Las Vegas, New Mexico - Sophomore
Weldon Chebon overcame early adversity and earned All-American honors for the second consecutive season by finishing eighth at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships on Saturday in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The race was not without its challenges. Weldon was involved in a mid-race incident but quickly recovered, demonstrating impressive mental fortitude.
"Around the 3k mark, the course was sloppy in spots, and Weldon got caught in a fall with a few other competitors," Coach
Bob DeVries noted. "It took a lot of effort to get up and rejoin the leaders, but he handled it with great poise and maturity. That's the takeaway here - he didn't panic or lose focus. Cross country is about racing in any condition, and he showed he's ready for that level of adversity."
After the race, Chebon talked about the fall.
"When I went down, it all happened so fast that my first instinct was just to get back on my feet and start moving again. Instead of panicking, I tried to reset mentally right away, focus on my breathing, and lock back into my race plan one step at a time," Chebon said. "I used a lot of energy chasing the first group and I thought I might as well fight for every spot I could. Staying calm, trusting the work I had put in, and keying off the runners in front of me helped me steadily move back through the pack and finish in 8th place."
Chebon finished the 10k course in 29:54.7 to earn All-American honors again this season.
"Weldon came into this season determined to be top five in the nation, and that's exactly the standard we want him aiming for," DeVries said. "I'm a little greedy sometimes, and knowing Weldon's own expectations and ability, I always want more for him. But make no mistake, placing 8th in a tough national field is more proof HU athletes can take on the best."
Chebon gives much of the credit on his performance to his head coach.
"I thank my coach Bob," said Chebon. "I want to say 80% of my winning and running is from coach and 20% is me because I was just delivering what coach had trained me."
