Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

Nov. 18, 2015

True or false: Kayla Casaletto got hit by a wild deer right before the one mile mark? True. The answer is true. If you want to know the full story, then keep reading…

This last week of the cross country season has been a whirlwind. After probably one of the craziest weeks academically, nine of us girls (Kristen, Kacy, Rachel, Alaina, Carsyn, Hailey, Olivia, Hailey and me) headed to the great state of New York for the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Cross Country Championships! It was my first time going to New York and no; we didn’t see the Statue of Liberty, because we were nowhere near New York City. However, the running joke of the trip was "we are in the Big Apple." Okay, let’s be honest…that was just me making that joke and Kacy and Alaina occasionally joined in with, so that was nice! The trip to New York was full of laughs and lots of movie watching. We had two vans for the trip; one van of boys and one van of girls, so naturally our van of girls watched a lot of chick flicks…poor Coach Bo.

When we arrived to our hotel on Thursday night it was cold and we were joyful that Friday allowed us a day to sleep in. Then on Friday, we ate at Perkins with the boy’s team and then we drove to Houghton College to jog the course for our pre-meet run. Friday was a day full of heavy rain, wind and cold temperatures, but we were grateful that the rain stopped when Kristen (Tenny) and Kacy raced in the open race Friday afternoon. They came in first and second for the women’s race and were tough despite the crazy weather! After their race, we got ready in the locker rooms at Houghton for the NCCAA banquet. The banquet is an opening ceremony before the race where they feed us yummy food and award student-athletes from across the country that not only exemplify good sportsmanship and impressive academics, but that most importantly, shine bright for Jesus by serving others. It was awesome to hear about these student-athletes who spend so much time helping with ministries on top of studies and athletics.

Now onto race day! Saturday was cold, but luckily no heavy rain. There was some light snow at the start line, but that stopped once the race began. We didn’t go in expecting to win this race at all, but praise the Lord for surprises and His strength that carried us. Almost all seven of us had PR’s! Carsyn and Olivia ran under 18 for the first time to lead us to a first-place finish! Carsyn ran a 17:53 and Liv ran a 17:56. Next, was Hailey, who ran a PR of 18:34 and next was the deer whisperer, Kayla, who ran an 18:40. Then was me, and then Rachel ran a PR of 18:59 and Alaina ran a PR of 19:03! I normally wouldn’t write about times, but it was a big deal at this race, because six of us PR’ed and we only had a 70-second spread from our first to seventh runner! It was amazing to finish the season on a good note!

So, I bet you’re wondering about the deer story I mentioned at the beginning? Well, woods surrounded the course and while Kacy Dunn was spectating she heard a rustling sound from the trees. She thought maybe it was a dog or human, when suddenly two deer ran out from the trees and headed towards the runners in a state of confusion. Shortly after this, Kayla was hit by one of the deer and almost fell over, but caught herself with her hand, laughed and continued on with the race. Only Kayla could be a good sport about something like that! Needless to say poor Kayla endured many jokes and songs about her incident. Anyway, as the race proceeded, I noticed Coach and our family and friends who came (Hannah and Matt Brooker and Melanie Redfield came!!! Yay for alums) were cheering "we can win this" after the two mile mark. This motivated us to really push through the pain at the end. We ended up taking first place by one point! What a close race! Our emotions after the race were pure happiness.

Click here to watch ESPN SportsCenter report of Kayla's Deer Story

I can’t really wrap my mind around how that was my last college cross country race. Luckily, I will still have track, but as a long distance runner, cross country holds a special place in my heart. I never knew something so simple as running would impact my life in such a big way. Thank you to my coaches and teammates that have made these past four years some of the best years of my life. Every hard workout, every injury, every bad race and every good race, were all worth it. I wouldn’t change anything about these past cross country seasons, because they have all been used to show me what it means to use my running or injury as a means of worship. I love running and I hope to run for as long as the Lord wills, but I also know I have a greater purpose, a greater race to run, and that is the race for Jesus.

To all reading this, I pray that you would come to have a relationship with Jesus, if you don’t already, and that you would continue to race through life with your eyes fixed on Him. Jesus truly is the ultimate prize and my ultimate purpose! Thank you for all who have read these blogs this season. It has been a joy to write these and share our season with you all!

I end my last blog post with the reminder to always…

RUN FOR HIM!


