For most of the year, Anna Vyn is used to running the 800-meter race on the track. 

This season, the sophomore, as well as several other mid-distance runners, is competing in cross country and using longer distances to prepare for the spring. 

Vyn, a finance and accounting double major from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, ran cross country her freshman through junior years of high school before focusing solely on track her senior year. 

After taking two years away from cross country, she said returning has been an adjustment. 

“The mileage has been a lot for my body, but it’s been a lot of fun,” Vyn said. “You have to have the mindset of ‘This is going to be different,’ and just really trust what Coach Angel has for us.”

Vyn is one of several primarily mid-distance runners who are competing in cross country this season. 

Head coach Wayne Angel said the goal is not just to add runners to the cross country team lineup, but to build strength that will translate to faster times when track season comes around.

“Strength builds speed,” Angel said. 

Angel said the runners’ speed gives them an advantage in cross country, particularly toward the end of the races. Vyn said she can see the difference when the race reaches its final stretch. 

“We might not be the quickest off the line, but the last 800 meters we’re able to be,” Vyn said. 

Angel said he hopes the longer distances help them become threats at the UAC Championships, with the goal of getting their 800-meter times under 2:10. 

For Vyn, the cross country season is less about focusing on immediate results and more about preparing for what comes next. 

She said the mileage and workouts can be difficult, but she trusts that the work will pay off when she returns to the track. 

“When it comes to track, it’s like, ‘Oh, this is a breeze,’” Vyn said. “It’s a lot quicker than it was in the fall, but just that strength that we’ll have.”