NGU women’s cross-country repeats as conference champions
Blythe Barrineau, Sports and Visual Arts Editor
Photo Courtesy of Cameron Stober
Commitment. Consistency. Team > Me. Four simple words written on a white board to help the North Greenville University women’s cross-country team stay focused on their season.
The team made history this fall by winning their second straight Conference Carolinas championship – something only the baseball team has been able to achieve before.
Head Coach Cameron Stober said the repeat victory was the result of years of steady building, dedication and belief from athletes past and present.
“It took us 10 years to win our first one,” he said. “So this one means a lot. It was really about building on the success of the former teams. We returned most of our top girls and we knew we had a shot to repeat but we didn’t want to take anything for granted.”
The Trailblazers entered this season with a target on their backs. After last year’s title, they knew the competition would be tough and this fueled their focus and unity throughout the season.
Riley Nicholson, senior accounting major and team captain, said the pressure of repeating pushed the team to grow in new ways.
“It was hard going into a season with a lot of expectations,” Nicholson said. “We won our first two meets back-to-back which had never happened before. We kept that team-first mindset the whole way through.”
These early wins helped set the tone for the rest of the season for the Trailblazers. They even beat a Division I program in one of these meets – another first for the program.
Winning these first two meets gave the team confidence in themselves for the rest of the season.
This season was not without adversity, however. As the conference championship approached, the team was hit with waves of injuries and illnesses.
“We went into conference a little beat up,” Stober said. “We didn’t really know what to expect.”
Despite the setbacks, the Trailblazers rallied behind one another and Nicholson said that the unity made all the difference.
“It was really about putting it all out there and knowing it wasn’t all on one person,” she said. “Cross-country can feel really individual, but this year we focused on depending on each other. That team-first mindset got us through.”
The approach paid off and helped the team make history with their back-to-back conference titles. Their consistency and chemistry is what they think made the difference.
“They’re a special group,” Stober said. “Our seniors have built an incredible culture with no drama, no ego, just hard work and love for each other.”
That leadership, he said, has helped define a new era for NGU cross country.
“To be in the same conversation with a program like baseball and all the success they’ve had says a lot. It’s exciting for the program moving forward and the standard has been set now,” said Stober.
Nicholson said that the standard was built on two simple words – strength and toughness.
“Those were our words of the year,” he said. “Stay tough, stay strong – that’s what we kept coming back to. We always said, ‘team first.’ That’s who we are.”
When asked to describe this season in one word, Stober didn’t hesitate.
“Special,” he said. “Thats what this group is – not just as runners, but as people. They’ve handled everything with class and humility. They’re championship-caliber runners, but also have championship caliber character.”
The Trailblazers finished out the season by competing in the Division II Southeast Regional Championship at Wingate University on Nov. 8. They finished in 7th place out of 24 teams. This tied their program record finish from last year.
