HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM: New coach, excitement for Xavier runners

Editor's note: Here is your chance to tell your story about your team, your school or your favorite player. If you'd like to join The Gazette's growing list of high school contributors, contact J.R. Ogden at jr.ogden@thegazette.com

By Katherine Bauer, Xavier juniorCEDAR RAPIDS - Every year, teams of all different sports deal with changes, goals and obstacles. This year, the Xavier cross country teams went through a transition from coach Nathan Hopp to  Bryan Jones.“He is a great coach,” senior captain Anna Jacobi said. “Everyone loves him and he pushes us through our challenging practices. He cares about everyone.”Jones was the assistant track coach at Xavier in 2012 and coached middle school track for several years. Xavier cross country is a new experience for him.“This is my first year of coaching cross country ever,” Jones said, “so I am learning a lot.”Jones started meeting his team over the summer. He was not disappointed by the talent and determination he saw in the runners. The atmosphere the team created was exhilarating.“They seemed to love running,” he said, “and wanted to improve no matter what fitness level they were at. The level of dedication has not decreased.”A few changes have been made to the program since Jones began practices. One noticeable difference is now the boys and girls practice together. Previously the teams worked out separately.“It is interesting seeing how well the girls do,” senior captain Jacob Schmitt said, “and the team feels a lot bigger.”In addition to the coed practices, Jones challenges the team to do more mid-range speed workouts, such as the timed mile and two mile repeats.“We seem to have more workouts during the week,” senior captain Marinna Schroud said, “and I think that's more beneficial.”Overall the coaching change has been easy and beneficial for the team. Leaders see many advantages to Jones' coaching - and all are excited for the season.“Practices are more efficient,” Jacobi said. “And we do a lot of different types of workouts.”Jones aspires for each runner to push themselves and reach their full potential. He also wants the runners to meet individual and team goals.“Coach Mallie and I have high expectations for the runners this season,” Jones said, “but those expectations also seem to be the same as those of the runners themselves.”