The No. 5 BYU Cougars women’s cross country team are a product of a legacy of champions. From the moment student-athletes join the program, they are reaffirmed by this legacy as they create and navigate their own journey. Then, when all is said and done, these Cougars take the lessons they have learned and hand them down for the next women up. That ability, in turn, creates a culture of sisterhood, trust, resiliency and champions.
A perfect example of this comes in senior Aubrey Frentheway.
There likely comes a time during an athlete's career when they realize, “why not me?” That is exactly what occurred for Frentheway. “Where I fell in love with this sport was the progression,” she said. “I learned that I wanted to get better. I wanted my times to be faster and that’s where I fell in love with the improvement and the journey of succeeding and fighting through the lows.” For her, cross country was something to be a part of.
With hard work, dedication and determination, she embraced her dream of attending BYU as she took to the track. The legacy of BYU resonated with Frentheway then and still to this day. “I always wanted to go to BYU. It was my dream as a kid to come to BYU,” she stated. “As I got older in high school, I originally thought there was no way I could run there, the team’s too good. As I got older, I realized, ‘Oh, it is a possibility’ during my recruitment my senior year.”
What drew Frentheway in was her love of the team, the culture, the sisterhood and her coach Diljeet Taylor. Now entering her senior season with the Cougars, it's Frentheway’s turn to inspire and lead her team to do the same for those BYU hopefuls.
Perhaps born a natural leader and mentor, as Frentheway hopes to enter the education field post-graduation teaching Math at the junior high and high school levels, there are things she has definitely learned during her time at BYU that will translate from the track to the classroom. The greatest lesson so far for her has been trust.
“It’s patience, resilience and trust”, Frentheway stated, “That’s what those before me taught me. To be patient with your own journey, trust Coach Taylor and yourself, and be resilient.”
Though the work isn’t always easy holding up the legacy, the way this team finds the motivation to be their best at the starting line is firmly grounded in their trust in one another and in their coach. Taylor ensures her team always puts their best foot forward.
So then what does it take to uphold a history of champions? As a mentor, as a coach, the answer is quite simple, yet quite complex. “I learned to champion other people, that’s what coaching is,” Taylor said. “I think when you have people that trust you to be in a space to show up, it’s really important that you do that. There are moments during the year when it gets harder or the emphasis is less on me, but I do get re-energized by what I love and that is coaching.”
BYU created a champion mindset from the beginning. “We apply it differently depending on the type of women that are in the program,” Taylor explained, “But those principles, values and standards of our team have stayed the same. It’s faith, trust and love built on gratitude.”
Those foundational principles are what Taylor hopes her teams carry with them as they head off into the world - to be a source of inspiration for the next generation through building up those around them and celebrating other people’s successes.
So then what can we expect from this champion-oriented team heading into the WCC Championship?
“Expect us to be lining up and being our best,” said Frentheway. “That’s all you can ask for is to line up and be grateful and ready to give your best.”
“We look to be putting our best seven forward, and I’m not sure we have had the opportunity yet to do that,” Taylor said. “I think you can expect to see a group of women that are going to fight for each other.”
Taylor also expressed her excitement for the growth of this team ahead of the championship season. “I’m liking how we are coming together at this point in the season," Taylor said. "This is a program that typically gets good by the end of October and November. I’m looking forward to how they come together and what result comes from that.”
The 2022 WCC Cross Country Championships take place Friday, Oct. 28, from Fernhill Park in Portland, Ore. The women's 6K race begins at 10 a.m. PT, while the men's 8K race starts at 11 a.m. PT. Tune in to the WCC Network live stream, and check out the WCC Championship Central home page for more information.