Mustang Cross Country Runner Joins Team USA for 2020 Pan Am Cross Country Cup

Silver City, NM – A Western New Mexico University Mustang cross country runner will represent Team USA at the 2020 Pan Am Cross Country Championships on Saturday, February 29, 2020.

The Pan Am Cross Country Cup is in Victoria, Canada, where Daniel Beam and the five other Team USA runners will navigate a hilly and sandy 8-kilometer course.

Beam’s placement at the 2020 USATF Cross Country Championships in San Diego, California, a few weeks ago assured him the chance to race for the red, white and blue.

“I’m really excited to be going. Obviously, I’d like to do well — run a smart race and maybe help Team USA bring home the gold for the men’s 8k race,” he said.

Other U20 Team USATF runners include Evan Bishop of East Grand Rapids High School, Lucas Chung of St. Mary’s College, Alex Comerford of Syracuse University, Corey Gorgas of Northern Arizona University, and Jacob Harris of the University of Toledo.

Beam, who ran consistently during the fall collegiate cross country season, was named to the LSAC All-Conference list after a top finish at the 2019 Lone Star Conference Championships in October. At the end of the month, he’ll face off against athletes from all over the western hemisphere. “I don’t think my time will be anything incredibly fast, because the course looks treacherous — even though it is at a lower elevation.”

Beam is preparing for the championships on the roads and paths around the WNMU campus, which sits in the shadows of the Gila National Forest. “I get the hill training so easily. If I want to go anywhere I’m going up a hill, which has helped both physically and mentally. We do off-road runs and practice on the golf course so I’m getting used to the terrain, since the Pan Am Cross Country Cup is on a golf course. One of the biggest factors is we’re at 6,000 and Victoria’s at sea level. Training up in Silver City gives me that edge,” he said.

The freshman hails from Rio Rancho and is studying history and political science at WNMU. “While I was running at Rio Rancho High, I’d always been aiming to run in college. I looked at other universities, and they were nice but WNMU was more inviting,” he said.

Western New Mexico University freshman Daniel Beam, pictured, will represent Team USA at the 2020 Pan Am Cross Country Championships on Saturday, February 29.