SJU cross country team hits the ground running

On Sept. 8, the SJU cross country team started their 2023 season in St. Cloud at the Toni St. Pierre Invitational meet.

Sophomore Nick St. Peter led the pack and took home his first win.

“It was great to have so many guys in the front pack, which pushed many to have great races,” he said.

St. Peter’s first-place finish was followed by many other top performances from the Johnnies.

“The team is well-rounded, and we could be good this year. Even though we are dealing with some injuries right now, which is unfortunate, if we are able to keep everyone healthy and get those guys back, we could have a very successful season,” St. Peter said.

SJU’s top four runners, Lloyd Young, Carter Grove, Eamon Cavanaugh and Tommy Allen, did not participate in this meet.

St. Peter believes this winning momentum will continue throughout the season. He hopes they will make it to nationals as a team, which will be held in Carlisle, Penn. this year, but he understands this is a big undertaking.

At the meet, two first-year runners also recorded strong finishes. Max McCoy placed second, and Vincent Kaluza finished in third.

“I did not know what to expect for my first race, but I tried to stay with the pack and was able to finish strong,” McCoy said.

He hopes to remain competitive amongst the team and keep improving as the season goes on.

Third-place-finisher Kaluza kicked off his collegiate career with his quickest time for the first race of a season.

“I enjoyed racing alongside a big group of runners, and the meet was extremely encouraging, so I am optimistic about future races,” Kaluza said.

Sophomore Aiden Chalmers recorded a sixth-place finish at the meet and enjoyed running against a competitive new group of first-years. He believes the team has a bright future and looks forward to the rest of the season, especially with the addition of the new head coach, Maxwell Kuzara.

Kuzara graduated from St. John’s in 2017 and was previously an assistant coach for the SJU cross country team for three years. Kuzara replaced Tim Miles, who still serves as an assistant coach, after he announced his retirement after 44 seasons.

Kuzara coached at Minnetonka High School for four years before coming to SJU, and Chalmers has had the opportunity to be one of his athletes in high school, and now in college.

“As a head coach, it fits him to have a bigger role in the program and become more vocal, I know that he is excelling at his new role already,” Chalmers said.

McCoy and Kaluza have not known anything different than Kuzara as their collegiate coach, but they still say that he is doing very well.

Kuzara describes his team as fit and ready to go, with a perfect mixture of older, more experienced guys and younger runners. He expects the team to be competitive at both the MIAC and NCAA level with everyone performing their best by the end of the season.

“My goals are no different than the goals of this team in the past. Be competitive on the conference and national level, while also providing a great experience for every single person on the team,” Kuzara said