Day of Firsts for Young Cross Country Team
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – It was a day of many firsts for members of the Miami cross country team.
It was the first time they competed in a collegiate race, first time competing in 2020 and first time donning the orange and green of a Miami uniform.
Six Hurricanes made their Miami debut at the annual Mountain Dew Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. Freshman Daphnee Lavassas and Colin Wilson showed true grit on the course, not backing down from a daunting first race as a collegiate athlete.
“It just felt absolutely amazing competing and I didn’t realize how much I missed it,” Lavassas said. “It’s been over a year since I last competed and even though my legs were completely gone, I knew I couldn’t give up.”
She missed the challenge races presented. She got to see what she was really made of when it came down to it. She made it count.
Her 14th place finish in her first-ever women’s 6K ranked as Miami’s all-time seventh fastest time at 21:53.7.
“Obviously, it’s a really exciting thing to be a part of, but I had no idea I did it at the time,” Lavassas said. “The most exciting part of this though is that [this team] will be the people who are going to change the whole program. We’re going to beat all the endurance records and it gives me so much adrenaline just thinking of what we can do this year.”
For Wilson, the level of competition was a big factor in his opening collegiate race. It was both a mental and physical experience for the Miami native. Having not competed in eight months, the race was a rust buster and it’s all about learning and progressing.
“I don’t think I performed to the best of my abilities, but it’s just the first race of the season,” Wilson said. “I’m looking forward to the next race and the future of my training with Coach [Cody] Halsey. I feel like I’ve gotten so much better with the two months I’ve been training under her already and I can’t wait to continue.”
It was a different weekend for the pair, but one thing was true for both – representing Miami was an honor.
“I just felt so honored to be able to represent all the people here at this University and it was so exciting to be able to wear the uniform for the first time,” Lavassas said. “There are just so many people who helped me get to this point that I couldn’t be more proud.”
The first of many is over. Now it’s time to grow and improve.
Miami competes at the FSU Invitational on Oct. 2 for its second race of the season. It’s the final race leading up to the ACC Cross Country Championships in Cary, N.C., on Oct. 30.
