Wiefels and Co. Take on ACCs
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – In his last season on the men’s cross country team, Matthew Wiefels is prepared to leave it all out there in his final ACC Championships meet in Blacksburg, Va., on Friday.
As the lone senior on the men’s distance squad, Wiefels has emerged as a leader to the young Canes group, guiding the young core in both the classroom and on the course. With ACCs being one of the most competitive races of the season, complete focus and a personal-best time are Wiefels’ goals for his final conference race.
“Given that this will be my last 8k, I am ready to give my maximum effort and run a personal best,” Wiefels said. ” My teammates and I are looking forward to competing and beating as many people as possible. The biggest challenges for me will be staying focused throughout the entire race and tuning out any negative thoughts that might cross my mind before or during the race.”
With three races down, Wiefels has seen his young team improve not only in their times, but also in the way they support each other. A different coaching style from assistant track and field coach Cody Halsey and new training routines have helped the Jupiter, Fla., native grow in confidence, while also improving his competitive levels.
“Meeting coach Halsey’s expectations of running higher volumes at faster paces have been one of the biggest changes, but ultimately it has been for the better,” Wiefels said. “I’ve gained more confidence in my running ability, which I largely attribute to the support from my teammates, coaches and family, in addition to running at the collegiate level for four years.”
The Canes have grown closer as the season’s progressed, as the support during one another’s performances has helped translate to faster times. Wiefels has competed with Miami’s top cross country runners in Nathan Cuck, Sean Grossman, Adam George and Sean Hagert, but the drive of his current team is something that is unmatched.
“We’re relatively young, but this group has some of the most commited, driven and strongest runners I’ve ever gotten the opportunity to run with,” Wiefels said. “I’m extremely confident that we will perform the best we’ve ever had at ACCs. I’m also very excited to see how this team will develop and perform over the next few years.”
