Two mnners represent Harding at the NCAA national competition In the men's cross country team's inaugural season in the Lone Star Conference, the team placed second in the division and sent two runners to the national competition. "We are the first Harding team to compete in the Lone Star Conference," said Coach Bryan Phillips. "Most of Harding's teams will join the conference next school year." In each competitionHarding enters seven runners. The five who did the best made up the score for the team. The team with the lowest score won. Senior Jonathan Dandy said, "I've really appreciated the team atmosphere and knowing that you're not out there by yourself. We're all running for the team." "The rewards of cross country are just feeling like I'm doing the best I can with the talents God has given me," Dandy said. Team members junior Tommy Noel and sophomore Jonah Tanui qualified for the national competition. Noel said of his race at Regionals that qualified him for Nationals: "It was the best part of the season. I was getting tired but I kept pushing myself and had my best race. It was a lot of fun. It was pouring down rain, freezing cold and very muddy. You don't usually get to run in those kinds of conditions. "I love the competitive aspect of cross Men's Cross Country. First row: Tyson Ledgerwood, Matt Quigley, Tommy Noel, Jonathan Griffin, Seth Crum, Clay Midyett. Second row: Donnie Stover, Abraham Kirwa, Jonathan Dandy, Ryan Flint, Jonah Tanui, Brandon McLeod. Photo by Jeff Montgomery. 270 Men's Cross Country country," Noel said. "And I like being in shape. Without strict training, I know that I could go out at any moment and run 10 miles." "Coach Phillips is a great coach. He's really helped push us to get to the level that we have attained," Noel added. Dandy agreed. "You can tell that Coach Phillips is really into cross country and really wants the team to do well." In reference to the aspect of coaching that he enjoys most, Phillips said, "I like the team aspect of trying to get the guys to get along with each other. It's not really an individual sport." "There have been a lot of good moments in this season," Phillips said. "But perhaps the most memorable was placing second in the Lone Star Conference." Phillips coaches both the men's and women's cross country teams. "The men run a little faster, but both the men and women workjust as hard. They're not that different," he said. The two teams work out together. Phillips said that they were "almost like one big team. The men have a slightly different workout because they run a five-mile race. The girls run a three-mile race." - Sara VanRheenen
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