As the season’s first snow fell through the air above Drumlins Country Club, a familiar sight was unfolding on the field below. Runners representing more than 60 schools ran the rain-soaked course, hoping to top the champions on their home turf.

But despite their best efforts, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Mighty Oaks once again came out victorious.

The Mighty Oaks won their fourth consecutive United States Collegiate Athletic Association men’s cross-country championships Friday, cementing their place as a powerhouse in collegiate running.

Led by first-year graduate student Timmy Callahan, who was the race’s overall winner in his final year of athletic eligibility, the Oaks were able to defend their title once more. For Callahan, who also won the 2013 race, there was no better way to end his running career.

“It meant so much to perform well on our home course in front of students, staff, friends and family,” Callahan said. “The win means more than just to me or the team, but to all the people that have supported us in our running community. This is a victory for ESF and Syracuse.”

A large part of that victory came from the guidance of head coach John View, who in his four years leading the Oaks has transformed the team from a little-known, three-year-old program to a perennial national champion.

View refuses to take total credit for the team’s success, instead attributing that to the efforts made by his student-athletes and assistant coaches to build the team into a contender each year.

“I just hope that people recognize consistency across the board,” View said. “I want to be a consistent coach. I like to think that four championships is the result of hard work by the athletes, and hard work by the coaches to mentor them, work with them and listen to them.”

Hard work has been the standard for View’s runners, who are not recruited by the school and do not receive athletic scholarships. Inclusion is another pillar of the Oaks’ success, as View holds open tryouts and does not make cuts to the team.

The athletic policies of View and ESF are increasingly rare in collegiate sports, where it often seems that talented students are acquired by most schools in an athletic arms race to create the most talented team possible.

That the Oaks have been so successful despite these policies might be a surprise to outsiders, but to those running for ESF it makes perfect sense.

“He has led us through a great training regimen,” senior runner Jacob Wolfgong said. “(He) also encouraged us to push ourselves in our academics and other pursuits, and that makes running for him a lot of fun.”

It remains to be seen how the Oaks will fare after the loss of their best runner in Callahan, but View is confident his players will step up and continue their success. It helps that his star runner will continue to help his teammates, even if he can no longer run with them. Callahan will be joining the coaching staff as an assistant next season.

“As I have told the underclassmen, Timmy’s time has passed us now,” View said. “It’s time for the underclassmen who will be back here next year and for the new students coming in to look inside themselves and say ‘Do I want to be someone like Timmy Callahan?’”

Published on November 12, 2014 at 12:02 am