Fifth Year Cross Country Athlete Copes With Coronavirus
Super senior Jack Davidson finds clarity amidst the unknown future of fall sports
The West Coast Conference (WCC)–home of Santa Clara University and nine other private institutions in California, Oregon, Utah and Washington–is not participating in fall sports. Now many student-athletes up and down the coast are uncertain about the future of their sporting careers. For now, Santa Clara athletes patiently await their time to compete again.
Santa Clara men’s cross country star, Jack Davidson, remains optimistic about his team’s chances of competing in a season this year. Davidson, a fifth-year senior from Colorado, has broken numerous Santa Clara records and has invaluable experience running under coach Felipe Montoro’s squad. Until Davidson has the chance to achieve more records, he continues to lead every day as a team captain.
“I am trying to help my teammates find their ‘why’ and the reasons why we compete. I want people to not only remember me on the record boards but how I handle myself every day.”
The unclarity of sports amidst the pandemic has left many athletes unable to practice their crafts in usual settings. Gyms are closed, and equipment frequently has to be washed between uses, making it difficult for many sports to be played. Cross country runners are fortunate to avoid most of those problems. “As runners, you can just run,” Davidson exclaimed.
The cross country team abides by social-distancing guidelines and often runs outdoors together. Davidson admitted that seeing his teammates and training with them has improved his mental health.
“Our team has done a good job of keeping ourselves accountable. It’s really hard to do sometimes, but we’ve learned to practice gratitude over the last couple of months,” Davidson said.
The Colorado native’s plans following his last season as Bronco are fruitful. With the chance to run professionally or at the graduate level, Davidson has several doors left open.
“I have a vision of my passion for sports and my Biology major intersecting,” he said.
Rather than dwell on the unknown, Davidson used his time off to reflect and train for a season.
“The postponement to the season forced me to look at my legacy with this team. I’m ready to go. I’m incredibly fit right now. I see the work people are doing within our team, and I know we are a really good team. I can't wait to see what we do in the second half of the year.”
If the West Coast Conference resumes playing sports, watch out for Davidson and his Bronco teammates. This team is on a mission to compete for a conference title against the WCC’s best.