Centre College's first cross country meet let freshman Max Germann know how many good runners the team had.
Freshman Max Germann knew Centre College had a “really competitive” cross country team. However, he really didn’t know just how competitive until the Colonels’ first meet this season when Centre had 10 of the top 11 runners,
“That was just amazing to me,” said Germann, who finished the 6K (3.72 miles) course in 19 minutes, 48.69 seconds place seventh. “Sometimes you can have a bad race or bad day but this team has the depth to always have somebody make up for that.
“Just to have a chance to compete for a varsity spot is an honor because of the talent on this team. It also makes races more fun because down deep even though we are all teammates we do not want to lose to each other and that’s nice to have to push you in races, too.”
At the Grizzly Invite in Shelbyville, Tenn., in his second meet, he covered the 8K (4.97 miles) course in 26:44.92 for 39th place to help the Colonels finish fifth.
Germann was the 2024 Midway University/KHSAA Male Student-Athlete of the Year — he was also the male student-athlete of the year in track and field. He had a 3.83 grade-point average at Boyle County High School and knew other finalists had higher GPAs and test scores but felt his volunteer work, especially his Eagle Scout project, helped him earn the award.
“But I had no idea I would be the overall winner. That was a big surprise,” Germann said.
Germann was hoping to attend the Naval Academy but did not get accepted.
“I was prepared to give up running and just focus on academics,” Germann said. “It was something I really wanted to do but it did not work out. I would have been the first one in my family in a while to be in the military. But for me, it was the Naval Academy or nothing.”
He knew Centre offered the academics he wanted and also would give him a chance to run cross country and track for coach Lisa Owens. He anticipates he’ll be the 5K and/or 10K runner on the track team.
“I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to run on a team like this and I also knew the activities after college that Centre could set me up with,” Germann, who plans to major in computer science, said.
Germann was not always an avid runner. He started running in kindergarten but then switched to soccer in second grade and then swimming until COVID hit when he was “burnt out mentally” and gave up club competition.
Why distance running?
“Probably just some of it was not knowing better. It was also an outlet for relieving stress each day. You are also able to control how fast you move during the day,” Germann said. “In school you don’t have a lot of say about what you do. In running, you get a say in what pace you want to run a lot of days.”
Germann stays open minded about new opportunities. He was part of the Boyle County Sports Network in high school that live streamed various Boyle sports.
“I started as a cameraman and then was the producer,” he said. “I would maybe like to do something like that here at Centre but I need to get a good feel first about my classes and being part of the cross country team. Maybe something will work out next semester.”
He’s also interested in trying a yoga class offered on campus.
“I think it will help with flexibility and also be just a good mental break from running and the school day,” he said. “I try to always look for something new that can be fun and also help me.”
