MacKenzie Dayne Hall

Tigers to compete in GAC championship meet

STAFF WRITER: MACKENZIE HALL

 The women’s cross country team will compete in the long-await­ed Great American Conference (GAC) Championship in Weath­erford, Okla., on Feb. 27. After a season of adapting to COVID-19 and only competing in two meets, the team is anxious to see how it stacks up to other teams in the con­ference.

Normally, cross country season would have started in August and ended in November. However, the season was delayed this year and began in January 2021. The team’s first meet was the Lois Davis Invi­tational at Southern Arkansas Uni­versity, where the team finished third. Two weeks later, the women competed at home and also fin­ished third overall.

“We started training thinking we were going to have a season,” Head Cross Country Coach Steve Guymon said. “Then that got post­poned and eventually eliminated with the rest of fall sports. So, we still kept training. It was hard be­cause, you know, in our sport, just like any other sport, you can’t just take two or three months off.”

The team kept a consistent train­ing schedule, running six days a week and mixing strength and cross training into its routine. The Tigers have also been running in simulated meets.

“As far as the day-to-day goes, COVID hasn’t stopped us from working hard and building rela­tionships with our teammates,” freshman runner Taylor Koeth said. “We’re still able to run well and practice. We just have to do so cautiously.”

Compared to other teams in the conference, the Tigers are relative­ly young. This could be used to their advantage, since the team is currently ranked in the top five in the GAC.

“These teams are a lot more sea­soned. I guess you’d say the other teams have more experience than we have,” Guymon said. “I think we’ve got a shot to finish anywhere from top three to five.... If their day goes great, maybe second.”

To clinch a ranking in the top five at conference, the cross coun­try team has trained to establish a strong work ethic. A solid moral foundation accompanies this work ethic. The coaching staff wants the young women on the team to be great athletes, but also to be good people who build up those around them.

“Coach Guymon and Coach [John] Jones have absolutely done an amazing job coaching us,” freshman runner Becca Beard said. “Not only have they coached us to be good athletes, but to be even better people.”

It is evident that the team consists of women who seek to encourage others, build relationships and care for those around them well. Guy­mon has seen these young women go through hard times, and he is proud of his team.

“I am extremely proud of this group. I really am,” Guymon said. “I took this job a year and a half ago and I coached 17 years at Harding. I had great kids, great teams there. I really like [this] team. I am very proud of them. It’s just like any other team that’s had to go through all these things and the unknown, but they’re constantly pushing, helping and supporting each oth­er. They are a joy to be around and I’m a very, very lucky coach.”

To keep track of how the Tigers are doing during the GAC cham­pionship, visit obutigers.com for updates. Most of the team will be back in action for track season, which starts with a meet at Hendrix College on March 13.