The LSU cross country team didn’t make a great deal of progress this season, but a different mentality based on a harder work ethic and consistent performance was put in place with the arrival of new coach Khadevis Robinson.
Robinson said at the beginning of the year he wanted to lay out a foundation in which the program, which has been dormant for years, could be built. Although this new work ethic was met with hesitation at first, Robinson said his players began accepting his style as the year went on.
“Before the race, they were just thinking I was crazy,” Robinson said after the team’s performence in the Mountain Dew Invitational on Sept. 14. “And now they still think I’m crazy, but not as crazy as they thought I was. That is going to help them believe that they can do things they didn’t think they could do.”
The Tigers improved upon their performance in four of the five races, with their most impressive performance coming at the McNeese Cowboy Stampede in Lake Charles on Sept. 28. Junior runner Philip Primeaux finished 4th overall, and the Tigers finished 2nd as a team, ahead of in-state rivals Louisiana Tech and Tulane.
Primeaux emerged as the Tigers’ leader, finishing first for the team in five of the six races this season. Primeaux said he does not lead vocally, and would rather have his running set an example.
“As far as running at the top of the pack, it’s good to have a guy who can stay up there so the other guys can push themselves,” Primeaux said. “I’m not going to yell at people, but I am going to perform.”
The women’s team came in with a younger squad, as the top six runners from last season’s Southeastern Conference Championship graduated last spring. These departures brought an emergence of freshmen, like runners Chaiss Matthews and Jenna Walker.
The season concluded for both teams with the NCAA South Central Regionals in Waco, Texas. The two teams got a pair of 17th place finishes and four Tigers and Lady Tigers total in the top 100.
Most of the runners from cross country will run for the track and field team, beginning with indoor season in January. As the next season approaches, junior runner Bryan Mutell said Robinson has done what’s needed to start fresh.
“Khadevis has really turned us around in terms of mindset as well as results,” Mutell said. “We were able to finish better in the SEC championship than we did last year. … I know it is not much, but it is a start.”