Special Bond Helps Propel Men's Cross Country Team

Las Vegas, New Mexico - For the second week in a row, the New Mexico Highlands University men's cross country team is ranked in the NCAA Division II Top 30. The Cowboys checked in this week at Number 28, just behind CSU-Pueblo. There are seven teams from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in this week's poll.  This week's entire Division II poll can be found here.  

The Cowboys have competed very well so far in the 2023 season, kicking things off with a second place finish at the UCCS Rust Buster. Two weeks later, NMHU was second in a loaded field at the Southern Stampede in Joplin, Missouri, the site of the 2023 NCAA Division II Championship.

NMHU cross country is in the midst of preparing for a busy couple of weeks in front of them. Next Friday, they head back to Colorado Springs to participate in the 2023 Colorado Springs XC Open hosted by UCCS at Monument Valley Park. Then, on October 21st, the team travels to the RMAC Championships at Denver's Washington Park.

A big part of the success the team is experiencing may be attributed to the relationship between Head Coach Bob DeVries and two-time All-American Andrew Amor, a senior from Ballart, Queensland, Australia. Coach DeVries is in his 33rd season leading the cross-country programs at NMHU, and Andrew is competing for a school nearly 8,700 miles from his hometown.

Jace Hinton, from the NMHU Sports Information Office, recently sat down with Amor and DeVries to talk about the success the team is having, the relationship between coach and student-athlete, and goals for the team this year.

When asked about his relationship with Coach DeVries, Amor said, "He is like a father figure to me, I can talk to him about anything."

On the performance of his teammates and the finishes so far this year, Amor said "I am so proud of the guys this year. My mom always told me to rise by lifting others."

Reflecting on Amor, Coach DeVries said, "Andrew is one of the best runners we've ever had. His self-discipline is incredible."

Hinton's full interview with Coach DeVries and Andrew Amor, including how many pairs of shoes Amor goes through in a season, can be accessed by clicking the image above.  

Follow NMHU cross country all season at NMHUAthletics.com and on Instagram at NMHU.XC.