This weekend, Loyola’s cross country team will be competing in the GCAC Conference Championships. According to Andy Canegitta, head cross country coach, the conference championship has been at the top of his list in priorities this season.
“We’ve been training hard to prepare for conference. Our goal is to win conference. The races are our training,” Canegitta said.
Canegitta has been as precautious as possible to make sure that his runners are ready for the challenges of conference.
“For the past two weeks we’ve been taking more ice baths and making sure everyone is healthy and free of injuries or sickness. It’s been working so far. We have three or four girls who did not run in the last meet just to be safe,” he said.
Like Canegitta, marketing sophomore Annelise Rickert has taken extra precaution to prepare for the competition.
I have personally prepared by keeping focus and not letting all the other events and things in my life distract me from my goal of improving in running,” Rickert said. “I also try to keep my body in a healthy state by eating nutritious food, taking ice baths, and stretching properly as much as possible,” she said.
Canegitta believes that the team is ready both physically and mentally to compete and will be successful this year. “I think all of them, individually and as a team, think that they can win this. That is the first step of winning a conference title; to be mentally prepared. I think they have faith within themselves and in their team mates,” he said.
Rickert also believes that her teammates are ready and hopes that the Wolfpack will see victory at conference.
“We are more ready than we have ever been. The team is very strong this year and has been working extremely hard,” she said. “My goal is for us to try our hardest and walk away knowing we left it all on the course. I think there is a great chance we will all continue on to Nationals, I can’t say there would be one specific person. We function as a team not as individuals,” Rickert said.
Following conference, individual members of the cross country team may be selected to compete at the NAIA National Championships in Vancouver, Wash. Canegitta hopes to see some of his runners advance.
“Individually we have two women and somewhere between one to three men that have the potential to go to nationals. We’ll have to see how things play out and hope for the best,” he said.
Also competing for the GCAC Conference title will be Belhaven University, Dillard University, Tougaloo College, University of Mobile and long time rivals Xavier University and Spring Hill College.
The GCAC Conference Championships will be held Saturday, Nov. 7 in Clinton, Miss. beginning at 9 a.m.
Carlyn Worthy can be reached at [email protected]
