Eells breaks 15-year record at Nazareth

There’s a long list of Ithaca High alumni who have gone on to excel in their collegiate careers. But not many can say they hold a school record.

On Jan. 28, Cade Eells set a new milestone for the 3,000-meter run at Nazareth College with a time of 8:39.06. The old record was in place for 15 years, with Eells beating Brendan Epstein’s mark by just 1.35 seconds. What made this feat even more special was that it was done on his home track, as Nazareth was the host of that weekend’s Conference Challenge Cup.

“I didn’t think I’d be close to breaking the school record,” Eells said. “My teammates told me after I finished that I broke the record. It was just an amazing feeling to know that I ran that at our home track and knowing that my family was there seeing me and all my friends watching me and all my teammates supporting me.”

The mental aspect of any races, whether it be for cross-country or for track and field events, is extremely crucial. Eells shared what he does to prepare psychologically before and during each race.

“Before the races, I just like to lock in with music, and I just try to clear my mind and just think about what I would like to do and what I see myself doing,” Eells said. “While I’m racing, there’s honestly not a lot going through my mind. I try to keep it in a flowing state. I just try to be aware of the people around me that I’m racing with so I don’t disengage. I feel like the most important thing is trying to stay engaged and knowing where you are and how you want to race according to everyone around you.”

The physical side of preparing for events is equally as important as the mental side. With Eells having years of training dating back to his time with the Little Red, that hard work breeds confidence for the sophomore standout.

“Before races, we always do the same warm-up [and] the same drills,” Eells said. “That type of consistency allows you to stay focused and eliminates a lot of errors and possibilities that may happen because you know that you’re doing the same thing every time, so you’ve just got to focus on what you need to do.”

Unlike other sports, track and field athletes have to do multiple events in the same day. Since Eells is a long-distance runner, he typically has to do one or two events at each meet, while sprinters usually do at least three. But the physical toll it takes on Eells is just as taxing as it does on his teammates.

“It definitely is hard on your body knowing you just raced for nine minutes straight and knowing you have to get back into it later in the day,” Eells said. “You just have to listen to your body and make sure you’re not pushing yourself too hard. But you just go out there and try to make sure that you’re giving all you’ve got for each event you have.”

Eells’ record-breaking performance isn’t too surprising considering that he dominated in cross-country last season, winning the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and making the all-conference first team. He’s translated that success over to the track this time around, but there are some key adjustments he has to make in between seasons.

“Cross-country is obviously a lot longer,” Eells said. “It’s 8,000 meters compared to 3,000. The terrain is also flat in track. You have to get used to that environment and know that it’s going to feel different, but it’s going to be okay and you just have to push through that either way.”

Along with cross-country and track and field, Eells also played basketball for the Little Red. As a three-sport athlete, Eells certainly learned a lot during his time at Ithaca High, especially through his coaches.

“I had a lot of great coaches that helped me a lot mentor-wise,” Eells said. “Being a student-athlete and knowing that you’re gonna have practice two to three hours a day, your Saturdays are pretty much gone. That is transitioned perfectly to college because we do the exact same—if not worse—with more time running and competing. Knowing how to balance and keep your work ethic in school and in your sport has been applied to my collegiate career so perfectly.”

Eells’ milestone time in the 3K helped him qualify for the NCAA Regional Championship, which will take place Mar. 3-4. In the meantime, Eells looks to finish out the regular season on a high note.

“Most people will probably be like, ‘Oh you broke the school record, there’s not much [more] you can do,’ but I still want to get one for the mile,” Eells said. “I just want to keep staying competitive and hopefully it’ll transition perfectly into regionals and I can just finish strong there and not get tired out.”