When Missouri cross-country coach Marc Burns first met Teylar Adelsberger in 2014, he described her as a sponge that soaked up knowledge.
She would ask her new head coach questions every day at practice. What should she do in this situation? What should she change? What is this course like?
Today, a year later, it’s Burns checking in on Adelsberger during practice. He feels that Adelsberger, now a junior, has become a more independent learner.
“She’s really taken ownership in her success,” he said. “She’s the reason for her success because she has matured and she has grown as an athlete and she believes that she can do it.”
Adelsberger has displayed this growth in a breakout junior season. In cross-country, the top five runners from each school contribute to overall team point total. During Adelsberger’s freshman and sophomore years, she was rarely one of the Tigers’ scoring runners.
Now, she is consistently in the top-three.
“It’s been really rewarding,” Adelsberger said. “I really like the idea that I am actually contributing to the team this year … It’s been really nice to know that all my hard work is being able to help the team out.”
Burns has high hopes that Adelsberger will continue to develop going forward and is excited to see what she will do in the indoor and outdoor track seasons.
This season, Adelsberger broke into the top 50 finishers at the Southeastern Conference championship meet. If she continues to improve, Burns feels that Adelsberger will have a chance to place in the top-14 at next season’s SEC meet and earn All-SEC honors.
“I think she can do it,” he said. “I think that she just has to keep working hard, be patient, believe that she’s going to get there. And I think she does and I can’t wait to see her get there.”
Adelsberger feels that running next to sophomore Karissa Schweizer has been helpful in her progression. Schweizer is consistently the team’s top runner and qualified for the 2014 NCAA championships as a freshman. Adelsberger said she tries to keep reasonably close to Schweizer, which helps her during races.
Throughout the 2015 season, Adelsberger made a number of physical and mental changes that have helped her improve.
“I’ve been running a little bit more mileage this year and trusting myself that I can do it, telling myself that I’m strong enough to be up there during workouts and races,” Adelsberger said.
Nearly all of the Tigers top runners are returning for the 2016 season. Two of them, junior Kaitlyn Fischer and freshman Kate Smith, will compete next year after missing most of 2015 due to injuries.
With such a strong core of returning runners, Adelsberger feels that qualifying for the NCAA championships as a team is possible. The cross-country team will compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships on Nov. 13 and, if they place in the top two teams, will qualify for the national meet.
“If not this year then next year for sure,” she said.
Going forward, Burns is excited to see what the future holds for Adelsberger.
“She’s got a great attitude; she works really hard,” he said. “I’m just really excited to see her develop in the way she is and being a factor on this team. She’s an important piece of this program and (I’m) just thrilled to see her developing into one heck of a distance runner here at Mizzou.”
