Preview: Cross Country Building A Championship Mindset

Championships don't come easy.

They take years of hard word, dedication and selflessness. Pushing yourself one step further every day for the betterment of not only yourself, but of the team.

"This year's preseason was difficult," first-year Ball State cross country distance coach Rachel McFarlane said. "We're not just running twice a day. We're doing a ton of different things to develop ourselves as both individual runners and as a team as a whole. Getting into the pool, doing more work in the weight room and adapting to a lot of new things from a training and philosophy standpoint many of our runners have never done before."

McFarlane, who joined the Cardinals staff in late June is no stranger to championship success. She helped guide her alma mater Michigan State to back-to-back Big Ten cross country championships and was a two-time NCAA Cross Country Championship competitor.

As a coach at North Florida the previous two seasons, McFarlane helped guide the Ospreys to a pair of Atlantic Sun cross country team championships (men in 2016 and women in 2017). In addition, she helped mentor the 2016 ASUN men's cross country individual champion and the 2016 and 2017 ASUN women's cross country individual champion.

"Coming in, I know the Mid-American Conference is a great, competitive conference," McFarlane said. "I know it's going to take a lot of hard work from everyone involved in the program to get us back to where we want to be, competing for MAC championships. It's going to be a challenge, and while there might be setbacks along the way, I am looking forward to the grind."

Ball State was once a perennial power in MAC cross country, winning the 2003 championship and earning runner-up finishes in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004. This year, the 14 student-athletes on the Cardinals roster have all bought into Coach McFarlane's new philosophy and team-oriented mindset. They are determined to help set the foundation for the return to glory for the program.

"Our runners know to get better, they are going to have to dedicate themselves like never before and they have done just that this preseason," McFarlane said. "They are very ambitious and excited about helping redevelop a championship mindset at Ball State. We've had some great workouts, and from how I am setting things up, they are walking away encouraged and confident. That is the biggest thing. I want them to be feeling good about what they are doing, and so far, I think I have done a pretty good job of that."

One key component in helping develop the championship mindset is the makeup of the 2018 roster itself. The team is still relatively young, featuring six juniors, two sophomores and six freshmen.

"Early on, I gave the returners a tough task," McFarlane said. "To get the team better, you have to teach the younger girls the right things to do and the ways of being successful. You have to exemplify the habits that make a good runner and help take them to the next level. As I am teaching the upperclassmen new things, they are also teaching the freshman the basics."

So far, McFarlane has been impressed with how the upperclassmen have helped develop the overall team culture and chemistry.

"Our upperclassmen have been very encouraging to our younger group," McFarlane said. "When it comes to the racing and the workouts, they have been impressive. They have their goals set high and are willing to do a lot of work to reach them. They know it will be frustrating, hard and take time. However, they are just as excited as I am, and the overall experience is only going to keep getting better."

While the team is still relatively young, all five scored runners from last season's MAC Championships return this season, led by sophomore Cayla Eckenroth and junior Maritza Rodriguez.

"Cayla is on another level right now," McFarlane said. "From where she was as a freshman to where she is right now as a sophomore, she has taken huge steps in the right direction. Maritza just grinds and gets it done. She wants to be good, is always asking questions and wants to learn about why she is doing things and how they are going to help her get better."

With the first race right around the corner, McFarlane is feeling pretty good about how the team has developed so far this season.

"Right now, we are sitting in a really good spot," McFarlane said. "The team has been getting along really well. They've been doing things outside of practice together. They've been setting team and individual goals. Things they do on a weekly basis, like following through on workouts and holding each other accountable outside of the running, have been pretty impressive."

McFarlane and her team get their first chance to show off their hard work and renewed championship mindset Friday (Aug. 31) at 6:45 p.m., when they travel to Northview Church in Carmel, Indiana, for the Butler Twilight.

"I'm excited, and I know the team is excited to shake the cobwebs off and get back into a race atmosphere and environment on Friday," McFarlane said. "We have a plan going into the race and we will discuss what worked or what didn't work after. We want to learn and improve every race, so we can be running our best at the end of October."

This season, the goals are simple for the Ball State cross country program; exhibit hard work, dedication and selflessness to help lay the foundation for championship success.

"If we keep working hard, pushing ourselves as both individuals and as a team, we're going to keep getting better and better," McFarlane concluded. "I believe we're going to surprise a lot of people this fall, but we need to make sure we don't overdo it and stay healthy. If we're able to do that, I think we'll be able to accomplish and far exceed our goals."

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

Preview: Cross Country Building A Championship Mindset

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cayla Eckenroth

Maritza Rodriguez

Ball State University Athletics