UAFS cross country program begins inaugural season

Editor’s note: Story by Jonathan Gipson, sports information director for the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.
 
Jason Merritt’s professional career has taken many twists and turns from captain in the United States Army to store manager for Home Depot to high school principal and coach to college instructor.

One thing, however, has remained constant – his passion for running. Needless to say, Merritt was excited this past spring when he was hired as the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith’s first-ever cross country coach.

While the limited recruiting time was somewhat of a challenge, the always positive Merritt made the most of his opportunities.

“It was a real slow start, but there was no settling. The reality of it is that we are only going to take qualified athletes with great attitudes no matter how few or how many I get,” Merritt said. “We have a small team coming up.”

UAFS will begin its inaugural cross country season on Friday when the Lions and Lady Lions compete in the Baylor University Bear Twilight Invitational in Waco, Texas.

Merritt’s first men’s team consists entirely of former prep runners – freshman Sean Geraghty of Fort Smith; freshman Andrew Hubbard of Fort Smith; and freshman Rylan Williams of Waldron, Ark.

His women’s team consists of former junior college and prep runners – freshman Jacqueline Bowen of Rogers, Ark.; freshman Alex Haynes of Texarkana, Texas; and junior Erica Burgess of Converse, Texas.

With only one seasoned college-level runner on either squad – Burgess ran track at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kan., the past two seasons – much of this inaugural season will be focused on simply getting acclimated to college-level competition for the runners and their coach.

Merritt has 20 years of experience in endurance and cross country running, ranging from the 800-meter dash to marathons, and is certified as a Level II USA track and field coach, specializing in endurance events.

The Rogers, Ark., native is U.S. Army Master Fitness trained and has served as head coach for company-, battalion- and post-level Army running teams, as well as junior high- and senior high-level track and cross country teams. However, this will be Merritt’s first collegiate head coaching position.

“We’ve got good talent on both squads. We are going to focus on goal orientation for this first season and then go into a process-driven program after this season,” said Merritt, who also is a technical instructor in the UAFS electronics department. “We are going to try and hit times without the stress. I don’t care what place they come in, but I want them to hit their times. Next season, we will forget about that and go much more toward what the process and strategy is that we need to be focusing on to be successful.”

UAFS will compete this season as a provisional member of NCAA Division II. The Lions and Lady Lions, who will begin their first season of competition in the Heartland Conference, are not eligible for regular-season conference championships or postseason play.

Merritt said he will take full advantage of that provisional period to establish a firm foundation for the program, while also building toward next season when UAFS will be able to compete for conference titles and postseason play.

“I’m real excited about the lack of necessary peaking and necessary competition because you are sacrificing training when you are actually trying to compete. By having the natural reduction in stress there, I am able to train them like I want to and push them a little harder with a little more volume and maybe risk a little more intensity,” Merritt said.

The Bear Twilight Invitational is the first of five regular-season meets and the first of three primarily NCAA Division I meets for UA Fort Smith. Merritt isn’t shying away from tough competition.

“I’m excited about the meets,” Merritt said. “I’m a realist, and I don’t expect to go in and win those things. I am going to expect a good performance. I am going to expect their performance to show despite good competition, and I will be happy.”