Most people are not up and about at 6 a.m. Yet, during this quiet predawn darkness, the St. Edward’s University cross-country team, made up of about 30 runners, comes together to practice daily.

After warm ups, the team runs for 60-70 minutes through the empty streets of South Austin, starting and ending at Barton Springs. The route is their choice — they just have to make sure it contains hills and intensity intervals.

“We have good talent with good academics,” Head Coach Dave Chandler said. “We just need to get more competitive.”

“The team is a young one,” Chandler said. And so is the cross country program, as it was reestablished last school year.

“When you’re starting a program, if it starts well, it’s going to grow and develop the way it should,” said Chandler, talking about his role in creating a positive and competitive environment for the team to flourish.

“We put up a good performance, but we could do better,” Chandler said. He also remarked that the team was improving each meet. “It keeps us hungry.”

The cross-country team has already competed in three of five invitational meets this fall to help prepare for the Heartland Conference Championships Oct. 22, in Mansfield, Texas.

On Sept. 3, the St. Edward’s women finished in second place with an average time of 19:55 minutes. while the men finished in third place with a 27:52 average time at a race in Dallas, Texas. At a larger meet on Sept. 17 in Missouri, the women and men finished 15th and 17th respectively.

Most recently, the cross country team traveled to Denver, Colorado on Oct. 1. Sophomore Rachel Frei claimed 25th place with a 24:20 finish, and the women finished eighth overall. Men finished in sixth place led by freshman Mauri Padilla with a 26th place 27:42 finish.

“We have good talent with good academics,” said Chandler. “We just need to get more competitive.”

Composed of primarily underclassmen, the young team plans for the long game. Like their sport, it’s not a sprint. It’s about endurance, and having the energy to make it to the end.

“In two years,” said Chandler, “I want us to be in the mix for the conference title.”