LYNCHBURG, Va. – Despite earning second place at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships, the University of Lynchburg men’s and women’s cross country teams have kept their postseason culture alive on the sidelines as teammates, family members, and alumni filled the course with Hornet red.
Under former head coach Jake Reed, the Lynchburg distance programs began to place greater emphasis on team spirit as they swept conference team titles from 2021 to 2023. Graduate student Johnathan Cobb, who arrived at the University of Lynchburg in 2020, believes spectators are a key to the team’s success.
“Our greatest strength is having people come out to our meets, especially when they’re not too far away,” Cobb said. “Being able to look up at any point in the race and see someone you know or someone wearing red, that’s great to see.”
While Bridgewater College hosted the ODAC Championships last Saturday, Green Hill Park in Salem, Va. was selected as the site for Lynchburg’s next competition: the NCAA South Region Championships. With a slew of important meets just hours away from Lynchburg, travel has become easier to manage during the 2025 season.
“Everyone knows what the bar is. Everyone needs to travel to ODACs. And when it’s close, everyone should travel to regionals,” Cobb said.
As the team has begun reaching the NCAA Championships in recent seasons, logistics have become more challenging to manage as the team travels across the country. Even with a more difficult task, Hornets fans have felt eager to make the journey.
“We’ll get an Airbnb for four nights for a nationals event, and there are 20 to 30 people in the house,” Cobb mentioned. “To fill the Airbnb, it’s only 30 or 40 bucks per person, and when you have so many people wanting to live that experience, it helps a lot.”
Hailey Smith, who graduated from the University of Lynchburg earlier this year and was a student-athlete on the distance team, understands the importance of filling the stands with the Horney faithful. She competed at the 2023 NCAA DIII Indoor Track & Field Championships in Birmingham, Alabama, and says having supporters in attendance always helped ease her nerves.
“It means so much when you can look up in the crowd at a scary competition like nationals and see your people,” Smith said. “No matter the outcome of the race, you feel happy that they’re here to watch you.”
For several road trips, the distance teams ditch the bus and make long drives in the University’s vans. While long rides might not feel as comfortable, the smaller traveling groups create memorable bonds.
“Van culture is where you bond,” Smith said. “There are things that happen that wouldn’t be there on a bus. You’re with a close-knit group of around eight people, and you get to know new people because of those rides.”
Whether traveling on the road or hosting a home meet, the large spectator groups ensure that everyone can contribute to the atmosphere, even if an athlete is injured.
“Even if your friends aren’t racing beside you, it still means a lot to know you have support,” Smith said. “It’s not just with the people that you practice with every day, but the people who are injured and can’t be there with you.”
As the team continues throughout the postseason and into future years, Smith believes the culture is a product of the newcomers’ contributions.
“It comes down to the people we recruit,” Smith said. At the end of the day, it’s good people that want to cheer on other good people that they’re racing with. Even if it’s just a workout, we want to bring the energy.”
The Lynchburg distance team will travel to Green Hill Park for its next postseason competition on Saturday, Nov. 15 at the NCAA South Region Championships, hosted by Roanoke College.
Visit https://lynchburgsports.com/sports/cross-country/schedule/2025 for more details.
