EAST GREENSBORO – The collegiate cross country season is fast approaching, and there is a lot of excitement, and transition, surrounding the North Carolina A&T men's and women's programs.
For starters, like all other sports aside from bowling and football, they have jumped from the Big South Conference to the Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA). They also are enduring a change in leadership, with Allen Johnson taking over the program earlier this summer.
Despite all the changes and transitions occurring, the goal remains the same.
"My expectation is to evaluate and grow," said Johnson. "Evaluate the people that are here and recruit and continue to grow the program. Find different avenues and different ways to be successful. I think we're going to work hard and do the best we can. I expect us to finish better than we did last year. But, ultimately, our goal is to keep growing and finish at the top of the conference."
Returners bring experience, and experience is essential in all sports, especially cross country. Cross country is complex because the courses are constantly changing. Therefore, it is good to have experienced runners who understand the sport's subtleties.
"Each course is different. Some courses are flat; some have more hills, some steep, and some not so steep. So it's about training, being ready for everything, and working on your fitness. Track is the same. Every track is flat and has lanes. Cross country, it's all over the place. It can be muddy. It's always different in cross country."
Thankfully for Johnson, eight of the 11 student-athletes across both programs are returners, including all six on the women's side, including sophomore Fajr Kelly.
Kelly was the first Aggie to cross the finish line in every event last season. She put an exclamation mark on her freshman campaign when she was named Big South freshman of the week and finished 28th at the league's championship event.
Even though the league predicts A&T to finish seventh, Kelly paced the Aggies to a fourth-place finish at the Big South meet last season.
"Fajr is leading by example," said Johnson. "She comes out every day and works hard consistently, and I think our other women can follow her example."
Senior Love Melton and juniors Jayla Jones and Camille Herring are all coming into the cross country season with some momentum. Each posting personal records (PRs) at last year's Big South meet. Melton ran a 20:11.9 in the 5k, while Herring came in with a 20:25.1. Jones finished in 22:18.5.
Returning senior Ayoola Gbolade ran in two cross country events in 2021 and placed in the top-50 in both. Junior Janaia Madden saw action in one event, the Elon Opener, where she finished 89th after starting in 97th.
Jordan Richardson, the lone senior for the men, will don the Aggie Blue and Gold for the final time in 2022. He finished 24th last season at the Big South Cross Country Championships with an 8k 26:12.6. Three years ago, he earned All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference honors by finishing 10th at the MEAC championships in 26:46.1.
"Jordan is a natural leader," said Johnson of his four-year returner. "During this transition time, he's taken the lead with our guys and been a player-coach in a sense. He's been a tremendous help to me."
The other returner on the men's team is junior Jalen Chin, who is also coming off a personal-record performance at the Big South championships that saw him finish the 8k in 27:37.7.
The men will also roster three incoming freshmen in Abdiselam Green (Brevard, N.C.), Dawson Grogan (Accokeek, Md.) and Knox Witherspoon (Brevard, N.C.).
So, while there are some new places and new faces around the cross country program, there is also the presence of momentum. The Aggies will look to hone in on that when they open their season at N.C. State on Friday, September 16 at 6 p.m.
