This weekend, Oberlin cross country will travel to Granville, Ohio for the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship. Despite being a couple of hours from home, the team will not be alone. Members from the Oberlin track and field team plan to travel to Granville to show support for cross country during their conference meet. 

This meet will not be the first time that track and field athletes have hit the road to lend support to the cross country team. Because most cross country athletes are also part of the track and field team in the spring, the two teams are very closely tied. According to Reese Hyatt, a third-year sprinter on the track team, athletes who compete exclusively in track frequently take time out of their weekends to travel to cross country meets to support their teammates. 

“If there is a meet that is close enough, we try to gather some track folks to go and watch,” Hyatt said. “I try to travel to support as much as possible.”

Kambi Obioha, another third-year sprinter on the track team, added that attending cross country meets can be important for team spirit. 

“We go to cross country meets to just run around and support and just to get the whole team hyped for competition,” Obioha said. 

Obioha also mentioned that, when the cross country team competed in Granville earlier in the season, he was able to attend. 

“It was very competitive, and they’ll be doing the same race,” Obioha said. “I’m excited to come out and support again.”

Amber Borofsky, a second-year on the cross country and track and field teams, said that cross country athletes appreciate the support and energy that the track athletes bring.

“I love being able to hear our Oberlin cheers, like the ‘Yeo Baby,’” Borofsky said. “It’s also really exciting when you’re looking around and seeing teammates or other people from Oberlin to know that you have that broad support.” 

While the two teams are separated during the fall, athletes mentioned that, when cross country athletes compete alongside track and field in the spring, the separation doesn’t affect them or the team’s chemistry. 

“I think that the track and cross country team could be described as a big family,” Hyatt said. “Towards the beginning of the year, it may feel a bit separated or disconnected due to us practicing and meeting separately. … Once we join together for indoor season, the team becomes much more connected and feels a lot more like a family.” 

Obioha mentioned that, despite the differences in their individual events, the athletes who compete exclusively on the cross country or track and field teams never waver in their support for one another. 

“We operate like one big family, so regardless of whether somebody runs longer than another person or not, or we’re not in the same events, we stick together as one unit,” Obioha said. “We mainly do it for the purpose of supporting each others’ goals and getting them through challenges together.” 

According to Borofsky, part of the unity that the teams feel is due to the continued support of the cross country team from the track and field athletes who don’t compete in the fall.

“We come together on track and bring the energy for each other, and likewise, they bring the energy for us,” Borofsky said. 

Hyatt added that supporting the cross country team in the fall is essential for creating a healthy team environment once the two teams merge together in the spring. 

“I think it’s really important to have a good relationship with the cross country team because, at the end of the day, we are all the same team,” Hyatt said. “Making good connections with the team in the beginning of the year will ensure success towards the end of the year once we are all competing together and cheering each other on.” 

Obioha echoed the sentiment and added that the cross country athletes also add a lot of energy and support to the track team during the spring season. 

“Regardless of whether you’re alone or not in your event, you’re always going to have people from the cross country team, or really good friends who are in your same events, come out and support you,” Obioha said. “You’re never alone when it comes to competing.”