On September 21, the Malvern prep cross-country team took their talents to North Carolina for the Adidas Cross-Country Challenge. Ten members of the team, along with Head Coach Mr. Koenig, departed for the trip on Thursday, September 19th. The team seemed excited about not only this awesome opportunity but also the fierce and challenging competition. 

“We were in a little fishbowl of competition in the inter-ac while this is going to be teams from all around the country. It’s ridiculous, and it’s going to be a whole lot of fun,” said senior captain Rylan Arata. 

Coach Koenig told the team that a trip like this would be possible if they worked hard enough during the summer. He felt the team was talented enough and had the right pieces to succeed. Considering the size and skill of the competition, the team wasn’t expecting a medal, but it would be a good experience and a stepping stone for other events the team could participate in. 

After departing on the 19th, the boys drove three hours to Fredericksburg, VA, and stayed there for a night. They tried to avoid driving for more than ninety minutes straight so that nobody’s legs were tight and constantly stretched to stay fresh for race day. The following day, they drove the rest of the way, scouted out the course, and ultimately planned how they would attack it. 

Coach Koenig discussed what the course was like,

“The course has rolling hills, but the path is really wide, so you never have to make those really tight turns. It’s very easy to get in a rhythm.” Coach Koenig said.

The team found the courses they run in PA far more difficult than this one. Malvern’s course is full of tight turns and multiple hills, which is a significant advantage for them, considering that they are used to much harder courses. This advantage led to almost all team members setting personal records. 

The event started at 9:00 a.m. and held a standard 5k race to determine the champion. However, there was unexpected humidity, and it was far hotter than they had anticipated. But the team was prepared and did not make excuses. 

“It was a little hotter than we expected it to be even though we raced in the morning around 9 am. It was definitely still hot out there, and the course was very open, so no shade,” Killian Todd ‘27 said.  

The team fought through the unexpected heat and was satisfied with its results. Although it did not win the event, its placement was impressive for the competition it was facing.  

“I think we did great. I didn’t really have any expectations going into it, because it’s hard to gage against the top teams in the country. But you know, we were around the middle of the pack, which, for a team, that is  just starting to really change its way, is really good.” Rylan Arata exclaims.  

The team finished thirty-first out of the forty-five teams competing in the event. Their lowest time was Brock Yoder ‘27, who came in just over 16 minutes. Many other team members finished close behind him, and Malvern’s top two runners are underclassmen, leaving the team with a bright future ahead. 

Considering the competition and the youth of Malvern’s program, the team has a bright future ahead of it. It’s exciting to think about where this team will be in the future and how cross country might be the next big sport on Malvern’s campus.