LSU women’s cross country senior runner Morgan Schuetz and freshman runner Erika Lewis are blazing past the competition in the team’s first two meets.
The duo paired up to win the McNeese 6k Relayson Sept. 4. Schuetz and Lewis then led the Lady Tigers to the Allstate Sugar Bowl Festival and took home the top two spots, with Schuetz finishing first, as LSU was crowned champion of the event this past Saturday.
The Allstate Sugar Bowl Festival was the first time Schuetz finished a cross country race with the top spot, but she still was not satisfied. LSU’s lone cross country senior said she tends to be hard on herself, and her goal is to keep improving.
“It wasn’t a huge meet, but [placing first] has never happened to me before,” Schuetz said. “My time wasn’t super great, so I was a little upset about that, but the course was a little long and I put the effort in, so I guess I can’t be too upset about it.”
Lewis has begun her collegiate career in nearly perfect form and will only continue to grow as she progresses through her first season. The West Des Moines, Iowa, native focused on shorter distances in high school and is still transitioning to the longer mileage of cross country.
“[Transitioning] is not as difficult as I thought it would be,” Lewis said. “Obviously, training is more intense, and it’s stepped up a little bit, but I can handle it, and it’s good for me.”
The LSU freshman said she is not worried about time goals as of now because with her new training regiment, Lewis is unsure how much faster she will become.
Schuetz said confidence was one of the key components of improving the team this season. She said with workouts and practice combined, the team will be ready physically. But the harder challenge will be mental preparation.
In the team’s win at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Festival, all 14 LSU runners finished in the top 15, including a top 10 made up of entirely Lady Tigers. But as the season progresses, the fields will get tougher, Schuetz said, and that’s when confidence will come in handy.
“Believing we can do it is the biggest thing,” she said. “Knowing we can stay with [opponents] and compete, push and fight and just believe we can be up there.”
Schuetz said she mentors Lewis and all the young runners by trying to relate to them and giving them encouragement. She said the current workouts are tougher and put them in a position to succeed.
The duo looks to continue its success into the LSU Invitational at Highland Road Park on Saturday. The Lady Tigers have won the event the last three times they have hosted and hope to make it four.