CoJo—it sounds like gibberish to most people, but for the cross country team, that’s our assistant coach, Josiah Sherwood.

Starting my freshman year, Sherwood came back as a Liberty cross country alumni to help coach the team. From the day he started, he showed interest in every runner on the team; it didn’t matter if we were underclassmen or upperclassmen or if we were fast or slow; he just wanted to get to know us and help us get better.

CoJo runs with us everyday simply because he loves running and loves getting to know us. Since my senior year, he has kept up with not only my training, but also my life. He always encourages everyone on the team to have fun and do their best, and we can always count on him to be proud of us.

He comes with us to all of our meets, cheers us on, and carries around a camera with him the whole time. From the classic “CoJo selfie” to his inspiring talks and helpful running advice, CoJo has made my running experience, and the team’s running experience, more meaningful and fun.

On the special occasion, he’ll even bring his big Bernese Mountain dog, Rutherford, to some of our meets. In a sense, Rutherford has become our mascot over the years.

CoJo has made a lasting impact on this team, and I won’t forget his friendliness and desire to help me from the first day I started to now.