CLINTON, Iowa - Ashford University junior cross country runner Andrew Drinkall of Hooppole, Ill., enjoyed a breakout performance at the recent William Penn Invitational in Oskloosa.

He clocked in the fifth-best 8K time (27:46) in school history while finishing 10th individually in a competitive field featuring many counterparts from the Midwest Collegiate Conference.

Drinkall stopped by to chat with AshfordAthletics.com for a question-and-answer session covering everything from the current season, his thoughts on qualifying for the NAIA national meet and a secret, hidden talent.

AshfordAthletics.com: Talk a little bit about your last race at the William Penn Invitational. Aht what point did you realize you had one of the top times in school history?

Andrew Drinkall: When we showed up, there was some snow on the ground and we were a little bummed about that. I don't mind running in the snow and others use it as an excuse as to why they're not performing very well. I take that as my advantage and it allows me to perform better. I just wore a hat and gloves out there.

Normally, (Head) Coach Tyson (Graham) is waiting for us at the first mile to tell us what are times are, but for some reason the times were off, and he told me just to keep going. I don't wear a watch and I had no idea what time I was at until I made it to the third mile where Coach (Chris) Adams told me my split and I was shocked.

Once I arrived at the fourth mile, Coach Tyson was there telling me I was in 10th place.

AA.com: How difficult is it to stay warm when it's that cold outside? Did you have trouble maintaining your footing?

Drinkall: The first mile was cold but then after that I started to warm up and my body went numb. During warm-ups it was hard to stay warm because the snow was still down everywhere, but luckily the girls went first and packed most of the snow in the ground.

AA.com: What would you say has been the biggest difference for you personally from last year as a sophomore to this year?

Drinkall: It really helps having people to run with because made it a lot easier for me and pushes me to do better. Ray (Rivera) and Rafa (Crisosto) have been pushing me hard and I'm trying to answer their challenge(s).

AA.com: Can you describe your typical pre-race routine? What do you eat? Any superstitions?

Drinkall: I normally just go with it; I don't do any thing different then just warm up with the team and run a few miles. The way I look at it is that you have five miles to warm up. Honestly, I just eat what's in the café. That does me good.

AA.com: What's the highlight of your hometown in Hooppole, Ill.?

Drinkall: Nothing pretty much (laughs). It's a small town of 150 people. Everybody knows each other, but there's no gas station, no place to eat, nothing to do. Quad Cities is where we usually go and that's about 45 minutes away.

AA.com: What's the toughest thing about cross country that someone new to the sport might not understand?

Drinkall: Mental toughness is critical. It's the hardest part, because when you run two miles, you still have three miles to go. That is what the hardest part is for me because last year was my first year running cross country.

AA.com: What kind of mental challenges do you feel during a race?

Drinkall: Fatigue is the biggest challenge and then I would have to say the weather is next. It's not snow that is so bad, but it's the wind that is the worst part. Then the course would be next."

AA.com: Talk about the team a little bit. What kind of chemistry do you and some of your teammates have?

Drinkall: We all get along really well during practice and outside of practice. During practice we have our packs, like me and Ray (Rivera) normally run together so we all have someone to run with and push us.

AA.com: How excited are you to have a shot at qualifying for the NAIA National Meet in Washington?

Drinkall: I think it would be awesome to go and an honor to represent Ashford University. Since I realized I have a chance at qualifying, I have tried in the last few weeks to push myself harder.

Since this was just my second year running cross country, I didn't really know what my full potential was until now. Knowing that I have a legitimate chance, I've worked really hard on pushing myself in last week's practice. Right now, it'd be pretty close, so I just need to keep working.

There's a kid from William Penn (University) that I'm hoping to stay with. Since it's my second year, I'm still learning how to pace myself. Coach Graham has been giving us good workouts and always lets us know where we're at in a race.

AA.com: What's your secret talent that the general student body might not recognize about you?

Drinkall: Madden (laughs). That's probably about it (laughs again). The Pittsburgh Steelers are my favorite team and Troy Polamalu is my favorite player.

AA.com: I hear the team practices on Wednesday with some intense games of Ultimate Frisbee? Don't be shy, how good are you and how nice is it to break up the week with a day of fun?

Drinkall: We actually suggested that idea to Coach Graham last year. He decided to give it a try this year. I think it helps out a lot because first of all, it gives us something to look forward to every week. Everybody on the team really enjoys playing and we still get a pretty decent workout because we're running a lot. I don't know about being a dominant player, but I do alright (laughs).