Bryce Anderson is a senior at Weber State University and a member of the men’s cross-country team. Anderson has been a member of the team since he was a freshman, so he has had his fair share of memorable moments along the journey. One of his personal favorites has been traveling with the team. Anderson is an athlete who cares about his teammates and their success as a group over himself. He has cherished the time he has spent with his teammates. Another favorite moment of his was the conference championship in 2022 at Montana State University. He enjoyed the camaraderie and success as a team, which made that instance special to him.

Since Anderson’s freshman year, he has felt that he has grown drastically as both an athlete and a person.

“The team culture is very positive, and we help each other a lot to grow and be better athletes and Coach Talley helps a lot with that,” Anderson said. “He sets a good example and sets high expectations for all of us.”

Anderson competes in a diverse range of events, from the 400 meters in track to the 7K in cross-country. To prepare for these events, he said understanding your race and doing a lot of race prep is crucial. The team meets with a mental coach to help them get in the right headspace, especially for the longer runs in cross-country.

Anderson explained what practices are like for cross-country. They get together as a group to run, then afterward, they do post-strides and post-run routines. On other days, they do tempo runs, maintaining a certain pace to push their aerobic thresholds and get fitter.

Most athletes experience challenges on the way to success. Anderson suffered injuries and had an iron deficiency his freshman year, but he was determined to come back stronger, focusing on himself both physically and mentally to recover and become the athlete he is.

Anderson’s goals for his final season are for the group to compete well at conference and regional championships so they can advance to the NCAA championship. His personal goal is to travel with the team and compete at some of the bigger events, placing in the top five. As a senior, he hopes the culture of the team remains the same and that camaraderie and fellowship become the norm for the organization.

Anderson credits head coach Corbin Talley for the belief he has in his athletes and the care he has for each one of them. He also credits his teammates for always being there for him and cheering each other on. Anderson values the relationships he has made with his teammates and coaches.

Anderson and the rest of the men’s cross-country team start their season on Aug. 31 in Logan at the Utah State Alumni Challenge.