Ethan Wilson, a second-year member of the Waynesburg University Men’s Cross-Country team, has been one of the top runners on the team in every invitational meet. Though Wilson was not always the best runner, it took time for him to start to run as well as he has now. 

 “I joined my high school cross-country team as a sophomore as I had just transferred schools,” Wilson said. “I joined just because I wanted to meet people since I was new.”

Wilson has had a long and interesting journey when it comes to cross-country.  Early on, he struggled with speed and injuries. However, Wilson never gave up and kept competing. 

“I was our slowest runner on the team and had a stress fracture after a couple weeks. In the Spring I tried track and broke a school record and that’s when I started really enjoying it,” Wilson said. “I was determined to come back and broke the cross-country school record as a senior and wanted to keep getting better.”

Ever since Wilson came back to the sport and broke the record for track, he continued to get better. Wilson knew he was going to have to do more if he was going to stay healthy and compete at the collegiate level.

“Coming into college I was hoping I would be able to prove I belonged at this level,” Wilson said. “I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to tolerate the higher volume with my injury history, so I focused on diet and overall recovery.” 

Wilson has grown to realize how much this sport means to him after all the trials and tribulations that had got in his way earlier on.

“I just love the sport so much that practice is usually the part of my day I look forward to the most,” Wilson said. “ I remember being the bottom runner on my high school team to running marks I thought would have been ridiculous just a few years ago.” 

Wilson has also taken a new approach on how to run a race. He is pacing himself when running, to give him the advantage needed to get faster and be more competitive.

“In high school, I tried to run paces in workouts I was not in shape to hold for a race,” Wilson said. “I also didn’t run very high mileage. Now I’m focused on taking workouts on the conservative end and stacking more volume.”

Wilson and his coaches have begun to set new goals and standards for him each season. Wilson has been appreciative of his coach’s belief in him and his abilities to reach his goals. He meets with head coach Hardie frequently to modify his workouts and to keep progressing.

“Wilson is extremely focused and dedicated to the sport,” Hardie said. “He is a hard worker and always gives his best.  He definitely leads by his actions as he’s a pretty quiet guy and doesn’t speak up much unless he needs to. But he is a big role model for the other guys.”

Hardie believes getting Wilson to Waynesburg University was the best thing for both sides.

“When I was recruiting him, I thought he was a great fit for Waynesburg and our program,” Hardie said. “And on the flipside of that, I think Waynesburg was a really good fit for him too.”

Nicholas Todd, one of Wilson’s teammates, believes that Wilson is always pushing him to be better and give everything and more no matter what. 

“He always elevates us, especially me, to push past my limits,” Todd said. “He sets a good example of what an achiever he is, and his performance on the courses shows it.  He always just embraces the opportunities given to him and he impacts his team by spreading the courage to go above and beyond.”