The Eastern men’s and women’s cross country teams have continued their training this semester as if there is a season taking place.

The status of the season is still very much up in the air, as competing in cross country in the winter or spring would interfere with indoor track and field season in the winter and the outdoor season in the spring, assuming one or both of those seasons will even be able to happen.

Eastern athletes who participate in both cross country and track and field have to keep their minds open to any number of possibilities that may occur.

Maggie McPherson, a senior on the women’s cross country and track and field teams, said the lack of competitions this fall has not really changed training.

“It hasn’t really trained too much. There’s a lot of uncertainty that’s hard to deal with, but as far as training we’re still doing just as much as we normally would,” she said.

Andrew Pilat, a junior on the men’s cross country and track and field teams, said that there has been some things the team has had to get used to this semester.

“It’s been a little odd,” he said. “There’s just been this adjustment period, like people don’t really know what we’re running for. But we’ve all kind of come together and we know that we’re going to have races eventually.”

Pilat and many other of the cross country runners also are on the track and field teams, and compete in the fall, winter and spring. The men’s track and field team was coming off an OVC Indoor Championship in February when the outdoor spring season was canceled.

“Coming off indoor we were all on this really big high, we were looking forward to win the outdoor championships as well,” he said. “We still have this championship mentality that we’re going to be able to win no matter when our next season is.”

McPherson is a senior this year, and she said she was looking forward to whatever comes next with both cross country and track and field.

“I’m really excited for track. I always have been, especially since we didn’t get a (spring) season last year,” she said. “Cross country, if we run it in the winter, it would be an experience for sure and definitely a good way to end my senior year with something I’ve never done before. It would be something new.

McPherson also said that she is excited to compete in whatever way the teams are able to.

Adam Tumino can be reached at 581-2812 or ajtumino@eiu.edu.