On Oct. 27, Guilford’s cross country team finished sixth for the men and seventh for the women at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championship. Weeks later on Nov. 10, the men placed 18th and the women 25th at the NCAA Division III Southeast Regional Championships.These impressive achievements represent the climax of the 2007 cross country season. Junior Chris Walker ran a time of 31:41 over an eight kilometer course, and first-year Grace Normann crossed the finish line with a personal best time of 26:57 at the ODAC Championships. Senior Jeremy Bante led the men and Normann finished first for the women again at the Regional Championships.

The victory can be attributed, in part, to the endurance of the runners and the confidence they receive from their coach. These are key components to the cross country team, who has seen three head coaches in the past four years.

“We had four guys run under 30 minutes,” said Head Coach Jamie LaFollette. “That has only happened once in the history of Guilford College.”

In July 2006, LaFollette became the third head coach of Guilford’s cross country team. He has coached for the past seven years, and he ran competitively in college. He’s excited about coaching a college team, and describes the unique energy of the players.

“At Guilford, our kids need to have a lot of self-drive,” said LaFollette in a telephone interview. “A lot of kids have to practice by themselves due to conflicted scheduling with classes. They need to have dedication.”

Senior Johanna Naradzay embodies this commitment. She has been an enthusiastic runner for the women’s team since its birth in 2004.

“The cross country team doesn’t have much funding, but I stuck with it anyway because I love to run,” Naradzay said.

As a veteran runner, Naradzay discussed the varying number of players that have entered and exited the team. She described it as overwhelming, but it never hindered her drive to compete. As the seasons have progressed, the dynamics between teammates has become more personal.

“This year (we) felt more like a team, because we all care about each other,” Naradzay said. “I know that the girl’s team comes together whenever anyone has a problem. We are a community.”

While Naradzay saw the close relationships and confidence of the women’s team expand, sophomore Ethan Wiley offered another perspective for the men’s team.

“It’s been a different season, at least for the guy’s team,” Wiley said. “We had more of a festive team last year. Now, the team doesn’t really hang out. We also lost Noah Mace, one of our fastest runners.”

While these teammates have had different experiences this season, they both agree that superior coaching has improved their running.

“I personally strengthened this year because I was pushed,” Wiley said.

LaFollette encourages his team to be aggressive competitors, but his personal relationship with the players is equally as important.

“Jaime is very understanding and approachable,” Naradzay said. “That’s what we need in a coach. He trained us hard in an extremely effective manner.