Mount St. Mary’s University
16300 Old Emmitsburg Rd
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
Director of XC/Track and Field:  Jay Phillips  phillips@msmary.edu
Head XC Coach:  Josh Poole  j.a.poole@msmary.edu
https://mountathletics.com/sports/cross-country?path=cross
Can you give us a brief description of your program and some of the highlights from the past few years?
Coach Phillips:  We’re a complete Cross Country, Track & Field team that cares deeply about pursuing athletic excellence and forming ourselves into better human beings. We have seven full time staff members, the budget, and the facility to support our 140 person roster. We know how to both work hard and have a lot of fun together. Recent highlights include team conference titles in Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track, NCAA qualifiers annually and an NCAA Honorable Mention All-American this past season, countless All-NEC honors as well as NCAA honors for academic success.
What goals do you have for your program either for this year or in the future?
Coach Phillips: We’re looking to solidify our identity and raise the floor in terms of commitment to it. If we can pull that off, the team and individual championships, honors, and awards will take care of themselves.
What does a typical training week/cycle look like during cross country season?
Coach Phillips: It’s different based on the event group, although this early in the season (Sept) it’s not as different as one might expect for a lot of the team. The Cross Country team is obviously in season and competing at this point. I coach the Long Sprints/Hurdles and we’re in the middle of an intense circuit cycle along with the jumpers, multis, throwers, and other sprinters.
Do you have a certain team philosophy? How do you manage individual goals and team goals?
Coach Phillips: I smiled when I read this, the details of our philosophy could fill a book. We exist to pursue athletic excellence and form ourselves as human beings. How we live that out is unique, deliberate, and integrated into everything we do as a program. In my opinion, managing team and individual goals is a bit of a false tension. We have a specific way in which we discuss/set individual goals. As far as team goals, there’s much more out there that we can’t control in terms of where we finish in the conference that what we can control. If we’re pursuing athletic excellence and forming ourselves in line with our core values, if we’re working towards our individual goals, we’re on the right path to fight for team titles.
What facilities or resources does your program have that might set you apart from other colleges?
Coach Phillips: For our size of university, having seven full time staff members is the first thing that sets us apart. Most of the staff are alumni, and all of us love the university, love the program, and buy into a common vision. We genuinely enjoy each other, support each other, and sacrifice a lot for this program’s success. I don’t think many athletes realize how rare that is in a coaching staff. In terms of facilities, we have the Waitzman Track & Field Center – a lounge, study hall area, pre/post practice modality area, video review, meeting, and team dinner area that’s specifically for us. There’s nothing else like it on campus. We’re continuing to develop an 8k and 5k cross country course on campus, hosted our first meet earlier in Sept, and we have an indoor training space and well-designed outdoor track.
How does the recruiting process work at the Mount? What are you looking for in athletes? If a runner is interested in your program, how do they go about getting in contact with you?
Coach Phillips: The Mount is a very unique place. For the right person it’s a perfect fit, but the Mount certainly isn’t for everyone. In the recruiting process we’re trying to assess if it’s going to be a good fit for the recruit, the team, the university from an athletic, academic, and cultural standpoint. Can they commit themselves to our vision? Can they thrive in a diverse community? Can they succeed in a small rural Catholic university?  Getting in contact with us is simple, send an email or fill out the recruiting questionnaire on the Mount’s athletic website.