The sun has not yet dawned, but it’s 5:45 a.m., and the buzzing of the alarm clock indicates to senior cross country runner Austin Roth it’s time to begin the daily grind.
Roth and the cross country team begin their practice at 6:30 a.m. and practice for aboutt two hours. After practice, Roth goes through stretching, class and repeats it again the next day.
“I have to remind myself that there are results to be had,” Roth said. “None of us would put in all this work if there weren’t great results. For us we put in all this work to win a championship or a race.” Roth has had success competing in indoor and outdoor track. During his sophomore and junior years, he qualified for the NCAA West Preliminaries and received All-Big 12 honors in the 3,000-meter outdoor steeplechase. Roth also had success running in 3,000-meter and 1,500-meter indoor track events.
During his first three years on the 40 Acres, Roth has only competed in six cross country events. But this season, he decided to return full-time to
cross country.
As a senior, this is Roth’s last chance to run as a Longhorn and to help his
teammates.
“It was important — especially after my last two seasons where I didn’t complete the seasons — to comeback and give it one last shot,” Roth said. “We have a really solid team this year. I just wanted to get the most out of the last chance I have.”
And Roth is doing just that by being a leader on the team. As senior member of the cross country team, Roth feels that it is important to mentor his teammates.
“I try to be as much of a leader as I can but I also try to help the guys who are going to be carrying the Texas legacy into the future,”
Roth said.
Roth has had a great start to his season, he has two top-five finishes and won the Ricardo Romo Classic in San Antonio.
Unfortunately, winning has eluded him as he has only won two events during his collegiate career, though he stressed the importance of team success.
“Ultimately, I would rather finish fifth in a race with all my teammates around me,” said Roth. “It’s a lot better than to just be with your teammates coming through the line.”
