Most athletes who are sidelined by a season-ending injury enter an intense rehab regiment and can take months to get back into top form. That wasn't the case with AU runner Dan Beardslee.
After missing the entire cross country season last fall due to a right leg injury, the senior captain is back and dominating the course. In the team's first race of the season at Mt. Saint Mary's in September, Beardslee shut down the competition by finishing first in the field of 45 runners.
So what was the secret to his impressive return to the head of the pack? According to Beardslee, the key to his running comeback was literally standing still.
"When I went home for the summer [in 2005] and started training, I got tendonitis and had to take six to eight weeks off, which basically killed my cross country season," said Beardslee. "So I just stopped running."
After the hiatus, the senior returned to action for the indoor and outdoor track seasons last year to regain his form. The time off agreed with him, as his return to cross country this fall has been nothing short of impressive. He had individual finishes in the top 10 in his first three races, including a fifth-place finish at the Navy Invitational.
"The Navy meet was a good way to start the season," said Beardslee. "We've kind of had a rivalry with Navy since my freshman year and they beat us last year, so we were really looking to go up there and win."
The team has put together an impressive run over the course of Beardslee's career at AU, winning four consecutive Patriot League titles. The Eagles were picked as the favorite again in this year's preseason polls and are expected to take the league for the fifth time in as many years, a goal Beardslee thinks is one of many within reach.
"We've been doing really well so far and I know that all of us are in really good shape," he said. "I'm [also] really looking forward to helping the team qualify for nationals for the third year in a row."
In addition to a combination of both formal and informal workouts, Beardslee indicates that a key to the team's success is the tight-knit bond they share.
"We're around each other way too much - we're all a bunch of goofballs," he said. "I think it helps us, because we all lift each other up and keep the mood positive. We all just have fun."
The fun continues this weekend when the team looks to defend their title at the Patriot League Championships in Hamilton, N.Y. The Eagles then have two weeks to prepare before regionals, which are set for Nov. 11 in Lockhaven, Pa.