Nov. 10, 2015

Hello again!

I write this as we are on the bus headed back from the Midwest regional in Evansville, Indiana. It is hard to wrap my mind around where exactly this season went. It seems like just yesterday we were driving to our first meet in Mason, Ohio.

This past week was the week leading up to regionals. We have been tapering the past few weeks as we neared this meet, so that we could peak when it mattered most.

On Thursday night we had Bible study, where Erin, Abby and Jodi shared their testimonies. Their testimonies reminded me of the importance to rely on God in trials and the importance of saturating our lives with Scripture. It was neat to see the dependence on God’s Word that I heard through their testimonies.

Then, on Friday morning we left for regionals. We jogged the course Friday afternoon and after Friday dinner we had senior share. Senior share is where each senior girl shares with the team what lessons she has learned over the years. I liked listening to Kristen and Ali talk about what they have learned and I was reminded of how creative God is in making each of our college running experiences so different. I am really going to miss running with my team next year and this year I have just been soaking up every moment with the team. Expect my next blog to be somewhat emotional when I race my last college cross country meet.

So now the moment of truth about regionals…We were hoping to place 6th in our region, because the top six teams in our region qualify for nationals. After months of training and working hard, we ended up placing 7th by around 30 points. We could say we are disappointed, but I don’t think there is any point to think that way. Instead, we have so much to be proud of and thankful for. Going into regionals, we weren’t even ranked in the Top 10 and today we placed higher than predicted and we even beat teams ranked nationally. On top of that, every single one of us raced PR’s. Also, I think this sets the girls up to work hard to qualifying for nationals next year. I am so proud of how hard each of the girls worked this year. Every person, no matter the place is so crucial to making us get to where we got today. Above all else I am grateful for our Savior who paid the ultimate sacrifice for us on the cross! We run for a greater purpose…to glorify Christ and at the end of the day Jesus loves us despite our athletic ability.

Also, one of my favorite things I liked about the race was the opportunity to race against such high caliber runners while my teammates were spread throughout the course cheering. It was definitely a neat experience! The cheering from our teammates, family and friends was encouraging and because it was such a spectator friendly course, we were able to hear people often!

We decided earlier this season that if we didn’t make DII Nationals we would still go to National Christian College Nationals in New York, so we still have that meet to look forward to! That meet is also a 5K, so it will be nice to race a shorter, speedier race! So, this weekend we will head to Houghton College for our last meet of the season.

Until next time…

RUN FOR HIM!


Nov. 5, 2015

Hello all!

Trick-or-treat! Smell my feet…just kidding, but happy belated Halloween! We had our annual cross country team Halloween party this past Saturday and the costumes were definitely a step up from last year. Specifically, Dani and Alaina had some great outfits. They dressed up as Simba and Rafiki from the Lion King (face paint and all). Their costumes were creative and impressive, so they won the overall award for costumes. I also thought Kacy and Hailey’s CatDog costume was creative too! Dan Michalski (on the boy’s team) hosted the party for the second year at his parent’s house. Thank you to the Michalskis for opening your home to us! We always enjoy our annual team Halloween party because we get to dress up in goofy costumes, eat food, play games and dance! It was fun to have a night to relax and while racing is enjoyable, it was nice to have a down week before regionals.

Speaking of regionals, 11 of us girls have still been practicing this week as we prepare for regionals. We had one of the toughest workouts I have ever had on Friday at 6:15 a.m. practice. We have been thinking of what it would take to place 6th at regionals. There are many talented teams in our region and we have arguably one of the hardest regionals for Women’s DII cross country in the nation. However, we also think on any given day we do have a chance to make nationals. Either way, we are going into the race with positive attitudes and will be thankful no matter what happens.

I am reminded of what Kathy Freese talked about at Bible study on Thursday. She talked about not fearing failure. The greatest part of working towards regionals and hopefully nationals has been the journey. Kathy gave great words of encouragement to us in this regard and even expanded to talk about fear of failure in our spiritual walk and how God works through our weaknesses, so that His strength can be displayed. Whatever happens, we will praise Jesus for the opportunity to race and enjoy His presence every step of the way.

We leave for regionals in Evansville, Indiana on Friday, November 6th and race Saturday, November 7th. Please pray that we would have healthy bodies for regionals, safe travels and that Jesus would be glorified in all we do!

Until next time…

RUN FOR HIM!


