For freshman Henry Weisberg, running in his first collegiate race was something he'll never forget.
 
"I realized what this really was in the first race at NAU," Weisberg said. "I went out and in the first 200 I went out so hard. I went out with the top group and absolutely died. I was like 'oh wow, this isn't high school anymore, these guys are good."
 
Weisberg clocked a time of 24:27.1 in the 4.5 mile George Kyte Classic to finish in 18th place overall, and second on Arizona's roster.
 
"I was pretty confident," Weisberg continued, "I always try to go into races confidently and want to be competitive. I learned to stay within myself and keep a pace that I could hold for the whole race."
 
The Reno, Nev. native hasn't had a rough transition to Tucson coming from a similar climate, and having his family's support has been a huge factor in his early success.
 
"They're very supportive, they love it," Weisberg said. "My dad is always a little worried about the academic side of things, but he trusts that I can manage everything."
 
Weisberg would go on to a strong showing at home, inking an eighth-place finish with a time of 19:55.9 in the 6K Dave Murray Invitational. Weisberg's finishes have both counted towards the team competitions in the George Kyte Classic and Dave Murray Invitational, the only freshman on Arizona's roster to do so.
 
Being a freshman, Weisberg has taken direction from teammates who have been in the program and praises their support in what has been a smooth transition.
 
"The guys have been great," Weisberg added. "They remind me to have fun with it."
 
Weisberg caught the running bug at a young age and praises his family for their continued support, but the freshman might not be running cross country if not for his parents signing him and his brother up for karate. A third degree black belt in the discipline, Weisberg liked that he was much faster than his peers, prompting him to run in high school.
 
"We did some running in karate, and I was always the fastest," Weisberg said. "I went out for the cross country team my freshman year, and I loved running so much that I decided to go with it."