With the start of the 2013 season on tap, the Gators cross country team is hitting the ground running.
Florida is set to open the 2013 season tonight in Cullowhee, N.C., for the Western Carolina Invitational.
This meet will primarily serve as an event for the younger athletes to get their feet wet, said senior Mark Parrish.
“This is more of a team bonding trip in that we get to get some training up there,” he said. “It’s also a really good experience for the younger athletes who haven’t competed in a college meet.”
The event serves as a great benefit for the freshmen that the first meet of the year is relatively low-profile, due to the fact that more prestigious events can be overwhelming to younger athletes.
“It can be a pretty crazy experience when you go to to one of the really big meets that has a lot of NCAA competition,” Parrish said. “We like to have (our first meet) be a little bit more low key so we can guide our freshmen through what they’re supposed to be doing and get them on the right track.”
Aside from running well, Parrish, one of only two seniors on the men’s team, has assumed a significant leadership role. With a bevy of talented freshmen, Parrish takes it upon himself to show them the ropes.
“I’m just going to continue on focusing on running fast, trying to get everyone to work together and realize that everyone we have on our team is important,” Parrish said. “We have a lot of new freshmen and they’re really important to our success, so we’ve got to keep them motivated. Sometimes freshmen tend to have dips (in their performance during a season).”
Parrish is excited to watch freshmen Carlos Miranda and Andres Arroyo compete, but the senior understands the team can’t rely on incomers.
Not yet, at least.
“Andres is coming in and he’s really talented,” Parrish said. “He’s a phenomenal talent and we’re super excited to have him on our team. But at the same time, we have Carlos and a few other guys who have shown a lot of potential. We can’t count just on Andres.”
Tonight’s meet also offers an opportunity for the upperclassmen to shake off some rust from over a nine-month stretch without intercollegiate competition.
“We have a few days of training (in Cullowhee),” Parrish said. “We’ll also be racing a 5k. That’s shorter than our normal race throughout the season. I think Furman is going to be our biggest competition up there.”
Follow Gordon Streisand on Twitter @GordonStreisand.
