Taylor’s cross country has steadily performed this season. In four races they have finished first in three, helping them retain the No.1 rank in the NAIA with a record of 78-6.
While the Maddawgs have been successful, the team retains a growth mindset.
“Rankings can be nice, but they are very subjective,” said head coach Quinn White. “We don’t put a lot of weight into them. We focus more on being ready to compete for another league and national title.”
This mindset has trickled down to the team as well. Sophomore Jaynie Halterman said that winning the smaller races is not the team’s goal. The big goal is to make it to the National Championships.
Throughout the year, one of the things that has been stressed in the locker room is love.
“Something that is evident about our team is that we choose to love each other every day, the good days and the bad days,” said junior Sam Patterson, “And so it’s kind of rare to find people who are willing to make that kind of choice….We don’t run against each other, we run with each other.”
That kind of love is what helps create a winning culture on a team.
“Our culture is a huge part of our success,” said Coach White. “We have a very healthy, competitive, hardworking and loving culture.”
While the team has proved to itself as a dominating force this season, they have also identified areas in which to grow.
“We didn’t do as well as we wanted to at Florida, but it was a great learning experience. Like I said, taught us a lot about where we need to grow, what we need to work on, and especially what Florida is like, so that we know what to expect when you get to Nationals,” Halterman said.
In order to compete well in the National Championships, every team must make changes and adjustments in order to stay on their guard.
Patterson said that one of the areas the team could work on is making hard strategic choices as a team. So much of the race is mental and sometimes people can make excuses, but in the end once
the runner is at the start line, it is up to them.
One of the areas to pay attention to most as a team, is how the unknown is perceived.
“Fear can be a huge limiting factor, fear of the pain, fear of like, unknown outcomes, fear of what our competitors will do,” said Halterman, “Fear is the opposite of love, and love is what we are focusing on.”
This is something that keeps the team moving forward. The team loves to compete, but it strives to build each other up through love even more. The team ran their fastest time of the year at the Ray Bullock Invite on October 10 with 1:49:44.6, placing five runners in the top ten.
“We focus a lot on team talk and just encouraging our teammates and building each other up during the race and after the race,” said Halterman.
After winning first place at the Great Lakes Challenge, Taylor sets to begin its journey through the postseason.
“We are very happy with our progress, and we are very excited to move into the championship phase,” said Coach White.
On November 7, Taylor will participate in the Crossroads League Championship, marking its first event of the playoffs.
After the Crossroads League Championship, Taylor will continue to the NAIA National Championships in Tallahassee Florida on November 21.
“This is a gift. Use the gift to honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Run with love, run with joy, and run free,” said Coach White as a final message to his team.
