Springfield, Ohio – It is all about knowing your limits and pushing yourself past those limits to find success, according to junior Charles Rodeheffer of the Wittenberg Cross Country team.
Starting the season with an individual win on his home course at Snyder Park in the Wittenberg Invitational. Rodeheffer posted a time of 16:14.3 in the first meet of the season, just two-tenths of a second ahead of the second-place finisher.
Rodeheffer would have his own hills to climb off the course, battling through illness over the next few races and fighting to keep his training up to elite standards. Rodeheffer posted another Top 10 finish in his second race of the season when Wittenberg traveled to Ohio Wesleyan. Rodeheffer ran the 8000-meter race at Liberty Park in a time of 26:01.0. Upon his return at the All-Ohio meet, Rodeheffer had a 44th place showing amongst competition spanning every division of NCAA runners.
Rodeheffer garnered the top time for the Tigers at this year's NCAC Championship meet from Oberlin College coming in at a time of 24:47.9, securing an 8th place finish, along with Second Team All-NCAC awards. Wittenberg had every runner cross the line with a personal best time of the season on the day. Rodeheffer's time marks the best finish a member of the Wittenberg cross country team has had at the NCAC meet since 1998.
Rodeheffer will head into the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Race from Powell, Ohio this weekend, pushing for a National Race qualifying time.