Freshmen on the Kansas cross country team have to figure out how to balance their schoolwork along with competing at a Division I level. These freshmen have made that balancing act look easy.

“It‘s been cool because everything’s fresh and new,” freshman Zach Zarda said.

Zarda had an impressive showing at the beginning of the season at the Missouri XC Challenge, placing sixth place overall and first for his team.

Zarda even earned Big 12 Runner of the Week in mid-September.

“It was a surprise. I wasn’t expecting it, especially my freshman year,” Zarda said “It’s a real big honor, so I’ll take it.”

However, Zarda had to miss out on the Midwest Regional Championships last weekend because of a stress fracture that developed during the season.

He said the injury was unfortunate but wasn’t going to take him out of the indoor and outdoor season.

Like Zarda, freshman Laura Nightengale had to end her season before Regionals because of injuries.

“I was really sad that I wasn’t able to compete and train with the team,” Nightengale said. “But at the same time I wasn’t in the shape to help my team, and I needed to get myself healthy to help out with track.”

Nightengale had a best showing at the Oklahoma State Jamboree, where she placed 39th overall and third for the Jayhawks.

Nightengale said that she saw practice as a stress reliever.

One thing the freshmen had to get adjusted to was the longer distance that running on the collegiate level demands. For the men, it was going from 5K to 8K distance and going from 4K to 6K for the women.

“It’s a considerable jump.” Zarda said. ”But if you’re good enough to run at a Division I level, then jumping from a 5K to an 8K is not a big deal.”

Freshman Rebeka Stowe said she preferred running at the collegiate level.

“Personally, I enjoy the longer distance,” Stowe said. “We had a couple 5Ks at the beginning which help with the transition.”

Stowe had a best showing in a 6K at the Oklahoma State Jamboree, placing 47th place overall and fifth for her team. Stowe said that it had been a big change going from high school to collegiate running.

“It’s a big difference running-wise and also lifestyle, getting used to being on your own,” Stowe said. “But we get along really well as a team, kind of like a family.”

Throughout the season, freshman Donny Wasinger had been one of the top runners for the Jayhawks, finishing first for the team at the Bob Timmons Classic, the first meet of the year. He also finished first for his team and 29th overall at Regionals on Nov. 15.

“At Bob Timmons, I was pretty happy about finishing first,” he said. “After a while I didn’t think about it. I just wanted to do what I could to help the team do as well as we could.”

Wasinger said he felt happy with how the year raised people’s expectations of the team.

“I’m looking forward to the next couple of years,” Wasinger said. “We’ve got such a young team and the next couple years look very promising.”

— — Edited by Adam Mowder