Senior Payne Ratliff is no stranger to success over his four years being a runner for the cross country team. He was part of the NCAA nationals team during his freshman year, but he didn’t run. Now, it’s his turn.
Ratliff won the OAC championship for cross country. Coupled with a fourth place finish at the Great Lakes regional championship, it was enough to be selected to race at the finals.
His success at the regional championship has been fueled since last year.
“Last year I finished 14th in the region, and I was the second guy out for making it," said Ratliff. "So it kind of was a chip on my shoulder to work on that next year to make it to nationals. It’s always been the goal.”
Ratliff has been working for this opportunity since he made it as a part of the team back in his freshman year. Despite the struggles he experienced during his athletic career, he said he believes he has become a better athlete for it.
“I’ve learned a lot and I’ve grown as an athlete and as a team leader, to kind of just keep pushing through and keep fighting and doing everything I’m supposed to, just so I can set myself up for success," Ratliff said.
That mindset is what Ratliff took with him into the meet on Saturday, Nov. 22 — the last race of his collegiate career.
“It’s my thought is, if I die a painful death, I went out there and I went out and tried to compete with the best,” he said.
Ratliff said he is also fueled by the support system surrounding him and the pride he feels running for the Cardinals one last time.
He has recognized the support he has had coming from not only his family but also his teammates as well.
“I have 15 guys on the team that are going to drive down and go watch me run," said Ratliff. "So just knowing that I have that backing, it’s going to be prideful just to be able to wear that jersey one more time.”
Head coach Matt Sutton said that he has seen the growth in Ratliff through the years and couldn’t be more proud of him reaching his goal.
“Payne has worked really hard for this," said Sutton. "He set his eyes on this goal a long time ago, and it’s really cool to see him work over the years to, you know, learn from mistakes that he’s made and just grow as an athlete and a person too.”
Ratliff ran on Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Despite not becoming an All-American, he ended up placing 96th in the country.
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