MADISON — Casey Clinger had a message for his wife, Morgan, after he crossed the finish line at Saturday’s NCAA cross-country championship: Hold on. I’m coming.
And he is. As his BYU teammates continue celebrating their first-place finish and BYU’s sweep of the team competitions, Clinger will board a plane home in hopes of making it in time for the arrival of their first child.
While Clinger was pushing himself to a sixth-place finish in the men’s race — he was the BYU men’s team’s top finisher — Morgan was watching on TV and, as Clinger said, trying to stay calm.
“We were trying to just think of one thing at a time. Morgan was at home trying to stay as comfortable as possible,” Clinger said after Saturday’s race and awards ceremony.
During the championship, Clinger seemed to do his best to keep his wife’s stress-level low. He stayed near the front of the pack throughout the 10K race and even led for a bit around the halfway point.
BYU, as a whole, had a more comfortable race than they expected after building a big early lead.
Once he was across the finish line, Clinger focused on celebrating — not his impending cross-country flight.
He shared hugs with teammates in the recovery area just past the finish line and joined in a rousing rendition of BYU’s fight song before doing media interviews.
“The main goal is just to have the best day today as possible and then I’m going to fly home,” Clinger said, noting that the baby is expected in the next few days.
Clinger added that he is about as nervous to become a dad as he was for Saturday’s race, but he knows Morgan “will be a great mom.”
“I’m super relieved that we had a great race today, and once I get home, I’ll feel even better that I’m going to be there for my wife,” he said.
