Athlete spotlight: Kevin Beachy

Photo by Wayne Gehman

Beachy racing at the Va. State meet

For those who have ever wondered why people enjoy running, or even what level of insanity it would take to simply run for fun: welcome to the life of EMU junior Kevin Beachy. Kevin has been running since his senior year of high school, and is taking it to another level this year as the number one man for the Royals cross country team.

Kevin's running career may have been relatively short in comparison to other top runners', but he has made up for lost time. This past Saturday the men placed third of six teams in the Virginia State cross country meet, and Kevin finished fourth out of 52 runners with a time of 28:42, still slower than his personal record of 28:24.

Kevin has consistently placed in the top of his races this season and hopes to continue this trend through the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championships, which EMU will host Oct. 30 at the Peak View cross country course. If Kevin-currently seeded 13th in the ODAC-places in the top 14 at the championships, he will move on to compete at Regionals in Atlanta, Ga., a few weeks later.

Although Kevin's talent is the most tangible of the benefits he brings to EMU's athletic program, many people, including Kevin's head coach Lester Zook, never fail to mention the other important elements that Kevin adds to the team.

According to his coach, Kevin has done an "absolutely delightful job" as this year's co-captain, showing true leadership, high morals, humility, and grace in his position. "I would take a dozen Kevin Beachys on my team. He’Äôs really a great guy," said Zook.

Zook chooses his captains based on a noticeable desire of the athlete to improve the overall quality of the team, to be a role model, and to show a sincere love of the sport and the squad-qualities to which Zook believes Kevin adheres perfectly.

While Kevin becomes rather uncomfortable when asked to discuss his achievements-whether character- or skill-related-he is more than happy to express his enthusiasm for the cross country experience, and for his favorite aspects of running, which he prioritizes as "having fun, being part of a team, and improving."

Kevin has set goals for himself, such as "becoming a better teammate and improving my racing-not just times, but strategy as well." These goals will hopefully coincide with Zook's specific Regional plans for Kevin.

Kevin's season this year has been the most successful in his entire career, but when questioned about his proudest moment in running history, Kevin shows his uncommon humility and reacts abruptly with, "The proudest? I try to stay humble! I can't answer it!" He merely states, "You should probably just ask my coach about that one."

Cross country seems like the perfect fit for Kevin, although he came to EMU as a baseball prospect. Zook reiterates, "Cross country is where Kevin has really found his untapped talent. Being a young runner, he continues to improve with every race, and we are sure to see more great achievements from him this year and next."

Kevin does have some specific strategies that he feels help him to do his best, like wearing certain shoes-especially Mizunos-that help with his over-pronation due to flat arches. Also, before games he "prays and tries to focus on God," and listens to praise and worship music. God is a huge aspect of the sport for Kevin. When asked who inspired him to run, he responds, "The Lord. He gives ability to people; it's us who decide how to use it."