Oct. 27, 2015

Hello!

My name is Kacy Dunn and I am a junior Communications major from Cincinnati, Ohio. I serve as one of the captains on the team and have the opportunity to tag-team this week's blog with Kat.

KACY: This week was the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship Meet located in Elkins, West Virginia. We left Cedarville early Friday morning on a five-hour bus trip through the winding roads leading to Elkins. West Virginia is stunning this time of year, as the forest leaves are vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow. Throughout the trip, many of us, faces pressed against the windows, were captivated by the beauty of the foliage on the other side. Dan Michalski made it his personal goal to make sure each person appreciated this beauty by exclaiming, "LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS" every time we passed a scenic overlook. Every time.

This was our first time this season travelling with the men's team. Travelling with the guys is great. It's pretty much the same as if we travel alone, but there are new smells, a higher volume, and a different selection of movies to watch on the bus ride. Chick flicks and Disney movies aren't as big of a crowd pleaser, though there have been exceptions. (The men's team LOVES Pitch Perfect). However, on the way to WV and much to over half of the occupants on the bus' discontent, we managed to watch the first THREE episodes of Star Wars. (Special shout out to Kyle Orchard!) Even for those on the team who aren't fans of the series (If Star Trek fans are called Trekkies, are Star Wars fans called Warsies?), it was an enjoyable bus ride filled with laughter, Euchre, and getting to know each other more.

Once we arrived in Elkins, we got out and stretched our legs by jogging the cross country course and checking out the hills mountains that we'd be racing Saturday. After this, we cleaned up (quite well, I might add) and headed to Applebee's for a delicious dinner and then to our hotel to get some rest for the next day.
 

KAT: Next thing you know it was finally conference...the day we had all been waiting for! I am proud to say for the fourth year in a row both teams won the conference title! However, this has never come easily. We had some very good competition at the G-MAC cross country meet and had to work extremely hard this season and every season to claim the title.

Also, the Davis & Elkins College's cross country course is gorgeous. Majority of the race ran through wooded areas surrounded by trees. It was definitely a scenic route, but also probably the most difficult course we have ever raced. This course was EXTREMELY hilly and covered in some roots and rocks. However, as tough as that course was to race, it was such a blast and a great race for many girls to end their season on.

Earlier this week I was talking to my teammate, Kristen Laaman (who is also a senior). We were talking about this being our last year of school and last year of cross country. We both agreed that we didn't feel that emotional about being done with college, and although we weren't ready for it to be done right now, we felt like we would be accepting of the change by the time graduation came. Anyway, fast forward to the day of conference and we both almost started crying warming up when we realized our last cross country season was almost over. So, I guess you could say we actually are getting emotional! For Kristen, she's been running cross country for 12 years!

Our team raced so well on Saturday and our program has improved so much since I first came here as a freshman. I cannot explain the amount of drive and grit each girl has on our team. Specifically, Kristen Laaman had a great race, which was exciting because she is coming back from a stress fracture. I also have to give a BIG shout out to the freshmen. They are so talented and they are going to be great leaders on this team and I love their heart for Jesus and their love for others. Kayla, Abby, Gabby, Mac, Cheyenne, Erin, Johanna - WE LOVE YOU GIRLS!

I was glad that I got to share my last conference racing with Kristen for a most of the race. When my legs were feeling tired she encouraged me. It was so neat to work with my teammate that I have raced with for the past four years. It has been an incredible experience running not just at practice and meets with my fellow seniors, Ali and Kristen, but also just to run through life together. I am so thankful for their friendship and for Kristen and me to be in Ali's wedding in May! YAYY!!

For most of us, it was our last race, but for some of us we will still keep practicing until regionals on November 7. We need 6th-place to make it to DII Nationals...let's make this dream a reality and represent our team well!

Until next time...

RUN FOR HIM!


Oct. 20, 2015

Hello from southern Indiana!

I am writing this blog post as we sit on the bus on our drive back to school. Our Fall Break trip/meet comes to a close with memories of laughter, bonding, caves and bowling! We are currently watching the remake of the Cinderella movie as girls fall asleep after a tiring weekend. The past few days were definitely ones for the books, but before I get into all we did this Fall Break, let's rewind a bit!

