Off and Running with Aggie Cross Country
August 24, 2017
Goodwell, Okla. Cross country season for Oklahoma Panhandle State University is fast approaching and runners are at the ready.
Though practice is still in the early stages, Head Coach Denise Levine says she already has much to be proud of from her team. Levine commends Panhandle Men's Cross Country sophomore Phillip Kirongo, declaring he is an outstanding athlete who was a big factor to the team last year and has made strides to grow to be even better this 2017 season. Showing improvement alongside Kirongo is junior Firas Ghazouani, who Levine states has already begun to improve on his times from last year.
On the Panhandle Women's Cross Country team, Levine notes three freshmen, Keiry Fernandez, Naomi Rodriguez and Sarai Ortega, who have each stepped up to equate the efforts of their upperclassmen counterparts.
Coach Levine says she already has her teams working hard to train for their upcoming season start, which kicks off with a trip to Hutchinson, Kan. for a meet against Hutchinson Community College on Sept.1. The Aggies women's team will be running a three-mile race and the men's team will run a four-mile race against the Hutchinson Dragons.
Levine says getting her athletes back in shape over the summer break is her foremost goal, but team practices are designed around a specific program specializing in 5K race preparation, and she is making sure to change it up every day to push her athletes to new thresholds.
Coach Levine and her team will be working toward many goals this season, and she is counting on her runners to be receptive to the change in team culture. Each practice day for Panhandle Cross Country begins at 6 a.m. and the runners are pushed to new limits as Levine strives to bring fresh perspectives to their mindsets and work ethics.
Levine hopes to improve the group's times from last year, laying out objectives for the women's team to decrease their three-mile time to 19-22 minutes, and the men's team to reach 28-30 minutes for their five-mile. She points out that, while there are many new faces to the Panhandle Cross Country teams, together they are "a very comforting team," who push each other and who support one another.
Levine leads at the helm with many essential and valuable lessons, but offers this imperative piece of advice to her runners: "You get out what you put in. If you work hard and put in effort every day, your end result with reflect that." She hopes to turn great ambition into grand success over her first season as Head Coach of Aggie Cross Country, with one ideal at the forefront. Levine says, "I want to get the team to realize what it takes to be great. It is easy to say you don't want to come in last, but it is not easy to come in every day and work hard toward a better result. I want my runners to be able to proudly say they have pushed their bodies to do things they never realized they could."
Though practice is still in the early stages, Head Coach Denise Levine says she already has much to be proud of from her team. Levine commends Panhandle Men's Cross Country sophomore Phillip Kirongo, declaring he is an outstanding athlete who was a big factor to the team last year and has made strides to grow to be even better this 2017 season. Showing improvement alongside Kirongo is junior Firas Ghazouani, who Levine states has already begun to improve on his times from last year.
On the Panhandle Women's Cross Country team, Levine notes three freshmen, Keiry Fernandez, Naomi Rodriguez and Sarai Ortega, who have each stepped up to equate the efforts of their upperclassmen counterparts.
Coach Levine says she already has her teams working hard to train for their upcoming season start, which kicks off with a trip to Hutchinson, Kan. for a meet against Hutchinson Community College on Sept.1. The Aggies women's team will be running a three-mile race and the men's team will run a four-mile race against the Hutchinson Dragons.
Levine says getting her athletes back in shape over the summer break is her foremost goal, but team practices are designed around a specific program specializing in 5K race preparation, and she is making sure to change it up every day to push her athletes to new thresholds.
Coach Levine and her team will be working toward many goals this season, and she is counting on her runners to be receptive to the change in team culture. Each practice day for Panhandle Cross Country begins at 6 a.m. and the runners are pushed to new limits as Levine strives to bring fresh perspectives to their mindsets and work ethics.
Levine hopes to improve the group's times from last year, laying out objectives for the women's team to decrease their three-mile time to 19-22 minutes, and the men's team to reach 28-30 minutes for their five-mile. She points out that, while there are many new faces to the Panhandle Cross Country teams, together they are "a very comforting team," who push each other and who support one another.
Levine leads at the helm with many essential and valuable lessons, but offers this imperative piece of advice to her runners: "You get out what you put in. If you work hard and put in effort every day, your end result with reflect that." She hopes to turn great ambition into grand success over her first season as Head Coach of Aggie Cross Country, with one ideal at the forefront. Levine says, "I want to get the team to realize what it takes to be great. It is easy to say you don't want to come in last, but it is not easy to come in every day and work hard toward a better result. I want my runners to be able to proudly say they have pushed their bodies to do things they never realized they could."
