The St. Joe’s men’s cross country team has showcased a sharp season with a first place finish at its first meet and two recent second place finishes at the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes Association Championship and Haverford Invitational Oct. 17 and Oct. 24, respectively.
The Hawks started off the season on the right track Aug. 29 with a first place finish at the Lehigh Invitational. Nine Hawks opened the season with accomplishing personal best times.
After a great season opener, the Hawks had a sharp showing at the Spiked Shoe Invitational Sept. 12, placing fourth. The positive turnout was a strong indicator of a great season ahead. Head coach Mike Glavin said the performance at the Spiked Shoe Invitational set the tone for the rest of the season.
“They ran so well in that,” Mike Glavin said. “They went like, ‘OK this is going to be one of these things everybody was invested in’ because they realized there could be something really good coming from it.”
Coming into the fall, most of the runners had trained together for multiple seasons at St. Joe’s or knew each other beforehand, coming from the Philadelphia and South Jersey areas. Because of this, Mike Glavin knew this season was going to be “special.” Junior Michael Glavin said this advantage has allowed the team to be “developing well.”
Mike Glavin said the Hawks could feel the “blend” of the team coming together.
“The locker room was different this year than it has been over the past couple,” Mike Glavin said. “There was no doubt about that.”
When the Hawks earned second place at the IC4A Championship Oct. 17, they tied with the program’s best result since 2016. Two weeks later, the team finished second at the A-10 Championship Nov. 1 with Michael Glavin and junior transfer Gavin Mogck earning All-Conference and All-Conference First Teams honors, respectively.
Mogck said it was good to receive All-Conference honors at the A-10 Championship but that it was even better to finish second place with the team.
“Everybody on the team comes in and works hard every day,” Mogck said. “You see each other improve, and it’s good to see your hard work pay off.”
Both Michael Glavin and Mogck said a contributing factor to the team’s success this season is keeping their heads down and trusting the training.
“We all agree going into it ‘I think we can do this, so let’s go get after it,’’’ Michael Glavin said. “But really just working at it — we’ve all put in the miles, so now you just get to enjoy it.”
Mogck added that the good energy the team carries from week to week is “the best fuel for going into races.”
Gearing up for the last race of the season Mike Glavin said part of the goal is “continuation” of the strong finishes throughout the season. The Hawks are ready to set higher goals at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals Nov. 14.
