carnival will be the first normal grouping of the season and will allow Waters to look at the team’s primary runners.
“I think our athletes are ready,” Waters said. “They are anxious to get started. We usually have raced by now, so this is something they have been looking forward to.”
Team captain Rebecca Stover said she’s excited to be back to running after suffering an injury last season.
“This summer I had to catch back up on my training,” she said. “I had to have surgery, so I made sure to put in a good effort in every run. We push each other in workouts and help and encourage each other.”
As one of the team leaders, Stover said her responsibility is to push the team and set goals for the season.
“We don’t have any seniors this year, so its kind of like I’m a senior because me and the other three juniors have to lead the team and set goals,” Stover said.
Looking at last season, Water said the team’s mentality and consistency will allow them to have a successful season.
“We just need more consistency beyond our top two runners,” he said. “If we can get better behind those two that will help us drastically in the team scoring. I think both of our teams will be focused on staying with our lead runners and competing as a pack.”
Stover said the team is staying focused on making it to nationals at the end of the season.
“Right now, we have a lot of young girls who will get the experience they need this year,” she said. “If we can stay focused and take it one day at a time, stay healthy and improve on the things we need, I think we will go far.”
