Will Hoogendyk IV, Campus Carrier sports editor
Since joining the Southern Athletic Association in 2013, Berry has won 44 SAA championships across 13 sports. On Nov. 2nd, the men’s and women’s cross-country teams added two more trophies to that list, bringing the running total to 46. The Viking’s historic victory saw both teams capture the SAA conference title for the first time ever; the men’s team solidified their dominant legacy with their fourth consecutive conference championship since 2021. The women’s team pulled off a huge upset victory over the Centre College Colonels to win earn their first SAA trophy since the 2016-17 season, their victory halted Centre’s seven-year reign as conference champions, with the Colonels settling for second place.
Seniors Peter Ivester and Isabella Tedesco talked about the season so far and what has fueled each team’s achievements. Both seniors explained that team culture has a massive impact on how each runner performs. Tedesco noted that this is what pushed the women’s team over the edge and helped them finally attain their goal of beating Centre.
“We have a group of really strong girls that have a lot of determination and motivation,” Tedesco said. “We’ve faced a couple [of] challenges here and there, but we’ve stuck through that and have been resilient. I think knowing that we all have each other’s back and [that] we all want team success has been important.”
With Ivester captaining a team that lost five of its top seven runners from last year, he has been responsible for acclimating freshmen to Berry’s team culture. Ivester has tried to model the values that his teammates in previous years did as a way to encourage his current teammates to continue performing at a high level.
“Humility and hard work [while] racing are important,” Ivester said. “Results are important, but enjoying long runs and enjoying each other’s company I think is a big part of [the team]. If you have a good team culture, the results will follow. So, trying to foster a culture where we’re competing with each other during practice and not against each other is important.”
The legacy that Ivester was tasked with extending was no easy mission. Coming off of three SAA titles in a row, the men’s team was projected to finish first in the SAA preseason rankings. The Vikings met all expectations, finishing ahead of Oglethorpe in the SAA championship race with a score of 36 compared to the Stormy Petrels’ 45. The Vikings also had success individually with the men’s team earning two spots on the first, second and honorable mention all SAA teams respectively. On top of that, freshman T Harris won SAA Newcomer of the Year, and coach Paul Deaton took home the SAA Coach of the Year award for both the men’s and women’s teams.
Tedesco emphasized how vital Deaton’s training has been for both teams this year-not just since August- but even the workouts and training schedules that both teams were required to complete during the summer.
“The way that our training is set up is we gradually build each week,” Tedesco said. “When we get to the conference championship, it’s kind of like that’s our test [of] how well our training has been on each other. I think realizing how close we were to Centre ahead of time really motivated us and sparked a fire within us to do something great.”
The Vikings did indeed do something great, as they bested Centre with 30 total points. The two teams secured 13 of the top 16 placements in the race, with the Colonels missing out on what would have been their 11th SAA title by six points. The women’s team also enjoyed great individual success, earning two spots each on the first, second and honorable mention all SAA teams, tying Centre for most selections among the seven participating schools.
Ivester explained how watching the women’s team succeed has pushed the men’s team to continue working hard in practices and competitions, even more so as they look to the NCAA Regional championship this weekend.
“Having a women’s team that [has been] so strong this year helps us stay motivated for Region too,” Ivester said. “If the women’s team is going to perform really well at Region, [then] we should try to strive for the same.”
Tedesco, who is in her third year running cross country for Berry, talked about the differences that this year’s team possess in comparison to others in the past.
“I think we’ve always had a really strong group,” Tedesco said. “We graduated a couple seniors, and they were really strong part of our team, but I think this year just realizing [that] if we strive to each day get better and better than we can get closer and closer to Centre.”
The Regional championship will be the biggest test for both teams thus far as they will be competing against Division III schools from across the South. As Ivester and the men’s team prepare for the upcoming regional meet, they’ve adapted their training regimen to help keep their bodies in the best shape possible.
“We’ve started to taper down our mileage a little bit,” Ivester said. “As the most important races come, you start running a little bit less mileage, [so] you feel more fresh. We’re doing a lot of speed-based workouts that are around our 8-kilometer pace that’ll help you feel more comfortable running at an 8-kilometer pace.”
Both teams will travel to Clinton, MS. for the NCAA South Region Championship this Saturday. The women’s race is set to start at 11 AM and the men’s teams will start running at 12 PM. The Vikings hope to finish first or second for their best shot at qualifying for the NCAA Division III National Championship, which will take place in Terra Haute, IN. on Saturday, Nov. 23.