Cross Country Building Confidence Heading Into Home Stretch

Emotions run high at this time of the season for cross country runners.

Conference meets are quickly approaching. The rigors of a long season finally start to take their toll. The academic workload increases significantly.

For Meliza Rodriguez, it was finishing as Ball State's second runner and earning a new career-best 5K time at the Greater Louisville Classic on Sept. 29 that eased the pressure of that workload and helped her reset heading into the most pivotal portion of the season.

"Our last race meant a lot to me." Rodriguez said. "This is a stressful time of year, not only for athletes, but for college students in general with midterms and classes gearing up towards finals. However, the fact I was able to put together the kind of race I did at Louisville boosted my confidence heading into this week and the remainder of the season."

Meliza and her twin sister, Maritza, led the way for the Cardinals in Louisville, Ky., and that impressive effort is why Meliza says she's ready for another big showing this Friday (Oct. 12) at the JennaStrong Fall Classic in Wilmington, Ohio.

"I'm just hoping we can all keep progressing as a team," Rodriguez said. "We're trying to get better and better every week, and the hope is that it will show up in the end at the MAC Championship."

With the conference race just over two weeks away, Cardinals distance coach Rachel McFarlane says this race will help her team be as prepared as possible for it.

"We're taking the time to finalize what we've been working on in practices and are now going to be doing it in this race," McFarlane said. "That way, when it's time for the conference meet, we can focus on being competitive and beating our competitors."

While Ball State will not be facing any Mid-American Conference opponents in this week's race, McFarlane says every race is a chance for the team to improve as a collective unit. With 10 of Ball State's 13 runners slated to toe the line this week, she expects them to do just that.

"We've progressed with our goal of running as a group," McFarlane said. "That's definitely helped some of our new people step up to the plate and take that opportunity. I've been proud of all of them for being able to do that."

Meliza Rodriguez says her team is confident, and she now feels more confident in her own abilities too.

"I have to be confident in myself and shoot big," Rodriguez said. "My coaches can believe in me; my teammates can believe in me; but I have to make myself move. I have to be the one who gets it done."

Rodriguez and her Cardinals teammates will look to get it done Friday afternoon in Wilmington. The women's 5K race is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.

For the most up-to-date news on Ball State cross country, follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateTFXC.

Cross Country Building Confidence Heading Into Home Stretch

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Players Mentioned

Meliza Rodriguez