{"id":16535,"date":"2025-09-15T10:06:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T15:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/?p=16535"},"modified":"2025-09-15T10:06:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T15:06:12","slug":"getting-ready-to-race-inside-on-the-mustangs-prep-for-the-season-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/archives\/16535","title":{"rendered":"Getting Ready to Race: Inside on the Mustangs\u2019 Prep for the Season Opener"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>By Lynx Gregoire &#8211; <\/strong>The Mustangs are gearing up for their season debut at the Augustana Twilight meet. The excitement surrounding the program is palpable. After four years as a part-time coach, this marks Coach Eilers first full season coaching full-time\u2014a transition he says has made all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been good to finally have the time I\u2019ve needed to get the kids ready,\u201d Eilers explained. \u201cWith a bigger coaching staff now, we can really take care of the athletes and continue to evolve as a program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Preparation has been deliberate and focused. The coaching staff emphasizes practicing the exact strategies the runners will execute in competition. \u201cWe want the athletes to feel confident going into each meet,\u201d Eilers said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been running race simulations in practice so they\u2019re already in the right mindset when they step to the line.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Expectations for the season opener are high. This year\u2019s squad is touted as one of the strongest in recent memory, with both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams boasting deep rosters and standout front-runners.\u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of guys coming back who didn\u2019t run last year, and they\u2019re ready to do big things,\u201d said Eilers. \u201cOn top of that, this freshman group is strong and eager. I really think this is the strongest team we\u2019ve had in four years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for standout names, the staff is expecting significant leaps across the board, particularly from their upperclassmen. On the men\u2019s side, Parker Holder is expected to make a statement , while sophomore Gaby Ryan is poised for a breakout season with the women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, the season opener also brings nerves, especially for newcomers. The coaching staff has worked hard to address the mental side of racing. \u201cWe spend a lot of time talking about goals and building a clear strategy before meets,\u201d Eilers shared. \u201cConfidence in their pack running helps, too. We remind them we\u2019re never defined by one race\u2014it\u2019s about growth and working together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With strong preparation, a deep roster, and a confident mindset, the Mustangs are ready to make their mark at their Augustana Twilight meet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lynx Gregoire &#8211; The Mustangs are gearing up for their season debut at the Augustana Twilight meet. The excitement surrounding the program is palpable. After four years as a part-time coach, this marks Coach Eilers first full season coaching full-time\u2014a transition he says has made all the difference. \u201cIt\u2019s been good to finally have&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1249,"featured_media":16540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[203,170],"tags":[46941,46944,46933,56187,46880,6119,46807,46732],"class_list":["post-16535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-sports","tag-morningside-college-2","tag-morningsideathletics","tag-morningsidemustangs","tag-morningsidestudents","tag-msidelife","tag-morningside-college","tag-morningside-mustangs","tag-mustangs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1249"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16535"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16542,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16535\/revisions\/16542"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}