Flagler Men’s Cross Country Chases First-Ever Nationals Appearance

By Chloe Smith

The Flagler College men’s cross country team has one goal on Nov. 8: finish in the top three at the Southeast Regional Championships—and make school history. 

If the Saints can place in the top three teams at Wingate University, they’ll earn their first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II National Championships, something the program has been chasing for over a decade. 

“We have been beating our head against this wall since 2013,” Head Coach Brian Beil said. “And we’ve never made it through. And we’ve made it close so many times.” 

Last year might have been the closest they’ve ever come. The men’s team missed qualifying for nationals by just one point. They were in a qualifying spot through most of the race before dropping to fourth place in the final stretch.

Beil described it as “the most exciting men’s cross country race [he’s] ever been a part of.”

That heartbreaking finish lit a fire under this year’s team. Beil, who’s in his 15th season coaching at Flagler, says this is the best group he’s ever had. 

“I think when you look at this team on paper versus every other Flagler group we’ve ever had on the men’s side, last year was deep,” he said. “This year is just a little bit stronger and deeper. So I’d say from the on-paper point of view, it’s our best team.” 

The Saints brought back several top runners from last year, including seniors Will Stone, Finn Russell and Brandon Knieja, as well as junior Kaleb Hollins. They also added freshman Axel Dabe to the mix, who has brought a calm energy to a team of intense competitors. 

“He’s like the Yang to Brandon’s Yin,” Beil said. “Brandon is very, the old Franny, like, really aggressive. And Axel’s very passive and sort of calms things down, so he’s been a really welcome addition.” 

Beil was referring to Francisco (Franny) Ramirez, a 2024 graduate who was known for his intensity and focus last season. Ramirez was a driving force behind the team’s one-point miss at regionals. 

The team is also healthier compared to last year. Sophomore Miquel Fons is back after missing most of last season with injuries. Sophomore Romain Biguet is feeling more comfortable in his second year running in the United States. Hollins, who had a stress fracture that kept him out for two months after last season, is in much better shape. 

“I think more than anything, the health of the team right now is a lot better than it was a year ago,” Beil said. 

Before last year, trying to convince the team they could make nationals was difficult. Beil compared it to making promises without any proof. 

“It’s like recruiting without any real runners on your team,” he said. “You’re selling the dream. You’re selling the vision. ‘Hey, believe in me. I’m going to bring this program to the promised land. Trust me. Come on.’” 

But after coming so close last year, the team’s attitude has changed completely. 

“Now, they don’t just think they can,” Beil said. “They know they can.” 

The Saints got a preview of the regionals course earlier this season when they practiced and raced at Wingate. The course begins with a grueling uphill stretch through thick, heavy grass that lasts about 2,000 meters. 

“It’s an uphill start. That first 1,000 meters isn’t super comfortable,” Beil said. “There were a few takeaways, but that was one where it’s like, don’t get surprised by this and then freak out when you get through the first 2,000 meters [and] you’re like ‘Oh my gosh, I already feel bad.’”

Stone specifically asked to race instead of just doing a workout. Four years ago, as a freshman, he struggled with that same course during what was his first-ever 10-kilometer race. 

“I think it’s going to help us a lot being comfortable with that scenario,” Beil said of the challenging opening stretch. 

But things didn’t go according to plan on Oct. 11 at the Lewis Crossover in Illinois, the team’s last chance to make a statement before championship season. The Saints finished 14th as a team with an average time of 25:10 for the 8-kilometer race, which was not their goal. 

The race presented several challenges for the men from the get-go. Russel lost his shoe in the first 800 meters of the race after another runner accidentally spiked him in a crowded pack. Fons fell at the start of the race and was also spiked amid the chaos. Redshirt freshman Andrew Munnik didn’t finish the race. And only three runners—Stone, Dabe and Fons—managed to run personal best times. 

“I don’t know where their headspace is right now, and it’s a little bit frightening,” Beil said. “I think there’s a seed of doubt in everyone’s head who didn’t PR—and that’s literally all but three people.” 

To regain the team’s confidence, Beil has two key workouts planned. This past weekend, they ran repeat one-kilometer intervals, and the week between the conference championships and regionals, they’ll run repeat miles. Both are the same workouts the team ran last year, just before their best regional performance ever. 

“Run familiar workouts and have success,” Beil said. “Now, the flip side of that is it won’t do anything to help our confidence if they don’t go well.” 

The competition at regionals will be fierce. Anderson University is ranked in the top 20 in the country, and Catawba College is ranked 30th. 

“Even though the team on paper is better, it’s probably tougher,” Beil said of this year’s regional competition compared to last year’s. 

But a trip to nationals would mean absolutely everything to this program. Even the 2016 men’s team—the last Flagler men’s squad to win a conference championship—is following along. They were watching the team race at Lewis, and they’ll surely be watching regionals too. 

“They are as jazzed up for them to make it as they were for themselves,” Beil said. 

For Beil, making it to nationals would cap off 15 years of building the program toward this exact moment. 

“It would be validating for the program, for everybody who came before, like ‘finally,” he said. 

For the first-year assistant coach, Enola Savel—who ran for Flagler’s women’s cross country team before joining the coaching staff this fall—making nationals would be huge.

“I think it would be great,” Savel said. “It will boost their confidence and help us recruit good people. We will finally have an impact nationally, and people will know us better.”  

The Saints will compete at the Peach Belt Conference Championships on Oct. 25 in Milledgeville, Ga., before heading back to Wingate for regionals on Nov. 8. 

With familiar workouts, a previewed course and a healthy roster, everything the team needs is in place. Now it’s just about executing when it matters most: on race day. 

“They just have to show up,” Beil said. 

For more on the Flagler College men’s cross country team, visit https://flaglerathletics.com/sports/mens-cross-country.