The cross country season is underway, which means lots of ice, plenty of time on the trainer’s table and, of course, an increase of practice hours.

Last weekend, the Loyola Wolf Pack Men’s and Women’s Cross Country team put their weeks of training to the test in the 6th Annual Wolf Pack Invitational at Lafreniere Park in Metairie.

The women placed third, and in spite of a strong showing from the men’s side, Paul Freese, history senior,  said he believes that there is still much work to be done if the Pack wants to claim a top spot in their respective conference.

One of their biggest opponents, Emmaneul College, has left their conference, and players believe that will work in their favor.

“I think the conference is wide open since Emmanuel left. If everyone keeps their stuff together and puts the work in during the season we can compete for that top spot,” Freese said.

For Freese, there are other factors that play into the overall success of the team this season. Since injuries to key athletes played a crucial role in last year’s standings, Freese said that they have been resting certain runners to avoid last year’s problems. He was one of the three athletes who did not compete for the men.

“If we can stay injury free, we could get top three in conference. From there we can really start to build and drop times,” Freese said.

For the Pack, the new season came with a new head coach, Matt Shelton, who the team said has been strategic in implementing changes to the program.

“So far, Coach Matt has done a really good job of building into heavier stuff instead of throwing it all at us at the beginning of the year. I think everyone is doing a good job of getting into the flow of the season,” Freese said.

Shelton said he is already working to establish a mindset of his own.

“I’m trying to establish consistency and unity. With those two, it’s the best recipe for success,” Shelton said.

While serving as an assistant coach last season, two of his runners qualified for nationals. Still, Coach Shelton said he is still seeking major improvement from last year’s success with the right focus.

“I feel our expectations have increased dramatically. I think we are a better team than what has been listed on paper. If we focus on the mental side of training, instead of the athletic, I feel that we can achieve our goals,” Shelton said.

But keeping everything in the right perspective will be another major component for the team’s success this season, Emma Larson, visual arts senior, said.

“It’s about having the team aspect and pushing myself, because at the end of the day, I’m not going to the Olympics. I still want to push myself and push my team. It’s more about the group effort than being a superstar,” Larson said.

Along with the power of a tight-knit group and a never settle attitude, Larson said she sees no reason why this year’s team can’t compete for the ultimate prize.

“Let’s go for it. Let’s go for conference. A lot of years we’ve had plenty of chances and we’ve tried our best. All we can do is push each other and once we get to that meet, just do our best,” Larson said.