Cross Country Team Ready to Run
St. Kate’s fastest Wildcats welcome a new coach at the beginning of an exciting season
By Natalie Nemes
Sprinting into competition with two meets already under their belt, the Wildcat cross-country team can’t be slowed down. With brand new head coach Alisha Samuel leading the charge, the runners have already seen success only halfway into the season.
The Crown College Invite 5K on Sept. 5 saw a second-place finish from the Wildcats with first-year Brittany Breed posting the fastest time for the team, a speedy 22:40. The first meet of the season also featured a lifetime personal record from first-year Jade Davis, who finished in 23:28 despite Crown Invite’s hilly course. Commenting on her teammate’s success, Morgan Brandt ‘23 (Physical Therapy-DPT) said, “That was awesome, to already have a lifetime 5K PR on that difficult of a course. So I think that was super exciting because it just sets up the trajectory of what this team can do.”
Looking further ahead to later in the season, the MIAC Preview at Hamline University on Sept. 9 has already provided a glimpse of what’s to come. Brandt said the meet has given the team a good idea of where they want to position themselves and how hard they want to work going into the championship season in October.
Runners, start your watches! Photo courtesy of Megan Perkins
Samuel emphasized her appreciation for the runners’ willingness to work hard to achieve their goals. She said the team’s performance in the meets so far has been “more than I could have ever asked for,” adding, “The women were ready and so motivated to go. We have a very determined and well disciplined team.”
Cross-country is a sport that requires endless dedication and hard work. The team runs together in the afternoon six times a week and lifts in the mornings on Mondays and Wednesdays. Still, the runners find time to fit fun into their busy schedules. Megan Perkins ‘23 (Public Health, Spanish) credited Brandt for fostering team camaraderie during the preseason. “She [Brandt] was really good at facilitating activities,” Perkins said. “Sometimes we would have game nights, sometimes we’d have dinner together, or we would just try to connect outside of practice time. We also had an escape room one night.”
One word kept coming up that encapsulates the spirit of the cross-country team: sisterhood. Brenna Nelson ‘24 (Exercise and Sport Science/Pre-PT, minor in Coaching) said the “team-like atmosphere” is a shift from previous years that has come along with the change in coaching staff. “We are all connected and driven to work for each other and run for each other when we feel like we can’t run for ourselves anymore,” Nelson said. “Another thing we talk a lot about is creating a ‘sisterhood’ on our team, which means fighting for each other, supporting each other and always staying connected.”
The Wildcats strike a pose at one of their meets. Photo courtesy of Megan Perkins
Perkins also emphasized the importance of competing as a team and Samuel’s philosophy of sisterhood, even though cross-country is a sport that relies on the individual skill sets of its athletes. “Our head coach, Coach Samuel, she likes to use the idea of sisterhood and making sure that we all stay connected and that we’re all working towards a common goal,” Perkins said. “While cross-country is a more individual sport while you’re racing, we’d like to reiterate that it’s still a team aspect. You’re still running for your teammates, and that’s why you’re not running for yourself, really. You’re not running for your coaches, you’re running for your teammates, and the other women that are out there racing with you.”
Brandt attributed another change in team philosophy to Samuel and the team’s assistant coach, David Pieper: permission to dream big. Even as a veteran runner who will soon move on from the program, Brandt looks forward to the future of St. Kate’s cross-country and what the team could accomplish. “We have these big dreams for the future of what our program could look like,” she said. “And I think that’s something that our coaches have really instilled in us. We can dream big for the program as a whole, and we’re just the starting point. But looking back in 20, 50 years, we can say we were a part of that team.” Although the current team might not bring home a MIAC Championship, Brandt recognizes the importance of being part of the legacy leading up to an achievement that grand.
But for now, the Wildcats are preparing for their next meet, the Blugold Invitational, on Sept. 30 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. For those looking to spectate at a meet closer to home, the MIAC Championship will take place on Oct. 29 at Highland Park Golf Course.
