On a sunny Saturday morning, the Royals Cross Country team found themselves at the ODAC Conference Championship meet, held at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, VA. Capping off their regular season, the meet was the team’s last effort until the upcoming regional meet.
On the morning of Nov. 1, with a remarkably large pool of 107 runners, the men’s cross country teams kicked off the meet at 10 am. Out the gate, Luke Buckwalter, a second year at EMU, was near the front of the pack, with the other Royals further behind running as a unit a few places back. As the race progressed, the runners spread out more, but remained not far from each other. Buckwalter held onto his lead over the other EMU runners, eventually finishing in 28 minutes and 42 seconds — not technically a new personal record (PR), since the course was slightly over 8 kilometers, but very close to one. Buckwalter was the 55th overall finisher.
In the women’s race, which kicked off at 11 a.m., fourth-year Lauren Kauffman was the standout performer for EMU. Finishing in 21st place with a time of 23 minutes and 58 seconds, Kauffman put on an admirable showing. Although she started behind Erin Loker, an EMU second-year, Kauffman was able to pass her soon after the race began.
Despite some individual success, EMU’s team was not one of the most successful at the meet, with almost all runners landing in the second half of finishers at the meet.
When asked about the race, Buckwalter reflected on the course itself. Not being one of his favorites, Buckwalter said, “There’s almost no downhill. There’s just something [that I don’t like] about it. Even though it’s mostly flat, it just doesn’t feel good.”
Kauffman, conversely, shared her feelings about the race. “I felt really good about the race. I got 23 minutes and 58 seconds, so I PRed from last year’s ODACs. So, that was exciting. It was a really nerve-wracking race because there’s all the schools there, but it was a really exciting and fun race to do.”
Although they may have differed when it came to feelings on the race, both Kauffman and Buckwalter had good things to say about the team as a whole. “I’m really proud of our team for the hard work that everyone’s put in. I know we each ran our own race, and I’m proud of what everyone was able to accomplish,” Kauffman said.
“I’m proud of the effort of our team. We’ve worked hard this season, and we might not be getting the [results] we expected, but we’re ready. We’re getting ready for regionals, and will hopefully do better,” reflected Buckwalter.
