Steinhoff ready to excel coming off injury
The men’s cross country season started off on a good note as redshirt freshman George Steinhoff has added to the St. Joe’s men’s cross country team’s early season success. He lead the Hawks to a fourth-place finish at the 2018 Haverford Main Line Invitational on Friday Sept. 14.
Steinhoff finished with a time of 20:52.5 in the four-mile race at the Haverford College Alumni Cross Country Course. He took thirty-sixth place in a field of 116 runners, a feat that has been one year in the making.
Steinhoff sustained a severe injury early last year and spent the entirety of the season recovering. Running was put on the back-burner while his health became the primary focus.
“I had a pretty significant injury last year and I almost had to have surgery, so everything was kind of up in the air for me,” Steinhoff said.
Men’s cross country Head Coach Mike Glavin praised Steinhoff’s effective use of his time.
“What’s impressive is the deliberateness with which he went about his recovery,” Glavin said. “He was doing everything they allowed him to do to stay a physically fit athlete.”
Steinhoff credited his persistence throughout recovery too the mindset he has developed.
“I just have this kind of positive psychology going,” Steinhoff said. “It helps me to keep going and push myself to the limit that I don’t think I would otherwise have been able to reach.”
Steinhoff said that the experience recovering has left him with a refreshed gratitude and perspective for the sport.
“Being able to just race this season is big for me,” Steinhoff said. “I think just the fact I’m back where I am, being able to run, being able to handle the mileage and the training is a big plus.”
The long recovery process provided Steinhoff with a newfound determination to pursue his cross country goals in both training and racing.
“It was miserable,” Steinhoff said. “Every day I was in the pool for about an hour aqua-jogging. Whenever things get tough I think back to those moments and realize that I didn’t put myself through all that boredom and misery to not push myself at this moment.”
Steinhoff’s year-long recovery efforts culminated at the Haverford Invitational. Sophomore teammate and roommate. Bobby Hastie expressed excitement for Steinhoff’sthe positive step forward Steinhoff’s displayed.
“I was really excited to see him be our top guy there at the [Haverford Invitational],” Hastie said. “I know his time is not exactly where he wants it to be, but it’s a step in the right direction.”
Hastie also reflected on Steinhoff’s dedication and effort he put forth to get back to this point.
“He kept himself in shape when he was hurt, he worked hard, he trained smart this summer to keep himself healthy and I know that when he gets back to back to being 100 percent George, it’s going to be pretty eye opening for everyone,” Hastie said.
However, the return of Steinhoff to weekly racing is an ongoing process.
“He’s got talent and a lot of it and he’s going to help us a lot, but we are going to need to pick and choose our battles for him so he’s not overrun” Glavin said.
Moving forward, Steinhoff looks to help the men’s cross country team compete for the ultimate prize—an Atlantic 10 Championship.
“We want to win the Atlantic 10,” said Steinhoff said. “We are strong upfront and incredibly deep and so we believe that it is within our reach.”
