It was a surprise to nobody when senior Cole Hocker crossed the finish line first at the State cross-country meet last month, helping his team capture State runner-up honors, the highest finish for a men’s cross-country team in the history of the school. 

On Nov. 11, Hocker went to the Nike Cross Midwest Invitational Championship in Terre Haute and finished first with an official time of 15:06. His next race will be on Nov. 24 in Kenosha, Wisconsin for the Footlocker Midwest Regional Championship.

A week after the State meet, he answered a reporter’s questions about his running experience, his thoughts about the men’s team finishing State runner-up at the meet in Terre Haute and his college plans. 

Q: What was your reaction crossing the finish line? 

A: Crossing the line was a great feeling and was just evidence of all of the hard work I have put in and all of the help from my coaches, family and anyone else that has supported me along the way.

Q: What do you believe was your biggest success this season? 

A: My biggest success this season was without a doubt winning the State title, but I hope to have more success in the next few weeks as I look to qualify to the National meets.

Q: Did you leave the legacy on Cathedral cross-country that you hoped to?

A: Coming into Cathedral as a freshman the records looked very hard to get, but every year it became more possible and I believe that I have left my stamp on Cathedral running, but it would not be possible without the help of others.

Q: How were the dynamics of the State team?  Was it fun and encouraging running alongside those other guys?

A: This has been the closest team that I have ever been on and I think that contributes to our success. It made the state tournament a lot more enjoyable compared to my sophomore year when I was alone.

Q: What are your plans moving forward? Do you plan to run in college? Any idea of where? 

A: I definitely am running in college but right now I am between about six schools (Oregon, Colorado, Indiana, Syracuse, Northern Arizona, Portland) and have a few more visits to take after the season.

Q: What is the focus now going into the offseason as the weather gets colder and it becomes harder to train outside?

A: The focus now is on the National meets and I hope I can qualify and do as well as I can. The team never skips a beat concerning the weather no matter how cold or snowy it is. In my four years at Cathedral we have never canceled a workout due to weather.

Q: I know you also run track, so how is cross-country different than that? Is there different training involved?

A: Track is faster and more tactical so we incorporate a little more speed training compared to cross-country.

Q: Any other information readers should know?

A: Follow my Instagram: @colehocker.