By: Brianna Bonham Staff Writer
David Ribich started his sophomore year off strong with high hopes for the racing competitions this cross country season.
Being in the lead in the top 6 of the team, David is very determined to work with his team to get to nationals.
“Our ultimate goal is to get to nationals this year, we’re all very committed to that goal […] We’re committed to do the work it takes,” said Ribich.
Ribich said that he team last year “fell short at regionals” and with regionals being at Western this year, the team and David both feel a lot of pressure to perform. They want to make Western proud.
“When the season rolled around one of the highlights was [at] Sun Dodger where I went 24:38 minutes for 8K. It was a minute PR (personal record) and really set the tone for the rest of the season,” Ribich said.
He has been training to be his best in order to get to the goal of nationals.
Ribich recently set a new PR running a 10K at 32:02 minutes. His personal highlight is getting 4th in conference.
“The race started out like I thought it would,” Ribich said, adding “But we’re only climbing. We’re on the uphill for regionals.”
“For regionals right now, we are sitting in the middle of the pack between all the teams […] We’re in the hunt for it,” said Ribich. During their last race, the team exceeded what they were expecting and are feeling good about their ability to compete at regionals. They were ranked 7th in the conference this year and exceeded expectations.
This summer, he counseled at a running camp and was able to train through the summer and work to better his times. He managed multiple new PRs and is continuing to train.
“I just know that if I have support I can go out there and make everyone proud,” Ribich said. He looks to his family and community to support during races, and with Western being the host for regionals this year, he hopes that the community will come to support as well.
“At some point in the race, everyone is going to get physically tired,” he said. For Ribich, the majority of races are a mental challenge as opposed to a physical challenge. He believes that mental preparation is just as important as physical preparation.
Ribich has been running since 7th grade, he went to a small high school that did not offer soccer past 6th grade, and soccer was his passion. His sister ran cross country which inspired him to begin running as well.
He is in his sophomore year here at Western and is majoring in communication studies with a minor in sports leadership and sports development.
“Professional running is a macro goal for me. My micro goal is to pursue athletics,” Ribich said. Choosing this major/minor allows him to pursue his passion for athletics. He wants to pursue a post collegiate career in running and coaching
“Netflix is definitely a post workout priority […] Right now I’m watching Arrow, The 100, Prison Break and Supernatural,” Ribich added. He also finds time outside of workouts to hike and do outdoor activities.
Ribich and the cross country team hope to see Western supporters at regionals. He looks forward to pursuing cross country the rest of his college and professional career.