During practice, we have continued to have very challenging workouts. While the volume cuts down in workouts, the intensity does not. I sure love tempo paced workouts ( 30 seconds to one's 5K mile split average), but those race pace workouts are a special kind of tough. Tough, but worth it in the long run (no pun intended).

We only had classes Monday-Wednesday this PAST week, because Cedarville had Fall Break starting on Thursday (Oct. 15). On Wednesday we had Bible study with Kathy Freese over chapters 10 and 11 of "Holy Sweat." We talked about teamwork and not just in athletics, but also a much more important form of teamwork, the Christian body. One quote from the book that resonated with us was a comparison the author used about cells in the body: "The whole purpose of each cell is to enable all the other cells to perform. The only cell that exists for itself is a cancer cell." In other words, God did not create us to live a life that is self-centered. To truly love and serve Christ means to die to self and to put other people before us. Kathy Freese emphasized the necessity of this selflessness in our lives. It makes me think of the acronym JOY: Jesus, Others, You. This acronym shows the order people should be ranked in our life. Easy to say, harder to apply and the girls on my team are some of the most selfless people I know.

Then, on Thursday morning we left a little bit before 9 a.m. for the state of Indiana! We did something unique for this trip. Rather, than staying in one city and one hotel, we made a stop in Corydon for Thursday. On Thursday we went and toured the Indiana Caverns, where we got to ride in boats and look at rock formations that we couldn't touch. True story. But in all reality, it really was a fun outing and the first time for a lot of us to go in caves! Also, at one point all the lights were turned off in the cave and we literally couldn't even see our hand in front of us. Then, we headed off to dinner at Cracker Barrel.

On Friday, we drove to Evansville and went bowling! Big claps for Kacy Dunn who reigned victorious with a 136 (she played varsity bowling in high school). We also had fun dancing and busting a move to sweet jams at the bowling alley. Then, we checked into our hotel and relaxed, did homework and got ready for dinner at Edgewater Grille. We took our annual grade pictures (always a joy for my grade).

Finally, on Saturday we laced up our shoes for a 5K at the Evansville Invitational. We had 6 lifetime PR's and impressive races from many girls. Carsyn Koch, Olivia Esbenshade, Hailey Bredeson, Alaina Spears, Johanna and Kacy Dunn had some HUGE lifetime PR's!!! Christy Jesson ran a great race after battling surgery from last year and was finally starting to look like her old running form! Great to see that! We also had two more freshmen run in the 19's! Go Cheyenne and Abby! I can't wait to see how much the freshmen and sophomores improve as they get older! Overall, we placed 3rd and 2nd in DII.

As our season starts to come to a close, we are using every meet for an opportunity for some great PR's. We will havethe G-MAC Championship this coming weekend in West Virginia, Regionals and hopefully our season will finish at DII Nationals in Joplin! Please pray for us to finish the season healthy! Thank you to every coach, parent, family and friend for your support.

Until next time...

RUN FOR HIM!


Oct. 12, 2015

Hello all!

Ahh...I love when fall really starts to show up! The leaves are changing colors and trees look vibrant! With this time also comes the reminder that we are more than halfway through our season....WHAT?!! Where has the time gone?

This week we had some tougher workouts and started power lifting. I know we are all sore, but it is only making us more powerful athletes and we cannot wait to put our work to the test at our next race!

This week at Bible study we heard testimonies from Christy, Mary and Molly. These ladies were vulnerable and testified to God's faithfulness in their lives. It was amazing to hear how these women of God have used their trials in life as a means to cling to Christ. Thank you girls, for sharing your testimonies.
 

On Sunday we went to Target: Dayton Ministries, which is a church for those in financial difficulties or who are homeless in the city of Dayton. Target: Dayton is our team ministry this season. We choose a ministry to participate in every year as a team, which has always been a blessing. We began our time there by going through orientation and then we went to the Church service. We had a time of singing and then heard a message by Pastor Robby, whose mom and step dad started the ministry. It was encouraging to hear his story of how he stepped out of his comfort zone so that he could be obedient to God by serving others through Target: Dayton. His message was about the Church in Laodicea that John writes to in Revelation 3:14-22. Pastor Robby talked about the importance of taking a firm stance on having a relationship with Jesus Christ, rather than being lukewarm. After the service all the volunteers served the guests food and many of us had the opportunity to meet and talk with the guests. It was humbling to see the Lord at work in some of our conversations as we got to pray with people and talk to them about Jesus. Most importantly, our time at Target: Dayton was a reminder that we are to love those that the world deems as outcasts, because Jesus has called us to and He is the one that gets all the praise and honor.

