As the cross country season ends, the indoor season for track and field begins. Head coach Paul Schmaedeke and co-head coach Adam Frye transition to coaching track and field and reflect on the cross country team they coached this past fall.

Piper women’s cross country

The 2013 cross country season was the final season for seven of 11 athletes on the women’s cross country team.

“Those seniors finished their careers with great races and that’s been fun to see but a little bittersweet because we know we’re losing a great group there,” Frye said.

Schmaedeke was impressed with the group’s performance in the conference and regional meet.

“I think we definitely had our two best competitions in the conference and region meet, which was fun,” he said. “That’s how you want to end the year.”

At the 2013 MIAC Championship race they had three top 25 finishers and as a team came in sixth place.

“That was pretty special and a bit of a surprise,” Frye said.

The team also placed 13 out of 27 in the NCAA D-III Regional Meet. Senior Hannah Toedter’s 35th place finish earned her a spot on the NCAA All-Region Team.

“Hannah had a tremendous season and continued to improve by leaps and bounds,” Frye said.

Piper men’s cross country

As for the men’s squad, Schmaedeke admired the team’s hard work and sees it paying dividends for next season. He also said the team is eyeing some talented recruits and he’s excited to see what they can do next year.

“We’ve got a good core coming back,” Schmaedeke said. “I think it will be a good combination to have next year with the veterans returning.”

All but one athlete will be returning to the men’s team next year, which is fifth-year senior Colin Rogers.

Rogers reminisces on a recording setting career:

Cross countries fifth-year senior Colin Rogers finished his final season in record breaking fashion as he became the first athlete in school history to qualify for nationals all four years of his athletic collegiate eligibility.

“That’s the first Hamline athlete to do that since qualifying started. He’s got a special spot in Hamline history,” said head coach Paul Schmaedeke.

Rogers was humbled by his accomplishments and refrained from putting himself in the class of Hamline’s greatest athletes.

“Honestly, I couldn’t even consider myself nearly one of HU’s best athletes. I’ve seen my own teammates do things I couldn’t dream of,” Rogers responded via email.

“I’ve certainly been consistent… I never came in with the goal in mind that I would run fast; I only came in excited by the prospect of helping some really good teams perform well,” Rogers said.

During Rogers first three seasons with the Pipers men’s cross country the team won three consecutive MIAC Championships (2009-2011).

“Winning MIAC’s those fortunate few times. Racing with my teammates, running at nationals, there’s been too much fun over the years. I’ve been more than fortunate to be able to take part in all of it,” he said.

He said that team was very talented and that he enjoyed surprising the other teams at the MIAC Championship during those years as the Pipers were always casted as the underdogs, despite their success. He said those meets really revealed how talented they were.

“We loved being the underdog,” he said. “There’s not a lot of luck in distance running. Eight kilometers is a long way for someone to get lucky.”

However before the 2012 season Rogers was kept off the roster due to a stress fracture in his tibia. He still spent time with the team as a volunteer assistant coach but had to watch his team fall short of a fourth consecutive MIAC Championship.

However, after he healed from his injury, Rogers was determined to come back stronger in the 2013 season to lead a team with only two juniors and the rest underclassmen.

Cross country’s co-head coach Adam Frye said he was impressed by Rogers’s preparation over the offseason and his performance in the 2013 season.

“It was fun to see him put in a lot of work this summer and have that payoff with some good performances,” Frye said. “It was great for him to come back stronger than ever.”

Rogers explained that over the offseason he had his sights on returning to full strength. He constantly ran over the summer to accumulate over 140 miles as he was determined to come back strong for the 2013 season.

“Coming off injuries isn’t ever easy, but being patient is the most paramount in order to get fit again,” Rogers said. “There was definitely a little more weight on my shoulders this season, at least for me personally, but it only motivated me to work harder.”

As a result he finished his final year with an appearance at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship. That appearance made him the first in school history to make nationals three times with the team and once as an individual.

Rogers credited his success to his team.

“I feel honored. I’ve run on some really, really talented teams and they taught me a lot. I really owe a lot to my teammates and coaches,” he said.

Rogers left a few words behind for his teammates on the men’s cross country, as all of them will be returning next year.

“Enjoy the process,” he said. “There’s something beautifully perfect about hard work.”