The 2014 season for the San Diego City College men’s cross-country team is not going as expected after receiving news that the team’s No. 2 runner, freshman Abdullah Moulin, is most likely out for the season with a hip and hamstring injury that has kept the star runner on the sidelines.

“I think if he comes back too soon and he keeps getting hurt; it’s not doing anything good for his confidence. As a coach I’m looking out for the best interest of the athlete and not necessarily looking out for the best interest of where we do as a team. Not to say I don’t want to do well as a team – because I do but I want to protect the athlete first and foremost and then look out for the best interest of the team as a whole,” said Head Coach Paul Greer.

Greer went on to say that he recommended to Moulin to redshirt so he doesn’t lose a year of competing and that his number one goal is to get him healthy for next season and not to rush him back with only a few more races left in the season.

Men’s cross-country struggled at the Foothill Invitational in Ontario on Oct. 3 where the team finished last out of eight teams.

On Sept. 20 at the San Diego Aztec Invitational in Mission Bay Park, the team finished second out of six teams but since four of the teams weren’t full squads – City College finished second behind Mesa College in the team standings.

Although freshman runner Antonio Cota has raced well for the Knights along with freshman Sawiros Haile who has the potential to fill the number two spot on the team; the team doesn’t have the depth to make up for the loss of Moulin midway through the season.

The coaches were expecting big things out of their freshman filled team. On paper the team was looking strong but midway through the season and after losing one of their top runners to injury, the team is struggling to gain momentum during the most crucial part of the season and are now looking to use this season as a rebuilding year for next season.

“For the first time in a long time; we have athletes that competed at the varsity level in high school sports, so we were very optimistic coming in but the results haven’t shown that. We finished dead last in our first meet at Palomar; we finished technically in last place at the Aztec Invitational because we were second out of two (teams) and then we finished last again at the Foothill Invitational,” said Greer. “So it’s a rebuilding year – we got some kids that have the ability but they need some maturing and we are hoping that they gain some experience for next year.”

The season may have not been what the team was expecting, but Coach Greer went on to say, “This is one of the best groups I have ever had with good attitude and good team unity – one of the best I’ve had in 25 years.”