On the racing side of things, we will be heading to southern Indiana for our fall break trip/meet. This will be an incredible time of bonding and relaxation. Please pray for travel safeties as we head to race at the Evansville Invitational!


Until next time...

RUN FOR HIM!


Oct. 7, 2015

Hello again!

Pure adrenaline, sweat and determination were visible as 700 runners from across the state toed the line at the All-Ohio Championship on Friday, October 2nd. This was the 35th Annual Women's Championship and the 61st Annual Men's Championship. Colleges from all divisions raced and I can proudly say my teammates raced well. Before I get into this week's race, let's rewind a bit to catch you all up on that has happened since the last post.

This past week was special, because it was Cedarville University's Homecoming week! Homecoming week is a fun time for students at Cedarville to dress up for spirit week days and welcome alumni back onto our campus. We also celebrate Homecoming week at cross country practice too.

On Monday, we had Coach King (who the course is named after!) come speak to us and give us advice. I respect him so much. Not only did he create a fantastic running reputation at Cedarville, but he did it with humility. He had so many wise points, but the one that stood out to me the most was the reminder that every person is important on the team, no matter what place. As athletes we love to compete against other schools, but as Christians we also keep the perspective that our worth comes from Jesus alone, which is always good to be reminded of. We also had Monday be yellow and blue day, where we wore our matching team tank tops.

Then, on Tuesday we had post-practice fruit smoothies, courtesy of Coach Bo! Thank you Coach!! On Wednesday, we had team breakfast at Stoney Creek and wild clothes day at practice (tie-dye, neon, crazy socks, etc.).

On Thursday night we had Bible study and team dinner at Nicole and her husband, Josh's apartment. Thank you Perez family! We had fun making barbecue and blackberry jam chicken, which is a recipe Hailey has used and let me just say...WOW DELICIOUS!!! Kathy Freese led Bible study and we talked about chapters 8 and 9 of "Holy Sweat," which addressed setting goals and having courage in the Lord. She also talked about knowing God's direction for our lives and how to accept closed and open doors. One point she made was that sometimes in life God will guide us into situations that we may not feel adequate enough for and it is true that we are not adequate, but He is and He can work through us for His glory.

After Bible study with Kathy Freese, we went into our race Friday feeling encouraged. It was our goal to place 6th at the meet, but we ended up placing 7th. However, I can honestly say it was still an impressive result. Last year we placed 11th as a team, so it was a big improvement. It was Olivia Esbenshade and Kristen Laaman's first races back after injury and with it being their first race back of the season, I know they have so much more speed not even tapped into. Speaking of improvement, as a whole, I saw a lot of girls looking stronger and more focused. The freshmen girls have improved immensely since their first collegiate 6K and I felt so inspired when I saw perfect form from Christy Jesson. It is these little things that I see when watching my teammates race that make me realize what a gift cross country is and it makes me love it all the more. I can't wait to keep working harder with my teammates, so that we can get to the next level!

Until next time...

RUN FOR HIM!


Sept. 30, 2015

Hello family, friends and fellow Yellow Jackets!

This week was not a meet week, which meant one thing...the annual dinner at the Greenwood's home! Every year we go to Tyler Greenwood's (a junior on the men's cross country team) parent's home on a Saturday night to have a cookout dinner (SHOUTOUT TO THAT TACO SALAD and OREO BROWNIES), play games (football, volleyball, corn hole, etc.) and worship. Typically we sing around the campfire, but some light rain caused us to take our singing inside after a while. Also, did anyone else know Dan and Josh could rap??? Yeah...we found out that they basically should be in band, along with Brendan...who is actually in a band and Isaac also played some of the box drum.

Another exciting part of the night was the fact that a fellow teammate let me borrow a selfie stick she got for free and well...you can imagine what happened...yes, I took a picture with Tyler's cat. Our first attempt at the selfie stick extravaganza began in the car ride to the Greenwood's home. When we arrived Kacy Dunn told me I should take a picture with every person and I accepted the challenge probably too eagerly. Thank you Kacy, for letting me borrow your phone that has a better camera quality than mine. We are just a couple of college kids trying to "stay hip with the teens" (a direct quote by Kacy Dunn). Also, thank you Gabby and Abby who participated in a large chunk of the selfie stick photoshoot. Most importantly, I have to say THANK YOU to the Greenwoods, who never cease to amaze me with their amazing cooking. Seriously, you are such gracious hosts and we can't thank you all enough!

