Cross-country runner Ciara Gillen (senior) placed 14th at the 2023 SCIAC Cross Country Championships, running the 6k race in 23.12.3 minutes and earning All-SCIAC Second Team for her performance. According to Occidental Athletics, her performance was 30 seconds faster than her previous race at the NCAA DIII Pre-Nationals and set a new personal record.
“I was really happy with how I did,” Gillen said. “I did not have my best race a few weeks ago [at] Pre-Nationals. I was really wanting to make a comeback this week and I definitely think I did that.”
Teammate Renn Stearns (junior) said Gillen did not compete consistently in her junior season due to an injury but made an incredible comeback in the Spring track and field season with breakout times.
“[Gillen] was so motivated after not being able to race and compete to the level that she wanted in that prior cross-country season,” Stearns said. “She really came back and had a great performance at SCIACS when it mattered.”
According to teammate Merrick Hoel (junior), Gillen has been a role model for her and her teammates both on and off the course. Hoel said Gillen has taken on a leadership role and has inspired the team with her motivation to perform to the best of her ability.
“She has a drive like no other. Every day, she shows up ready to work hard and that’s something a lot of people on the team can admire,” Hoel said.
Gillen said she began her athletic career as a softball player but picked up cross country as her second sport in high school to keep herself active during the off-season. Gillen said running has become a great outlet for her that makes her happy and helps keep herself accountable.
“Running is something you can do on your own time,” Gillen said. “I’m going to continue running, probably for the rest of my life.”
According to Occidental Athletics, the women’s cross-country team will compete Nov. 11 at the NCAA West Region Championship Meet, following their fourth-place finish at the SCIAC Cross Country Championships.
“I’m hoping for a really good performance from myself and my teammates at Regionals in a few weeks. We’ve shown a lot of progress as a team and it’s really exciting to see it all coming together this year,” Gillen said.
Aidan Lindhe-Johan
The 2023 SCIAC Championships Oct. 28 featured three top-30 finishers from Occidental in the men’s race and a fifth-place team finish. Distance runner Aidan Lindhe-Johan (senior) finished 29th out of 131 athletes with a 26.17.1 minute 8k race, making him the fastest senior on Occidental’s men’s team.
“Run[ning] at SCIACs was a fun experience,” Lindhe-Johan said. “It was a solid race for our team and for me, in particular.”
According to teammate Amir Barkan (junior), Lindhe-Johan had trained hard in practices, and he had made huge strides with his performance at the SCIAC Championships.
“At Riverside, [Lindhe-Johan’s] performance was a huge jump for him in terms of his fitness and his level. I know that’s just waiting to come out again,” Barkan said.
Lindhe-Johan said he had switched from soccer to cross-country as a sophomore in high school and continued to train hard to pursue running competitively in college. He said playing a sport throughout college taught him to balance his schedule and work hard to achieve his goals.
“[Playing] a sport in college teaches you how to create a habit of working really hard. Hopefully that will carry forward into things I choose to do in the future,” Lindhe-Johan said.
Teammate Renn Stearns (junior) said Lindhe-Johan is a hard-working individual both academically and athletically and his work ethic is a source of inspiration across the team.
“He is a highly motivated person and that really transfers well into pushing [the team] to achieve [their] goals, whether they are just leapfrog goals or really big goals,” Stearns said. “[His] presence is important on the team, especially as we aspire to bigger and better things.”
Both Stearns and Barkan described Lindhe-Johan as a high-achieving individual who sets high standards for himself and consistently aspires to improve.
“I think [Lindhe-Johan] wasn’t pleased with his [last two] performances even though the team was, so he really is hard on himself but in a way that furthers him towards his goals,” Stearns said.
Barkan said that Lindhe-Johan can be very critical of himself about races, but he is excited to see Lindhe-Johan perform at his full potential.
“He’s a perfectionist when it comes to competing. He can be hard on himself, but he just works really hard, and I admire that about him,” Barkan said. “He cares a lot about running and about the team and it shows in his tenacity and his work ethic.”
Contact Trisha Bhima at Bhima@oxy.edu
