With no competition, new cross country coach still motivates Falcons to run

Trey Meadows, the new head coach of men’s and women’s cross country at UW-River Falls, is working to keep his runners motivated even though they will not compete. Meadows said that in the wake of the recent COVID-19 restrictions on campus he still wants this to be another great season for the Falcons.

Senior cross country runner Adam Jacobi said Meadows had planned to have the team run a time trial to help feed the runners’ competitive needs. One of the time trials was supposed to be next weekend, but with the new COVID-19 restrictions on campus, it may not be possible.

Meadows was named the new cross country coach in August. He has more than a decade of experience coaching cross country as well as track and field at North Central University in Minneapolis.

Meadows said he can feel the difference in attitude not just with his athletes, but with the whole campus. With COVID-19 on everyone’s mind, Meadows is also focusing his attention on the athletes’ mental health.

“You can feel the weight of stress,” he said. “I want to be a support and somebody that can positively influence them.”

Jacobi said the new coach’s passion for cross country is helping the team stay motivated.

“I could just kind of tell that he wanted to be here, and he wanted to be here for the team regardless and put his best foot forward for us regardless of the situation,” Jacobi said.

Meadows is optimistic about this year’s cross country season.

“This year there is no competitive opportunities so let’s just do what we love to do and run together, be together, share the experience. You can still become better runners,” he said.

Jacobi said he is excited to see what new things Meadows can bring to the team this season.

Even with no competitive running this season Meadows said that it won’t stop the Falcons from doing what they love: running as a team.