Stop Me Project

Howdy & aloha! Airey Bros Radio laces up with Coach Chase Englestead, Head Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Coach at Snow College (Richfield/Ephraim, UT). Hired in 2024 to launch the Badgers’ program, Chase already has the men ranked #6 and women #7 in the NJCAA national poll. We dig into Utah’s deep distance culture, JUCO recruiting, elevation training (5,300–10,000 ft), Lydiard-inspired aerobic development (with selective double-threshold), the benefits of a tight small-campus setup, LDS mission maturity, and why Snow wants to make D1s nervous at invites—then points to Fort Dodge in November and the NJCAA Half Marathon.What you’ll learnHow to build a brand-new JUCO XC program into a national Top-10 in two yearsWhy Snow College’s elevation, trails, housing, and price are a recruiting cheat codeTraining philosophy: big aerobic base, thresholds, strength, and when double-thresholds make senseCulture > times: selecting athletes who raise the standard and stick with the processHow roster caps + Utah’s pi