Cross-country dominates onference championships

On Saturday, Oct. 31, the UVU men and women’s cross-country teams traveled to The Bronx, New York, for a competition near Manhattan College. The performance of both teams proved victorious, as they swept the competition; both taking first place in their respective categories.

Jake Buhler, a senior, from Military, North Dakota, was one of the participants in the competition. Not only did he participate, but finished as the runner-up overall. When asked if he felt good about his performance, Jake said, “Yeah… I felt good about it being all right. Physically I felt pretty strong through the hills, and my finish was good. We got out well as a team, so that helped me a lot. I started preparing mentally for the race about a week beforehand, since racing largely requires good mental preparation.”

The weather conditions during the race were humid, rainy and 55 degrees, but nothing stopped the Wolverines from dominating the competition. The men scored 25, while the next team to finish scored 91, making the margin of victory fairly large. Our women’s team scored 21.

When asked his greatest challenge, Jake jokingly answered, “It was Halloween, and I wanted to eat some candy, but I knew I couldn’t until after the race!” He then replied, “My greatest challenge was running downhill. It was rough on my legs, and my turnover wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. That’s what the winner may have been better at doing.”

Jake proudly added, “UVU Cross Country was predicted to win this conference, so it was nice to fulfill that prediction. This season we have one of the best teams that we’ve had since I have been here at UVU—talent-wise and hard working.”

In addition to winning the conference, the team has extra reason to celebrate, as Coach Scott Houle received Coach of the Year honors for both the men and women team categories.

The team will next compete at the Mountain Regional Cross Country Meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on November 14.