The men’s cross country team at Northwestern State University started off the 2025 season strong as they went into competitions with the mindset of accomplishing new goals and becoming a stronger team together.

John Klein is a senior criminal justice major who found positives last season, despite how it ended. “Being in that racing environment and training through a rough season helped me prepare for the upcoming season,” Klein said. “I believe several of our runners took a massive leap in athletic performance on the track, and building that base in the fall was a large reason for excelling on the track.”

While training to decrease their times and increase their speeds can be difficult, members of Cross Country can also acquire skills that further inspire growth for the team.

Mason Bayne is a freshman exercise science major who learned a lot from the training and races he participated in. “Cross country has really helped me learn discipline. It’s not easy running for 40 or more minutes a day and really can take a lot out of you, along with waking up early,” Bayne said. “The way I look at hard work and how I can be successful has really been influenced through being on the Cross Country team.”

Many members of the team are looking to improve their own personal records and push themselves to new heights this year with the help of what they learned from the past season. Kaden Eliott, a freshman biology major, plans on running the 1,500 meters, 3K indoor and 5K for track this season.

One major goal that he has set for himself this season is to run a sub-28-minute 8K. “I’m looking forward to running races at a level I’ve never run before,” Elliot said. “Knowing that the competition is going to be a lot better, I’m going to push myself harder than I ever have.”

With the team taking advantage of the previous season and working to better themselves, the future is looking bright and promising for the 2025 Cross Country team.