Throughout its history and especially in recent years, Villanova’s cross country program has had major success at the national level. The recent success on the men’s team is due in large part to the success and leadership of redshirt junior Casey Comber.

The Horsham, PA native was not always the highly dedicated runner that he is now, though. During his freshman year of high school, Comber played soccer and ran track before turning to a new sport the following fall. “I really enjoyed running with my friends, so sophomore year I ended up running cross country,” Comber explained. 

Since his start seven years ago, Comber has taken off and never looked back. Last winter, Comber was named a first team All-American in the distance medley relay. To follow that performance, he helped the team’s distance medley relay and 4xmile relay teams claim first place titles at the Penn Relays in the spring. This fall, Comber took home both the Big East and NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional cross country titles and earned a 34th place individual finish at the NCAA Division One National Championship. “You always measure your progress one way or another,” Comber said. “That was the step I wanted to take this cross country season.”

While his personal accomplishments are plentiful and continue to accumulate, Comber remains focused on the success of his team. “The highlight of the season was definitely when we made nationals as a team,” Comber stated, citing Syracuse and Arkansas as top programs that the Wildcats overcame on their way to a 23rd place finish as a team. “We think that we’ll have an even better team next year,” he added, expressing hope for a top 10 finish in the national meet next season.

In addition to making nationals as a team for a second consecutive season, Comber has his sights set high on various other goals for the future. “I’m looking forward to running some fast miles and 3K’s, hopefully I’ll go under four minutes in the mile and try to make nationals,” he said, mentioning that he would also like to qualify for nationals in the 5K during the spring season. After his time at Villanova, Comber aims to compete in the 2020 Olympic trials and qualify for either the 5K or 1500 meters. “If all goes well, I’d love to be running there,” he said.

Outside of running, Comber enjoys golfing and playing basketball. He has volunteered for Special Olympics and Day of Service with the team each year. This spring, Comber plans to graduate with a degree in marketing and business analytics. He explained his potential plans to start a business with his brother, an engineer at Northeastern University, with whom he is very close with. Wherever he ends up in life, Comber is sure to continue his run to success.