Mercer Cross Country Heads out for Conference Championships

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men and women's cross-country teams will head to Johnson City, Tenn. for the Southern Conference Championships on Saturday, Nov. 2.

The meet, hosted by ETSU, will take place on Pine Oaks Golf Course. The women's race will start at 10 a.m. while the men wills start at 10:45 a.m.

Head cross country coach Josh Hayman said, "From day one we talk about conference as the race we look forward to the most. Being our best at the end of the season when it counts most is always our goal and the way we closed out the regular season is the exact momentum we wanted to be able to bring with us heading into conference. It will be a tough race, but we are prepared to run hard. I look forward to the team getting to show off the hard work they have put in this season."

Senior Marc Reiser said, "The main thing we have focused on this entire season is conference. While other meets hold importance, they all pale in comparison to the way we view and prepare for this one. We've done all of the work and preparation, and I think we're all very excited for the opportunity to show what we've been aspiring to do all season. The expectations our coaching staff and we have set for ourselves are ambitious, and we intend to obtain them."

Senior Ania Grzeszczak is looking to take on her last meet in a different way. "If you asked me freshmen year what Conference meant to me, I would stressfully reply that it is the most important day of the whole season- the reason behind every hard workout, early bedtime, mental prep, and wise nutritional choice. Simply put, it was the day you had to be the strongest, fittest, and fastest version of yourself. This year, however, the same question would be answered in a very different way. As a senior awaiting the last time that I stand on the start line of a cross-country race, I am choosing to race with my heart rather than my mind. As the gun goes off, I will be racing for the incredible ladies beside me who have become a second family over the years, and for those on the team that are sidelined with a heartbreaking injury and wish more than anything to be able to represent Mercer University right along with us. This year for me, Conference is the grand finale of all that it took to get here.
Our team as a whole, both the Men and Women, have really stepped it up this season and put in a great amount of work, and I cannot wait to see it pay off."

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Mercer Cross Country Heads out for Conference Championships

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Players Mentioned

Ania Grzeszczak

Marc Reiser

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