This week we had Bible study on Thursday night, where Hailey, Kacy and Anna shared their testimonies. I loved getting to hear the story of how they accepted Jesus and how they continue to grow in their walk with Christ. It was a constant reminder that God constantly works in our lives, as He sanctifies us. Sharing testimonies allows us to grow close as a team, because we are reminded that we don't have to walk through life alone. As sisters in Christ, we can encourage each other and hold each other accountable and pray for each other.

On Friday, October 2nd, we will host the All-Ohio Championship again. This is the 35th Annual Women's Championship and the 61st Annual Men's Championship. We will have a chance to race against D1, D2, D3, NAIA and Junior Colleges from all across the state of Ohio. It is a huge race, but such an awesome experience to race against such talented runners. Please come out and support us on Friday! Men race at 2 p.m. and women race at 2:45 p.m., with an award ceremony at 4 p.m. Also, you can watch the race on a video stream (weather permitting):

bit.ly/JacketsLive

Well...that's all for now! Until next time...

RUN FOR HIM!


Sept. 24, 2015

Hello again Yellow Jackets!

The past two weeks for us have been composed of tougher training in volume and each day we keep pushing each other to be our best. Coming off of our first meet, we are setting our goals high and pushing ourselves every day in practice to be our best. On Monday, after a hard workout, we had our annual smoothie day, which is always a favorite of mine! (I recommend the berry smoothie from the RIP)! This is a fun tradition we have that allows us to get a tasty treat after a rough workout.

On Thursday, we had Bible study with Kathy Freese. We talked about chapters 7 and 8 of "Holy Sweat" that we had been assigned to read. Kathy talked about taking a leap of faith to go where God instructs us. She encouraged us to not worry about our futures on earth, but rather to trust our future to our God, who never changes. Professor Freese serves as such a great example for us on trusting the unknown to God. I also appreciate the time she takes to get to know us on a personal level. Thank you for your time and wisdom, Professor Freese!

 

This past week we hosted our first home meet of the season, the Friendship Invitational, on Saturday, September 19th! This year, Friendship welcomed more schools than years past, so it was a good opportunity for us to have some tougher competition. Compared to last meet, we had cooler weather and we also had some of our girls who are coming off of injuries race for the first time this season (Alaina and Christy!!).

Overall, we tied for second with University of Dayton out of twelve teams. We were led by sophomore, Carsyn Koch, who raced to a PR of 18:44! It was great to see Carsyn's hard work pay off and I know she will only get stronger as the season goes on! Kayla Casaletto and Hailey Bredeson, who came in after Carsyn, also had great races and worked well off of each other to run to some blazing times.

After coming back from some ankle and foot swelling, Alaina Spears had an excellent race back, which is super impressive considering she raced that well on low mileage. Carly Rose had a huge PR of almost 20 seconds and compared to the same meet a year ago, she ran over a minute faster. Jodi Davis, who is coming off of an injury and low mileage, had a really strong race. That was encouraging to see as well! Another highlight was Christy Jesson, who raced for the first time since ACL surgery. It was inspiring to see her go from crutches to racing again. I know injuries are frustrating and that these girls will only get stronger in time.

Please pray for our team, specifically that we would stay healthy and that any girls who have injuries would be healed. We have a lot of girls who are cross training constantly and are very limited on how much they can run, so we would appreciate everyone's prayers for them!

Until next time...

RUN FOR HIM!


Sept. 17, 2015

Hello Yellow Jackets! This past week was an off-week for us. What I mean by this is that during the cross country season we have meets every other week. When I first came from high school, where I had a meet every weekend, I wasn't used to this, but now that I am in college I realize how beneficial this is! In college our races are longer, the training is more rigorous and we also have an increased academic load as students. Having races every other week also allows us to give our bodies rest and then when we race we can really give our all. This coming weekend we will host the Friendship Invitational and we have a lot of schools coming this year that haven't in the past, so we are looking forward to the tougher competition!

