BOONE, N.C. — When
Xavier Subotsch returned to Australia in May, he'd run to nearby Sandringham Beach.
That's close to his hometown of Melbourne, which was on the cusp of winter because of its location in the southern hemisphere.
Late-fall coastal workouts gave way to a mid-summer mountain climb earlier this week. After Appalachian State held its preseason conditioning test Tuesday night, members of the football team woke up early for a 6:30 a.m. run that opened with a length-of-the-field start through Kidd Brewer Stadium and finished atop Howard's Knob.
The end of the 2.8-mile run occurred at the entrance to a park that has a listed elevation of 4,396 feet – or more than 1,000 feet higher than the App State campus it overlooks. A time of 26 minutes, 26 seconds allowed Subotsch, a sophomore punter, to finish first.
"It's probably the hardest two miles I've ever run," Subotsch said. "It's definitely easier getting up there being 190 pounds rather than the guys that are 290, but those guys did a great job as well of getting up there. Going up that hill isn't easy."
Subotsch's first-place effort helped a group captained by defenders
Josh Thomas and
Austin Exford earn 2,000 points in the summer version of App State's "Battle for the Belt" competition.
Both of those upperclassmen had top-10 showings in the run to Howard's Knob, along with second-place
Kaleb Dawson, new first-team quarterback
Zac Thomas, reigning Knob run champion
Jake Henry, star running back
Jalin Moore,
Jace Frisbee,
Malik Williams and
Shemar Jean-Charles.
Jermaine McDaniel Jr. had a strong showing to rank first among App State's defensive and offensive linemen.
The goal of the workout, Assistant Athletics Director of Athletic Performance
Mike Sirignano said, was to challenge the Mountaineers both mentally and physically. After the run was completed by every team member, including running back
Daetrich Harrington, who is recovering from a knee injury suffered during spring practice, App State players returned to campus and went through a demanding squat workout.
"Every summer I try to string some events for a few days where it's not only physically strenuous, but the mental part is the biggest challenge," Sirignano said. "When camp gets tough or the season gets tough, kids can then reflect back and say, 'I've done some stuff that was a lot harder.' They can continue to push through adverse situations, so it's kind of an identity stamp."
It was certainly no day at the beach for Subotsch, who returned to Boone in better shape following a freshman season in which he delivered five punts of at least 50 yards, forced fair catches on 22 of his 55 attempts and had 16 punts downed inside the 20.
He said he's seeking more consistency as a sophomore, and a determined climb up the mountain has helped the left-footed punter get started on the right foot.
"It's about not giving up, getting to the top and just trying to do your best," Subotsch said. "No challenge is too great — that's the biggest thing."
