Senior and captain of the Rowan University men’s cross country team, Dylan Tyrrell, will be finishing up his cross country career within the next few weeks.
The Ocean Township native reflected on his time with the team.
“My career has been a roller coaster. I’ve been on the injury list a lot,” Tyrrell said. “I strained my hamstring, patellar tendonitis. Going through those injuries have been really difficult. In the end. I have still seen success overcome those injuries.”
When it comes to this season, there is one thing on Tyrrell’s mind that he is extremely proud of.
“Overcoming adversity. A lot of stuff has been thrown at us,” Tyrrell said. “Cyril [Harvey] was injured early on, Kevin [Lauer] had his allergic reaction and sprained ankle, me getting sick. We never had our full roster all together at once, completely healthy, and we have still been successful.”
Tyrrell briefly touched on what it is on this team that makes being a part of it so enjoyable.
“Just the team culture and atmosphere,” Tyrrell said. “We all go in everyday and do what we can to achieve our best possible outcome. We do it with a fun attitude, we work hard, we have fun, we stay relaxed.”
According to Tyrrell, the near-end of his senior season has caught him by surprise.
“The road winding down is something you don’t really think about going through your whole career at Rowan,” Tyrrell said. “You almost think it is going to be endless, but at the end of the road it’s like ‘Oh shoot I’m at the end’. It has definitely been a positive experience.”
As a captain and a teammate, cross country has changed Tyrrell’s character.
“It has definitely shaped me positively in every aspect,” Tyrrell said. “It has given me life skills that I will continue to carry on. Time management, the ability to work together with others. On paper it seems easy but it is not. This has really grown me into a wholesome individual. Also, the relationships I grow with all of my teammates, I am able to carry on for the rest of my life.”
Head coach Dustin Dimit, also had some words about Tyrrell and his character.
“He has been a great leader this year,” Dimit said. “He worked hard over the summer and he communicated with the young guys coming in. He really helped to set the tone for what we try to do as a team.”
Dimit described Tyrrell as dedicated and hardworking. He also explained how Tyrrell has influenced the team morale as well as the team’s performance.
“Imparting what we want to do and what time of the year we should be running fast, and how to do certain workouts,” Dimit said. “He has done a really good job of communicating that and letting people know where they should be at different times, and that things would progress as the season goes. We saw times drop as we went further throughout the year.”
As for the team as a whole, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Atlantic Regional race will be taking place this Saturday, Nov. 16 at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York.
This race will not be ideal for runners. It is going to be around 20 degrees with quite possibly a foot of snow. Dimit also discussed a strategy that the team will be taking this Saturday.
“We are going to have to put ourselves in good enough position early on. Each group of our guys needs to be at a certain point if we want to score a low enough amount to be in that top four or five teams,” Dimit said. “That should be in the realm of getting bids for nationals. We just have to run for place and not for time. We have to leave everything out there. If we are good enough, we’ll make it. If we are not, we don’t want it to be because we didn’t do things the right way, we want it to be because someone was better than us.”
It can potentially be the last race of the season and of Tyrrell’s cross country career.
The Profs will need to finish high enough in order to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Kentucky. If they do not qualify, their season will be over.
But Tyrrell does not see an end coming this Saturday.
“As you said, potentially. There will be pressure,” Tyrrell said. “I do not think it will be the last one. This weekend I am excited to see all of our runners get together finally fully healthy. I think that adversity is only going to help us this Saturday.”
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