ELON, N.C. – Zane Jackson has been a leader for the Elon University men's cross country team since he first stepped on campus. On the course and off the course, Jackson has always set an example for his teammates to follow. 

"If you just watch him all day, he shows that he has what it takes," head coach Kevin Jermyn said. "He does everything right at practice and away from practice. He's a model of excellence. He's also a verbal leader. He's a full package in terms of making a positive impact in many, many different facets." 

An All-CAA performer last season, Jackson's leadership role will now take on a heightened emphasis as he is the only senior and one of just two upperclassmen to return from last year's team. 

While Elon will have a young roster in 2023, Jackson is excited about the dedication he has seen from his teammates this summer.  

"The team is in a really good spot right now," Jackson said. "We all seem to be working together really cohesively."

Elon debuted nine freshmen a season ago who are all back for their sophomore campaigns. Nate Mars, Colby Robbins and Caden Strickland all competed as freshmen at last year's CAA Championship where Elon placed sixth. Jackson said he expects the sophomore class to take a significant leap this season. 

"The first season is always challenging for newcomers because they're new to college and to this kind of training," Jackson said. "The second season is when you can really make some improvements in your athletic performance because you understand how your classes work and everything like that, and so then you can get more focused on the athletic side. To build off that momentum of last season is going to be amazing because these guys know what to do now."

High school meets are typically 5,000 meters meaning new college runners must adapt to running the longer distances required in college events. With the majority of this season's roster composed of underclassmen, Jermyn said the biggest focus is preparing his young runners for the increased distance while keeping them healthy. 

"Their training is what gives them confidence and when they start feeling like they are training at a level that's more competitive at a Division I level versus what was competitive in high school, that's when a switch flips in their mind and 10,000 meters starts feeling doable as opposed to long," Jermyn said. "If you're on the starting line for a race and it feels long, you're not prepared. It's got to feel doable well within your capabilities, and that's a very long organic process to build up that fitness and confidence."

Training for cross country extends beyond practice. Among the things runners must focus on include nutrition, recovery and sleep. Jackson said the team has a standard bed time of 10 p.m. during the season and eats meals with lots of carbs and protein. 

"Outside of practice is where you can make the biggest gains," Jackson said. "All of those lifestyle choices are how we're going to make the biggest jump." 

Jackson spent the summer training on his own, including a three-week trip to Bishop, California, where he completed altitude training to help strengthen his aerobic system. However, he said he is ready to run and train with his teammates again.

"Working with the team is amazing," Jackson said. "When you're working out either on the course or on the track and you can see everyone, it really helps you have a better day. Even when you're feeling like crap, you can go out there and see everyone do it and you're like, ok, I got this. I can get one more rep. I can do this."

After a top-10 result at last year's CAA Championship, Jackson said he is aiming for a top-three result this season. He said he also wants to take home All-Southeast Region honors for the first time in his career. A native of Charleston, S.C., Jackson will be competing in his home state on a track he has competed at before at this November's Southeast Regional meet. 

With the start of the season closing in, Jermyn said he is looking forward to seeing the team push itself and develop. 

"As the team's getting a little bit larger, we need a little healthy inter-team competition so that everybody keeps taking their training and racing to the next logical step to get our team more competitive within the CAA and the NCAA Southeast Regional," Jermyn said. 

THREE THINGS TO KNOW
Action Jackson – Zane Jackson was one of Elon's two All-CAA performers in 2022 as he finished 10th at the CAA Championship. He also ran the third fastest 8K time in school history last season at the Paul Short Run with a time of 24:29.7. 

Super Sophomores – Elon's sophomore class consists of nine runners – Braden Anthes, Ramy Ghandour, Garrison Gilbert, Michael Koenig, George Linney, Nate Mars, Colby Robbins, Caden Strickland and Evan Taylor. Eight of the nine appeared in at least one event as a freshman. 

King Of Burlington – A native of Burlington, Daniel King is back for his junior season after appearing in five meets last season, including the CAA Championship. King attended Southern Alamance High School, where he won conference Runner of the Year during his sophomore season. 
 

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'Rising Phoenix' is a new student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platform for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix) and Twitter (@EURisingPhoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Jacob Kisamore at jkisamore@elon.edu.

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