NYU Athletics

Kevin Bonilla is a junior on the NYU men's cross country team. He shared his thoughts in this space throughout the 2011 season. 

Written November 28

Since 2006, NYU cross country has been one of the top teams in the nation, taking the crown in 2007. With these accomplishments come expectations. Expectations are valuable if used in the right way. Because of the legacy that past NYU runners have left, we expect to do well at NCAA’s every year, for we should be a podium-placing team.
 
We put on that NYU singlet and realize that we are running for more than ourselves, for the runners who paved the way. They want us to succeed just as much as we want to succeed. However, things don’t always go as planned and that is hard to deal with.
 
Finishing 19th at NCAA’s this year was considered a disappointment; a disappointment to ourselves and to our former teammates. However, after the initial realization that we did not live up to our high expectations faded, a far different realization entered my mind. Even though we did not end the season the way we wanted to, I would not trade this experience or my teammates for anything.
 
A lot of people say that it’s not about the destination, but the journey. Cross country is definitely a journey that consumes about six months of our lives. I remember when I started training again in June after taking time off from track. I knew I’d have to run alone all summer to build a base for the fall. The miles were long, the days were hot. But, what kept me motivated was returning to New York, returning to my teammates, and continuing the journey, together, to NCAA’s. From out first workout at Central Park to our last hard effort on the track at East River Park, this was a season that we had a lot to deal with. From injuries to illnesses, we could never seem to put it together where everyone ran their best.
 
But, it is these moments where we really learned about ourselves. We were frustrated, but never angry. Never lost hope. Support was endless, for we have become best friends, and our relationships run deeper than running. People can point to trophies and memories because they are tangible items that serve as an easy way to measure success. However, there are different aspects of success that cannot be as easily quantified. My relationships with my teammates, both old and new, have grown stronger. I have learned to deal with adversity. I have learned that I can be a leader, and I’ve made awesome memories with great people. As much as we complain, nothing compares to the time spent running cross country for this team. All the trips to Jersey, the long runs on Sunday mornings, the endless workouts in Central Park; they have all contributed to my experience at NYU, an experience I am grateful and fortunate to have. I ended this season with my head held high. We put in the hard work everyday. We made the sacrifices everyday. And we pushed each other everyday. 
 
Most of us took our running to new heights and accomplished some of the goals we set out for ourselves. We take this experience and move on. We grow and learn from it. We pick up where we left off and try to attain personal and individual goals during indoor and outdoor track, all of which contributes to our fitness for cross country next year.
 
I am proud of everyone on this team and want to thank them for providing me with another successful season.


Kevin Bonilla is a junior on the NYU men's cross country team. He will share his thoughts in this space throughout the season. 

Written November 13

One of the main draws of students to NYU is being able to attend college in the greatest city in the world. What I did not expect when I came to NYU is the amount of time I would spend outside of the city to race.
 
Being a member of the cross country and track & field teams has taken me to places around the country I never thought I’d reach. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, Chicago, St. Louis, parts of upstate New York I never knew existed, and more trips to New Jersey than I can count. Our last two trips to Chicago and Canton, NY, added to the list of exciting adventures I have undertaken with this team.
 
Two weeks ago we traveled to Chicago for the UAA Cross Country Championship. While we were unable to reclaim our title from Washington University, our runner-up finish was a step in the right direction from our previous showing at the Wisconsin-Oshkosh Brooks Invitational. We improved as a team and showed that we are a force to be reckoned with when we run to our full potential. It gave us the confidence going into the Regional race that we can run with the best of them and refocus our training to accomplish our goal of being one of the best teams in the nation.
 
But before we could hit the streets of New York at full speed, we had to get out of Chicago, which proved to be more difficult than we initially anticipated. UAA’s fell on the weekend that snow decided to invade the Northeast in October. Trying to rebook 25 people for a flight isn’t the easiest task, and the Continental attendants really earned their paycheck that night. After two flight cancellations, a failed relocation to Houston and a failed attempt to drive back to New York, we finally settled on a flight to Hartford, CT, in the morning, where we proceeded to drive three hours back to the city. Finally reaching New York Sunday night and disappointed to find the snow melted and gone, we went into Coles, changed, and went for a long run on the West Side Highway. At that point, crazy might be more appropriate than dedicated, but we got the job done together. Because we had Regionals in two weeks, we knew that the work still had to be put in.
 
The past two weeks of training involved maintaining our strength and incorporating speed work. Our workouts simulated the race, and we began a slight taper as we headed north to Canton for the NCAA Atlantic Regionals. Going into the race, we knew it would be close between us, St. Lawrence, and Geneseo. We were comforted by the fact that we had the tightest pack and were hoping that running together could lead to a victory. While there were some mishaps, the race did not disappoint as we fell to St. Lawrence by 14 points and Geneseo State by eight points. We were still able to get the job done and continue the journey as we go back to Wisconsin for the NCAA Championship next Saturday.
 
As we loaded back on the bus in preparation for the eight-hour drive back to Manhattan, we were comforted by the fact that we did our job and got through to next week. Most of all, we did it together. We stepped up when we needed to and ran through some tough conditions. Next week is where we let it all go and see the fruits of the past six months’ labor. We are focused and ready to see where we stand amongst the nation’s best.
 
As we come back into the city, feel welcomed by the bright lights, busy streets, and crowds of people, I remember why I came to NYU. Part of it was to run for a great team, part of it was to go to a great school. But, the location definitely didn’t hurt. We don’t just represent our university, but we represent our city. After all the traveling the past two and half years, it’s great to come to New York and know that I am home.



Kevin Bonilla is a junior on the NYU men's cross country team. He will share his thoughts in this space throughout the season. 

Written October 20

A major aspect of any sport is the mental game. While there are countless debates and individual assessments as to how much the mental game factors into overall performance, no one can deny its significance. What athletes tend to neglect is the post-game mental aspect. While everyone focuses on in-game pressures, situations, focusing, and performing, how one reflects on, recovers, and prepares for the next competition is even more important. This brings up the notion of having short-term memory in sports.
 
While we all love to relive our greatest races, it’s important to learn from, and then forget about, our bad races. A bad race is inevitable; it is just the nature of the game. No one can be 100%, 100% of the time. I feel like you get more out of a bad race than a good one. The whole experience of a bad race is what makes the good races even better. There is growth following a bad race. Hopefully, you realize what went wrong and how to improve on it to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. But, once the race ends, the analysis is finished, and the emotions are no longer strong, think of the race as a faint, distant memory. Learning is good, but dwelling is a disaster. The only way to move on to the next race and return to your top form is simply to forget about the negative and focus on the positive. No one race defines a runner. It is the months of training, the miles accumulated, the workouts completed, the sacrifices made, and the overall results that really show who a runner is.
 
As we are a week and a half away from UAA’s and exactly a month until NCAA’s, we keep on fighting. We keep on hitting the pavement, putting in the work and brushing our bad races away to make room for the good ones. We know we have the ability to be great and reach our potentials. We have trust in our training, we have trust in our fitness and we have trust in each other.
 
Tomorrow is another day and next weekend is another race. The past is behind us, and we’re only focused on the future.