Coming off of Labor Day weekend, we had a workout on Tuesday. We did mile repeats on the cross country course. Although some people were tired, a majority of our team saw improvements from the last time we did this workout and we even increased the volume. It was encouraging to see girls hitting faster times and I am looking forward to seeing girls break their goals.

Then on Thursday morning we celebrated Coach Bo's birthday at practice! Coach Bo is hands-down the best coach I have ever had and I have also heard this from other girls on the team too. I think he does a good job of challenging us to be our best in workouts, while still allowing us to listen to our bodies. We appreciate all the work you do coach and are thankful for the Scripture you incorporate into practice and competition! Thank you and happy birthday!

Morning practices can be fun...it is hard to wake up early (we're talking 5:30 a.m. early), but after we get going, it is actually a great time. Coach opened morning practice by using an example of trees that were built indoors, but withered away, because they didn't have wind to challenge them and make them stronger. Likewise, morning practices serve as a way to strengthen us as athletes. It takes discipline to go to bed early, wake up early, have a successful workout and then get to class on time. I think morning practices show us that if we can get through that, then we can get through the pain we feel in races.

We finished off Thursday night with Bible study, where Kristen, Ali and I shared our testimonies. I have heard both Kristen and Ali's testimonies before, but what is always neat to hear is that God's work in our lives doesn't stop. As we walk with Christ, He will continue to stretch us and mold us to be more like Him through His Word, conviction and trials. It always makes me a little emotional to listen to testimonies, because it is a reminder that Jesus works in each of our lives in such unique ways for His glory.

Next, on Sunday, we had a chance to participate in an all athlete prayer walk. We met with athletes from all the different sports teams and took a chance to pray on every athletic field. This was a great reminder that while sports are meant to be enjoyable, they don't dictate the worth of our lives. Ultimately, we were made to serve and praise the Lord with our lives and unity among the sports teams is another way we can honor Him!

Please check back next week for a recap of our next cross country meet and please be praying for us and the Cedarville University athletic department!

Until next time...

RUN FOR HIM!


Sept. 8, 2015

Hello again after our first meet! After a week of high temperatures and high humidity, God blessed us with some shower storms last Friday night to cool the weather down a few degrees for our race. We raced in Mason, Ohio at the Queen City Invitational on Saturday, September 5. I won't lie...it was still hot, but not in the 90's, so I won't complain!

Leading up to our first race, we had some tough mile repeats on our course in very hot, humid weather on Monday. That workout was a constant reminder that hydration is necessary and that our best workouts will come later once the weather cools down. The thing that inspired me most about this workout was the encouragement that girls on the team were giving. Mary Kearney reminded us that we must not be frustrated by rough workouts in hotter temperatures and that it is not a foreshadowing of how we will race. Mary's positive words were very much needed! This season our team has been working really hard to be more positive in workouts, in order to strengthen the mental part of our races. It is all too easy to let negative thoughts creep in when our legs feel like the weight of tree trunks going up a hill in mile three, but we are making it a priority as a team to dismiss those thoughts.

Then, on Thursday we had our first team Bible study with kinesiology professor, Kathy Freese. I have to say...she is amazing! As Kristen Laaman described her, "she is such a godly woman" and this is so true! I really admired the way she took the time to meet each person on our team and ask them about their major and where they are from. She used Bible verses to talk to us about reaching our potential not just in running, but in ministering to other teams. We like to pray after every meet with teams, make a happy basket for a selected team each meet and to treat our competitors with respect and love. She talked about how important it is to pursue our relationship with Christ seriously and to be a living testimony, so that other teams would see us and wonder why we are different. This season, Kathy Freese will be reading through the book "Holy Sweat" with us and then we will discuss it at Bible study. We are excited for reading the book! We will be meeting with her every other week and on the opposite weeks we do team- led Bible study, where each girl shares her testimony. I am looking forward to how we will grow individually and as a team this season as we learn more about the Lord!

Now onto the meet! We weren't able to race every girl at this meet due to injury. However, all of our injured girls are EXTREMELY supportive. Distance running in general is pretty notorious for causing injuries, but what always impresses me is how diligent the injured girls are in cross training, rehab, etc. So, to all my injured teammates...THANK YOU for taking splits, cheering and yelling at us to kick in the finish chute. You are so valuable and push me every day to be a better athlete and teammate! Also, thank you to our coaches, parents and friends who cheered us on! We have such a great support system. We ended up finishing 5th out of 14 teams at the meet and we were led by a 15th place finish (out of 132 runners) by junior, Hailey Bredeson!!! I really look up to Hailey, because she is not only constantly lifting up others in practice, but she has dedication and an impressive work ethic. She ran hungry and just looked so strong! GO HAILS!!! Overall, I was really pleased with our team as a whole! Our season is long, so we have much time to improve! I am excited to watch us get faster and push each other to reach our goals! We have some very talented ladies that I know will just get better as time goes on!

