Although distance running is a year-round activity, the NCAA provides its cross country teams a specific number of opportunities during the spring semester for offseason workouts. Following spring break, the men’s and women’s teams at Blackburn entered into their offseason and hit the road just as spring weather arrived in Carlinville.

“The key to success in the fall is the work our athletes put in during the summer, and my goal for the spring offseason is to begin building momentum for a strong summer,” said Coach Sturgeon. “We are focused on growing our program and are excited to use this spring offseason to generate more and more interest in cross country on campus.”

The spring offseason includes a road race near St. Louis on March 27.

Although few returners had initially been on board for next season, the numbers for both teams have started to grow with quite a few other prospective student-athletes currently in conversations about joining the program. All prospective athletes are encouraged to reach out to Coach Sturgeon at al.sturgeon@blackburn.edu.