Cross-Country Coming Back To SMC

run-safe-2
run-safe-2

Southwestern Michigan College is bringing back some athletics. The SMC Board of Trustees voted last week for the return of men’s and women’s cross-country for the fall of 2021. Board Chair Thomas Jerdon tells WSJM News that’s 25 years after the college dropped sports. He says he asked SMC President Joe Odenwald to study the idea of bringing back cross-country.

“We had, over the course of a few weeks, quite a few e-mails,” Jerdon said. “I started researchhing things, and then I requested that he do a fill-blown report to the board of trustees.”

Jerdon says Odenwald determined cross-country could be brought back without a major cost. He notes the SMC Roadrunners won a national title in 1981.

“SMC’s legacy and history is being a great running school, and everything that we have going today, it just makes complete sense to re-introduce it and bring SMC back into athletics.”

Odenwald says there aren’t many opportunities in the region for college-level running, and this will create a new opportunity for SMC to attract students. They plan to create ten cross-country scholarships for both men and women. Up next, the college applies for membership to Region 12 of the NJCAA. If approved, it begins recruiting both a coach and runners.