After the meet the girls on our team (that weren't going out of town) headed over to the LOVELY Dunn family's home! Kacy Dunn has such sweet parents and I love them! Thank you Dunn Family (even though I wasn't there...I thank you on behalf of the team).

Well, I think I've rambled enough! Until next time...

RUN FOR HIM!


Sept. 3, 2015

Hello fellow Yellow Jackets, family and friends! I cannot believe it is already cross country season. While distance runners have to run year round, we are also given the chance to have a unique approach to every running season. Cross country is very different from track and not just because we run on different surfaces. While I love both, I especially love the tight-knit group that cross country allows for. Cross country gives us a chance to lace up our spikes and hit the ground running on grass, dirt (my favorite) and gravel. An even greater bonus of cross country is that majority of the season is during autumn, when leaves fall and the air is crisp. Fall just so happens to be my favorite season!

This year we are especially excited for cross country, because we are aiming to qualify for NCAA Division II Nationals for the first time. We keep this goal in mind every day and work for it, all the while knowing we can use our talents to glorify the Lord!

Since this is my first year blogging for our team, I should probably introduce myself: my name is Kathryn Sill and I am a senior journalism major from Wichita, Kansas. Also, for those of you wondering...no I am not Dorothy and I do not have a dog named Toto. I don't blame people...I too once thought all of Kansas was full of wheat fields with yellow brick roads before I moved there, but I have to tell you Wichita is actually a decent-sized place and is even home to the Wichita State men's basketball team (if you follow March Madness, then you should know why this is exciting!!). Enough about me...let me introduce you to my team. I am so fortunate to get to train with these ladies every day and I am constantly encouraged by the conversations we have during and outside of practice.

The seniors on our team are: Kristen Laaman, Ali Logan and I. It seems just like yesterday we were freshmen...wow does time fly or what?!!

Our juniors are: Hailey Bredeson, Kacy Dunn (KAY DUNCAN), Olivia Esbenshade, Rachel Groh, Mary Kearney, Bethany Norman and Nicole Perez (WHO JUST GOT MARRIED!!!).

Our sophomores are: Jodi Davis, Christy Jesson, Carsyn Koch, Anna Parkinson, Carly Rose and Alaina Spears.

Our new teammates who we love, the freshmen are: Cheyenne Applegate, Erin Ashley, Kayla Casaletto, Mackenzie lemens, Gabrielle Johnson, Johanna Schick and Abigail Snyder.

We also have two team managers: Daniele Modderman and Molly Bolender and are led by head coach, Jeff Bolender and assistant coach, Katie Ruhlman.

If you want to learn more about each of these wonderful people, then please feel free to read our bios on our roster!
 

We have really enjoyed the time we have spent bonding as a team so far. Before school started we had a chance to go canoeing as a team, eat at Clifton Mill, go to Young's, play Frisbee games with the boy's team and even have a playful initiation for our freshmen. It has been such a joy getting to know our freshmen!

One of the things we are really stressing for our team this year is "find your potential." Ali Logan came up with this slogan as a way to push each girl to be her best by doing the little things: stretching, core work, hurdle mobility, etc. Truth be told it's the little things that can make us better athletes and make qualifying for Nationals a reality.

Another important part of our team this year is our team verse, I Peter 3:8 which says, "Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude." This verse serves as a reminder of the importance of unity among Christians. While we all love to run on our team, we know that running is not the most important thing in life. Rather, we know Christ is to always be first in our lives. Yet, we can still use running as a way to worship Him.

On Saturday, September 5 we will have our first meet in Mason, Ohio. We are excited for our first race, which is a 6K! For anybody reading our blog please be sure to pray for us this season. We would like prayer that as we race, we keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

Until next time, RUN FOR HIM!


Kathryn Sills is a senior at Cedarville University from Wichita, Kan. and is a Dean's List student majoring in journalism.