A pair of runners on both cross country teams have etched their names atop the Wyoming record books this year. Jacob White and Kylie Simshausser have been a force to reckon with this season, with White shattering the 8k program record and Simshausser dusting the 5k program record. Those records didn’t come easily, though, as it took vigorous training throughout the offseason for both White and Simshausser to reach the heights they are at right now.
“Over the summer, I really focused on hitting my mileage and working really hard in the workouts, and I found that love and drive for running again,” Simshausser said.
“Personally, I’ve been trying to work a lot on consistency,” White added of his training during the offseason.
If White and Simhausser have been anything this season, it’s been extremely consistent. Both are paving the way for both the men and women’s cross country teams to potentially have massive postseason success, especially in the ultimate goal of making the national collegiate cross country championships.
They haven’t done it by themselves, as both teams have fielded extremely competitive rosters this season. On both the men’s and women’s side of things, the top four slots in the 8k and 5k record books includes members from this year’s teams, including White and Simshausser at the top of these lists as mentioned.
“We have a really good crew of guys up front,” head coach Scott Dahlberg said of his men’s team. “They’re pushing each other in training and have been able to run together towards the front of these races. That has really played a big part in the team score, and the team success.”
“All of us have grown so much that we’ve learned how to work with each other in the workouts, so we can all get together and help push each other,” Simshausser added about the women’s team.
All of the runners are working together to meet the ultimate goal of qualifying for the nationals. In order to qualify as a team, they will have to place in the top two during their regional finals meet, which is set to take place in Reno, Nevada on Nov. 15. That won’t come easily, though, as the Mountain region is extremely competitive this season. On the men’s side, the Mountain region features six nationally ranked teams, with the Cowboys sitting just outside the top 30, receiving national votes. On the women’s side, the Mountain region features four nationally ranked teams, including the top two teams in the nation in Northern Arizona and BYU.
It will take a monumental effort from both teams to upset the region and place in the top two, however, they both have the performances to back it up. The men’s team previously finished first in the Roy Griak Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota, followed by the women with a third place finish at the invitational. White mentioned that while both teams have put in impressive performances, they aren’t likely to be looked at for an at-large bid, so they’ll more than likely have to make it through regional placing.
“I’d say for other programs, it’s super easy for them just to wander their way to nationals just because they’ve made it in the past, or because they have a big name…we really kind of have to have an ‘aha’ moment for them,” White said.
Despite how fine the margins are to qualify and just how competitive their region is, both White and Simshausser have faith in their teams to step up and make it happen. It would be historic for the women to qualify as well.
“My biggest goal would be to get the team qualified for nationals, because the women’s team has never qualified,” Simshausser said.
While the women haven’t qualified anyone to nationals in recent program history, the men previously qualified runners in as recent as 2019 and even went as a team in 2018. Jacob White cited some of these runners as his inspiration to hopefully not only qualify himself, but his team as well.
“It’s been a while since Paul Roberts and Chris Henry and them all went to nationals. I feel like I’m getting kind of close to that range,” White said.
While attending nationals is the ultimate goal of every runner competing in collegiate cross country, both teams will be taking things one competition at a time and focusing on themselves so that when November rolls around, they can find themselves in those top two spots in the region on both sides of things.
“I just tell [everyone] not to try to put a number on where we could end up. We’re a really good team, and I think we don’t exactly know where our performances will lead us right now,” White said.
“I know it’s going to be difficult and it’s going to be tough, and we’re going to have to have a really good day,” Simshausser added. “But, with as hard as everybody has been working, and I know the determination from all the girls, they want to go just as bad as I do.”
