SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – After its start in 2023, Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) has its first full men’s team competing this year, with hopes for a full women’s team in the future. Coach Conor Wells said, “Starting from scratch is something so different and so exciting… we’re looking forward to competing as a full team.”

Wells started coaching cross country at LTCC two years ago, growing the team from four to 12 athletes. He previously attended a community college himself at American River College, then transferring to Chico State.

Wells has a master’s in biomechanics and kinesiology, which plays a major part in how he trains his athletes. “I was really a student of the sport,” he said. “I try to bring that proven scientific research for workouts, and have answers for why they’re doing different workouts.”

The team has gone through major transitions—not just a change in team size and who their coach was, but also in the space they used to train. Earlier this year, the team got a new space to train in, including treadmills, weights and a ping-pong table.

“Wintertime training was a big challenge before, but now we can use these treadmills when there’s snow on the ground, which is huge,” said Wells. “It was a big change of pace to be heard by administration.”

The space also allows the team to have a space to hang out and bond, which Wells considers an important part of creating a team culture. “In a timed sport, I see many teams looking to beat one another. But for our team, we’re trying to really lift each other up and encouraging that friendly competition.”

Though Niza Barton is currently the sole woman on the cross country team, she says that the team is extremely tight knit. “The guys are like brothers to me and look out for me.” As a psychology major, she says that she has learned more about the mental health aspect of sports through competition.

Barton says Wells is encouraging her to get first place in the conference, which she feels is possible with the training she gets. One major thing Wells emphasized is that “easy days are easy, hard days, we go hard.” Having those rest days provides time to build up muscle, helps them in simulating race days and helps them run faster in the long run.

Though Barton is recovering from an injury, she says she’s always loved running. “I didn’t think of myself as naturally talented, but I liked improving,” said Barton. “This year, I want to end the season better than when I started.”

Hudson Conners, one of the founding members of the team, says he didn’t think of himself as a runner when he was young, either. But the more he ran, the more he fell in love with it and values the work ethic he learned from it.

Conners didn’t plan on running in college, but when he was called for LTCC’s team, he thought of it as a huge opportunity. “I love the idea of trailblazing and building something new,” he said. “I’m getting the chance to fulfill the vision of the team and we’re putting down the first scores in this program’s history.”

“The team culture is great. I can lean on them, and I know they can lean on me,” said Conners, who’s been enthused with the team’s growth. Though he was unable to compete last year due to an injury, he’s back on the track—as well as on track to graduate this spring with degrees in accounting, sociology, anthropology and psychology.

Previous cross country alumni have gone to Cal Poly Humboldt, where they are leading both the men and women’s teams. Wells says he’s looking forward to the midseason invitational, where they’ll compete with other community colleges, and the 8K, where they’ll compete alongside four-year colleges. “It’ll give our students the exposure to those coaches and colleges, and we’ll see how they stack up against the big dogs.”

Now that the men’s team is full, Wells also wants to get the women’s team filled. “It’s my number one objective for the future.”

“I’m excited to see the guys having a whole team,” said Barton. “It’s nice to see a team of our size bond and improve.”

Conners feels pretty confident about the trajectory. “It’s such a privilege to train at elevation, especially for runners… this year, there’s an emphasis on the team and I’m really hoping to title at conference,” he said. “We’re making history here and I think people, especially at the high school level, will start to see that.”

With a confident smile, Conners said, “Keep an eye on this. I think it’s gonna be big.”

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.