Marcus Bridger-Wilkinson - A-Sun Championships

Men's Cross Country

Last weekend we competed in the Atlantic Sun Cross Country Conference Championship which has been the focus of much of our seasons training – it was even more important to me as it was my first conference championship at Belmont. We had the advantage of competing on our home course at Vaughn’s Gap in Percy Warner Park, which we had previously run two races on this season as well as numerous training sessions. On Friday we met as a team for a meal and to discuss race tactics. We also heard an inspirational talk from former individual and team champion Brad Polly. On Saturday the weather was cold, but clear, and a huge improvement from the 95 degree day of our first race of the season.

On the start line the whole team was excited because of comments made by the Lipscomb team, which motivated us even more to beat our closest rivals. The gun went off and I quickly moved into position with teammates Brandon, Josh, and Kurtis. Before the race we planned to run the first 1.5 - 2 miles conservatively and then pick up the pace to finish strong and use our knowledge of the course to our advantage. After the first 800m we built the “demoralizing wall” which involved the four of us running shoulder to shoulder and forcing anyone who wanted to pass us to move all the way around while crushing the spirit of the people we ourselves passed. As a group we started to move up the field, passing those who had started out too fast on Sideways Hill (named because of its awkward gradient). Coming past the crowd on the second lap felt great and it definitely made a big difference having so many Belmont supporters there. By the third mile Josh Helton had made an impressive move forward which eventually secured him 14th place and Atlantic Sun Second-Team Honors. With just over a mile to go, Brandon Mahaney was 10 seconds ahead of me and I knew that it was important that I closed the gap so that we could work together over the final part of the course. At the 1,000m mark I caught up with Brandon and we worked together to finish strongly in the home stretch and gain a number of vital points.

The whole team put 100% effort into the race and there were some great individual performances, especially by Matt Miller who continued his impressive form to take 4th place and earn Atlantic Sun First-Team Honors! Unfortunately, despite our hard efforts we were beaten by a better team on the day, which although disappointing, will motivate us more for our next race as well as our next season. The team heads to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the NCAA regional championships on November 12.

- Marcus Bridger-Wilkinson

Catching Up with Fall Sports

• Men’s Cross Country – This season the men have placed 2nd, 4th, 15th and 8th as a team in various meets. They will head to sunny Florida for the Atlantic Sun Championship coming up on Halloween.
• Women’s Cross Country- The team has finished the regular season with 6th, 9th, 14th and 3rd place finishes. This past weekend Brittany Thune captured the individual title. They will join the men down in Florida at the end of the month for the conference championship.
• Men’s Golf- In fall tournaments, the team has played in four events finishing 6th, 14th, 6th and 8th. They will participate in the APSU Invitational this weekend before breaking until the spring.
• Women’s Golf – The team has been busy this fall with 4th, 5th, 11th and 10th place tournament finishes while also beating rival Lipscomb in a dual match. They have two more tournaments before they will put away their clubs for the winter.
• Men’s Soccer – After getting off to a rocky start, they had a successful weekend winning both games to improve their record to 3-10-1. They have a big match up with rival Lipscomb Thursday before closing out the regular season the following weekend.
• Women’s Soccer – Currently #2 in the conference, the team has had success on the field holding a 8-5-3 overall record. Two more regular season games remain when they travel to Florida before the A-Sun Tournament gets under way.
• Volleyball- The 2nd half of the season has officially begun and currently the team has an overall record of 10-11 and is 7-6 in conference play. There are still several home games left so come out to the Curb Event Center and cheer on the Bruins.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE TEAMS FINISHING UP THEIR SEASONS AND STARTING POST-SEASON PLAY!

Raining in Nashville

Running in the rain in Nashville is a very dangerous proposition. The drivers themselves show little regard for you when the sun is shining anyway, but when the clouds form overhead and the rain starts coming down in sheets, you become absolutely invisible. I suppose it’s not too hard to see why. Anyone with any semblance of common sense shouldn’t be out in running shorts when rivulets are forming on the roadways, but each of the cross country runners here at Belmont are inspired by a multitude of factors to lace the shoes up even as the various animals are lining up two-by-two. Today was one of those days, when each cross of the road becomes an exercise in self-preservation. The men’s team is preparing for a split-squad weekend, with most of us heading to Tuscaloosa to compete in the Crimson Classic on Friday, September 18th. The rest of us will be staying in Nashville for a Saturday morning race out at Percy Warner Park (the site of the Belmont Opener-thanks to all who came out and supported the teams!) sponsored by Vanderbilt. Hopefully the weather cooperates, otherwise it could start to look like Woodstock ’99 out there-without the $7 water bottles, of course. This week should tell the team a lot about what kind of shape we’re in going into some big races next month, including a race at Louisville, Kentucky we go to (mostly) every year and a new race for us in Charlottesville, Virginia. A couple of us are getting back into shape, and some of us are getting acclimated to college running (which, believe it or not, is a lot different from high school training), but everyone is very excited about this season’s prospects. For now, it’s time to pound that wet pavement…and hope that Range Rover on 21st Avenue heeds the “Walk” signal flashing in front of him.

- Kip Hill, Men’s Cross Country RS Jr.