Senior cross country and track and field runner Ethan Shane are one of many senior athletes who are

grappling with the suspension of the MAC fall sports season.

“It has been disappointing because I really wanted to finish out my last year running, and run some fast times and just being able to complete in my last season of college. I enjoy cross country and I enjoy competing in it,” Shane, a psychology and physical therapy double major, said.

His cross country and track journey began in high school, which gave him a desire to compete as a Cougar.

“I wanted to be a part of a team in college so I figured I might as well do the sport that I was already doing, so I just joined,” he said. “I also enjoy competing, so being able to compete in college was just an opportunity for me to further compete against other people which I enjoy to do. The competition was different than in high school. It was a lot harder and there was more competition and better competition.”

Shane has been a success in both track and cross country in his time at the university, as he has been one of the top athletes on the team.

He said the success he achieved is one of his favorite memories.

“I would say my favorite moment as an athlete was when I placed in the 10k for regionals for track my sophomore year.”

However, Shane had to battle some injuries.

“My least favorite moment was probably when my knee was bothering me my freshman year and I had to ride the stationary bike. It was so boring,” Shane said.

He said his desire to compete is gone due to the pandemic, and he quit the team. However, this setback and the loss of the season will not stop his desire to compete.

“Obviously with the pandemic canceling sports, I have to channel that competitiveness elsewhere. So, I just look for other things that I can compete in, like activities with my roommates or anyone else.”

He said he treasures his teammates and the friendships on his team.

“The team is a great group of guys. They are all dedicated to what we do. I love being able to hang out with a great group of guys and getting to know them and just doing fun stuff and messing around with each other and get down to working.”

Being part of a college team gave him more than memories: He said it helped him to learn about teamwork.

“I would say that something I can take away from being on the team is being able to work together and also just being able to work hard and getting down to focusing on a common goal,” Shane said.

Cross country is one of the rare sports in which athletes can compete past the college level.

“I will probably not go back into it right away,” he said. “I will probably take a little time off and just let my body relax and recover a little bit because I ran every day for the past ten years. I will probably become a hobby jogger and work my way up and compete in a few races and show the young kids how it is done.”

SideBar Stats:

2017: Ran in eight meets; Finished 54^th (29:10.4) at the MAC Championships; Ran a 28:46.4 at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional; Ran a season-best 28:32.9 at the Lock Haven XC Open/Invitational. Prep: 2x All-County runner in Cross Country for Berks County. Team Captain in Cross Country and Track.