Prospective freshman to fastest on the Jesuit Cross Country team, Connor O’Neill now ranks among the best in Texas. He began his Jesuit XC career in June 2013, quietly sitting outside the gates to the track along with the other freshmen, waiting for Coach Molyet to start practice. The workout for the day was a 30 to 40 minute easy run, assigned in order to ease the freshmen into their new high school practices.
Fast forward to August, and the season was in full swing. With the first day of school came the first cross country meet, the Frisco ISD Invitational. According to UIL regulations, freshmen cannot run on the varsity team unless they live within the district boundaries, so O’Neill had to compete on the junior varsity team. On the warm, sunny Saturday morning, summer training manifested itself for Connor, who, among 188 other JV runners, finished first, winning the race by a solid 18 seconds. His time of 18:14 for 5 kilometers, or 3.1 miles, led the Jesuit JV squad to a team finish of first place. James Butterfield ’15 refers to Connor as “Darkhorse,” because “no one saw him coming.” All questions regarding O’Neill’s potential were answered, and, under the leadership of Coach Doug Robinson, the team excitedly looked ahead to the rest of the season.
Heading into his sophomore year, the team set a bigger goal: going to the State Cross Country Meet. According to Connor, “It’s the goal of everyone on the team before the season starts… Its what you work for all year.” Over the summer, Connor elevated himself to one of the best on the team, competing with Connor Garvey ’16 and Michael Spamer ’15 in practice and during the two-mile time trials. “You have to stay focused, and make sure that you stay healthy, and you have to take the workouts seriously and run as best you can so you can get better,” Connor advised. With every practice, with every breath, and with every drop of sweat, the dedicated Distance Crew got closer to their goal of going to State.
When asked about his season, Connor saw “a lot of individual success, and a lot of team success.” For example, at the Oklahoma State University Cowboy Jamboree, running against some of the best competition in Texas and Oklahoma, he finished fifth in the varsity race of 169 runners. He led the Jesuit varsity squad to a second place overall finish at the meet, beating every team except the prestigious Jenks High School, considered the best team in Oklahoma. On this notoriously difficult course known for its frequent steep hills, O’Neill ran 5 kilometers in 16:40, an impressive feat for a sophomore, the only one in the top ten finishers. Team success at competitive meets such as the Cowboy Jamboree made Connor and his team “very pleased with [their] season.”
At the District meet, Connor led the Rangers to an overwhelming victory, placing six varsity runners in the top ten. “District was great, we had a great team score, and individually we all placed well,” Connor remembered. On top of the 80 degree weather, Connor ran a 5k in 16:03, one of his best performances of the season. With the win at District, Jesuit advanced to the Regional Meet, looking to qualify as a team for the State Meet.
Crack! The gun fired at the Regional Meet, and Jesuit raced out of their starting box with three miles ahead of them. After completing an arduous two and a half miles, O’Neill ran within sight of the finish. Sprinting the last 100 meters, he secured fifth place among his competitors, individually qualifying for State. The other varsity runners finished from 37th place to 92nd place in a field of 173 of the best runners in the area. Jesuit finished in a painful fifth place as the top four teams qualify for State. Connor stayed positive, saying, “As a team, it was tough because we got really close to qualifying, but that will just help us next year to do better at regionals so that we can qualify for state.”
As an individual qualifier, Connor O’Neill traveled to the UIL Texas State Cross Country Championships in Round Rock. He arrived the Friday before the meet to get a preview of the course, and was met by the rest of the Distance Crew on race day. An hour or two before race time at 1:00 p.m., Connor returned to the course to warm up for the most important race of the season. Minutes before the gun fired, he stepped onto the starting line, mentally preparing himself for the coming competition. Enthusiastic Jesuit teammates eased the tension behind him, cheering words of encouragement. The race official signaled “on your marks!” and the fired gun began the grueling race. Unfortunately, Connor fell after the first 100 meters, taking his momentum and morale away from him. “I really wanted to quit throughout the race but I knew I just had to finish, I had worked so hard to get up to that point.” His determination pulled through, and he finished the rest of the three miles with a time of 16:28, placing him as the 47th best runner in the state of Texas. “I finished with a pretty good time, not really what I was expecting, but I can use that as motivation for next year.” Reflecting on the meet, he called it “a learning experience.”
As the 2014 cross country season comes to a close, the team sets even higher goals for next year. “I would like to finish top five at State next year,” said Connor O’Neill, “and as a team, to go in the top three teams next year to State. We’ve got some pretty big goals and we’ve really got to work for them next year.” Heading into the offseason before Track, the Jesuit Distance Crew will continue to train, constantly working towards success on the course.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Connor’s success is his age, competing at the highest level as a sophomore. Backed by a varsity team of five other sophomores and juniors, Connor and his teammates have the potential to shape Jesuit Cross Country into a legendary program over their high school careers. This will prove to be no easy task, but the unwavering Jesuit runners will meet the challenge head on. As Coach Robinson says, “I will get you to the Church, but you’ve got to get yourselves to the front.”
