SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist men's cross country enters the 2018 season without a clear front runner. However, a strong core and a willingness to sacrifice individually for a collective goal should spur the Bison to success as they prepare for the upcoming season.
"Immediately it was obvious that they're in this to succeed as a group," said coach
Matt Kennedy. "They work together. They want to do their individual job to benefit the team collectively."
That mentality starts with strong upperclassmen leadership that boasts a proven record of success in the Great American Conference. Returning after a redshirt last year,
Blaine Whitson returns for his senior season. He's joined by fellow senior
Nathan Crowson, as well as junior
Garrett Elmore, the latter of which earned second team All-Great American Conference honors in 2017. After the early part of camp, Kennedy has them projected to be the Bison's top three finishers.
"We don't necessarily have a front runner like the girls do, but we have a three-pack out front with Nathan, Garrett and Blaine that can lead our team," said Kennedy. "Behind that is a great group of guys in the chase pack at that aren't that far behind. We have a great chance to have some pack running, a strength in numbers mentality, gives us a lot of potential going into the season."
Among the returners in the chase pack are
Jarrett Ellis (28:18.0, 8k) and
DeAngelo Robles. Robles, in particular, is tabbed as a potential contributor in a scoring position for OBU.
"We need him [Robles] to have a comeback year and have a good year," said Kennedy. "DeAngleo was one spot out of finishing as Freshman of the Year at the conference meet two years ago. He's capable of reaching that level again."
Making the transition from track to cross country is
Carlos James. James, who played a key role in the 4x400m squad that reached the Division II National Championships last spring, has "the potential to really push for a scoring spot" according to Kennedy.
The Bison also added three freshmen to the cause:
Caleb Dyer,
Noah Eskew, and
Cameron Mills, and Kennedy is excited about how they've shown in preseason so far.
"The freshmen are studs," said Kennedy. "That's a tribute to coach [Mark] Heard's recruiting.
Noah Eskew's legit, and the same with Cameron. We also expect
Caleb Dyer to develop and contribute as we get deeper into the season."
With the key additions in place to supplement a solid returning group, the practices, according to Kennedy, have been completed at a high level. That level will pay off as the Bison compete for the second time as full members of Division II.
"If the guys continue the way they've progressed over this first week, the sky's the limit," explained Kennedy. "They have a chance to do something really great, and send the seniors out with a bang if they continue to work hard and do their jobs."
The Bison start their season this Saturday, Sept. 1 at the Central Oklahoma Land Run in Edmond.
