Fall Schedule Release: Cross Country

MONTGOMERY, Ala.  – Huntingdon's fall sports are finalizing their schedules as the 2021 season approaches.

This week, each team will provide a look at a return to normalcy this fall.

Today's featured program is cross country.

Cross Country

The men's and women's cross country teams competed in a shortened season in the spring of 2021.

This will be the fifth season of competition for the Hawks since the program returned to competition in 2017. Under third-year head coach Ed Wright, the Hawks are looking for continued improvement.

Although the fall schedule is still being finalized, the cross country program is expecting to return to a normal number of events this season.

Head coach Ed Wright on the expectations for a return to normalcy this fall: "As we get back to normal I expect to see both of our teams continue to improve. On the men's team, we have everyone returning and we have two incoming freshmen who will help us continue to build our program. For our women's team, we will have five incoming freshman that will help put the program on solid footing."

Senior Taylor Chestnutt on the expectations for a return to normalcy this fall: "The most notable aspect of a return to normalcy for us will be the opportunity to have a full cross country season in the fall. In the spring we had a very condensed season before the start of outdoor track, so it'll be great to not only have a separate season but some larger and more competitive races. Most of our team has not had a full collegiate cross country season so I look forward to seeing what we can do with a semester's worth of training and racing."

Wright on how the challenges of the past year helped bring the team closer together: "The biggest challenge in the fall was to keep our athletes engaged without having competition.  But the camaraderie of the team was outstanding. Six freshmen came into the program and were welcomed by the older runners."

Chestnutt on how the challenges of the past year helped bring the team closer together: "Last year six of our runners were freshmen, so a major focus for us was to build a close-knit team. We wanted to keep everyone focused on training for the altered spring seasons and also happy to be at the college. Despite the difficulties with the pandemic and a semester without competition, I believe we were able to build a team culture that is focused on being competitive and also enjoying our time at Huntingdon."

Wright on what he learned about himself and his team last season: "I think the main thing I learned, and the team learned, is that together we can overcome many difficulties."

Chestnutt on what he learned about himself and his team last season: "I learned just how much our team wants to build a successful program at Huntingdon. Training on our own for an entire semester in the fall and competing in both track and cross country in the spring was mentally and physically tough. Although we had some setbacks, we embraced it. Despite its unique nature, in terms of athletics, this year has been my favorite in my three years at Huntingdon. Having the largest cross country team since I've been here, and being the first men's track team to compete in school history, led to some great experiences."

Wright on the goals for this season: "Our goal this year is to move up in the conference rankings and for each individual to improve on last year's times."

Chestnutt on the goals for this season: "Coach Wright's main goal for the team is to compete and that is my personal and team-focused goal too. Going into the final year of my running career I want to leave it all out on the course or track and hopefully drop a considerable amount of time in my events. Regarding the team, I want to continue in helping to make Huntingdon one of the top programs in the conference. We have made considerable progress since my freshman year but we still have room to grow."