GC men’s cross country was in action for the first time this season at the Foothills Invitational hosted by Jacksonville State University. The team placed 11th overall with 274 points.
This was a good showing for the Bobcats, as they were one of 28 teams competing in the race, with a total of 236 runners. Some of those teams were NCAA Division I, including Auburn University, who would go on to win the race.
Many Bobcat runners posted good first performances, with some placing from the range of 29 to 153.
Most notably, GC all-Peach Belt Conference runner Philip Bulatao claimed the 29th spot with a time of 16:12.1, a performance that earned him PBC Men’s Runner of the Week. He was followed by Daniel Laird, who just missed the top 50 with a time of 16:30.2, and Denver Oates, who placed 63rd with a time of 16:39.8.
Bulatao has been an irreplaceable member of the men’s cross country team for the past few seasons, but that does not come without loads of hard work in the offseason.
“I pretty much just stayed consistent throughout the whole summer,” Bulatao said. “Most of the summer, we just do easy runs to build up a base, but it is really hard to do that when you are by yourself, so I just tried to stay consistent for the most part.”
While cross country is mainly an individual sport, Bulatao credits the company and support of his teammates as a way to sustain success throughout the long year ahead.
“It will be a lot easier working with a team and a coach,” Bulatao said. “Having support is really helping me so far to get to that goal.”
Despite his undeniable running talent, Bulatao attributes a majority of his successes to his team here at GC.
“It is really helpful having people there that are doing the same thing as you and just out there to support you and make sure you are doing your best,” Bulatao said.
The Bobcats were back on the trail on Friday, Sept. 16, at the Julius Johnson Invitational hosted by Mercer University, where Bulatao and the men’s cross country team continued to improve.
Bulatao had another amazing performance at this invitational. He was able to finish 10th overall, with an 8k time of 27:22.7. This performance was the fastest for the Bobcats.
Philip’s top performance along with four other Bobcats finishing in the top 20 helped secure second place in the tournament.
The Bobcats return to action on Sept. 30 at the NCAA Southeast Region Preview hosted by University of North Georgia
