With a new coach in charge of new runners, Marquette cross country’s 2024 season was as transitional as one maybe can be.
It was Jack Hackett’s first year in charge, and along with the challenges that building a program bring, he was coaching a young team after six seniors left.
“It ended up being five freshman eligible runners on the men’s side that made our regionals roster,” Hackett said.
It led to some lackluster results in the team’s biggest meets — the Big East Championships and NCAA Regionals — with the men’s team finishing in last place in both, and the women, who were second to last in the conference tournament and 32nd (out of 39th) at regionals.
Now, though, with a year under both the head coach’s and student-athletes’ belts, Hackett is looking to mold a winning culture upon which to build.
“The bar is just being set higher and higher, because we have really talented kids that want to come to Marquette and compete,” Hackett said. “It’s a huge privilege to be here, and we want our athletes to respect that and to live up to their end of the bargain.”
Although the teams were regular backmarkers throughout 2024, Hackett said there were many student-athletes he’s expecting improvements from this year.
“There’s been a good culture set by those leaders like Logan [Goodman], Emma [Coon] and Sean Kellogg,” Goodman said.
Junior Logan Goodman ran in five meets for the Golden Eagles last season and set personal records in both the 8-kilometer and 10-kilometer with 25:28 and 33:05 respectively.
With the emergence of sophomore Edgar Valles, who ran in six meets last season as a first-year, Goodman has noticed the team developing quickly by running together in a pack more consistently.
On the women’s team, junior Emma Coon paced the women’s side in every race last fall and looks to once again be their top runner this season.
“The whole team is working together in this pack,” Goodman said. “You know, it’s just like the team itself has, really elevated a lot, it’s really exciting.”
Goodman said he has noticed that many of the student-athletes on the team have been more active in their workouts this year compared with last year.
“The difference between the team this year and last year, it’s just night and day,” Goodman said.
Hackett believes the entire team sticking together this early in the season, will pay dividends later on in the year.
Goodman, whom Hackett identified as one of the leaders on the team, is much more focused on individual and team growth over worrying about the opposition.
“I feel like I just have to beat me, and we just have to beat us,” Goodman said.
Beyond Goodman and the team’s top runners, Hackett said his priority is seeing growth and progress across the entire roster.
“The depth and the ability to pack run is going to be the difference this year more than last year,” Hackett said.
With the rebuild in progress, Hackett expects a lot of headway made in the field, as well as in the classroom.
“I want people to recognize how much work and sacrifice these athletes are putting in, and I think we’ll see that in the results, hopefully both in the classroom and out on the field,” Hackett said.
Hackett is one year into a full rebirth of Marquette cross country, aiming to revitalize the program from the inside out.
The Golden Eagles have four regular season meets, all on the road. Postseason begins with the Big East Championships on October 31, followed by the NCAA Great Lakes Regionals in Evansville, Indiana, this November.
This story was written by Conor McPherson. He can be reached at conor.mcpherson@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @ConorMcPherson_.