At the beginning of this season, Rowan Women’s Cross Country Head Coach Derick “Ringo” Adamson declared that he would much rather have “studs” in November and “duds” in September than vice versa. This past Saturday was the time to see if that statement would be true.

On Saturday, Oct. 30, the Profs ran in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championships held at Stockton University, placing third overall out of seven teams.

Coach Adamson’s squad accounted for four out of the top 20 finishes, including Carley Tool who finished with a time of 24:57.2 for 17th place, Anna Sasse who secured 15th place with her time of 24:49:9 and Sha’Lynn Clarke who landed in 13th  with her time of 24:45.2.

Leading the way for the Profs was Lyndsay Boyd, who finished just over 24 minutes flat with a time of 24:00.4. This was good for a fourth-place finish overall in the 6k race. 

Thanks to Boyd’s and Clark’s performances, they were officially selected for the NJAC’s First and Second All-Conference teams, respectively. These honors were secured due to their consistent efforts and continued belief in their preparation and skillset. 

“I could tell in practice that they were going to step up,” Coach Adamson said. “This definitely increases their will to get better going into track season, and I like the way they are making improvements as the weeks go on.”

Coach Adamson has previously demonstrated that he has a knack for foreseeing these types of turnouts, and the delicate balance his team has struck between continued confidence and consistent improvement allows this prophecy to become self-fulling. 

Ultimately, no one has a crystal ball that can perfectly predict the future. However, when a coach can get a special group of girls to buy into a purposeful mission and regiment, that is where the origin of greatness begins. 

“Overall, I am pleased with what they did,” Coach Adamson said. “They are a young team, and I am excited to have them back next year.”

Luckily, the Profs will be able to get back into action sooner than that when they take part in the Metro Regional on Nov. 13. Continuing the momentum built at the NJACs and their last performance at DREAM Park will be critical to deciding the overall fate of this ascending season.

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