By Maria Baldwin, EIU OVC Extra Reporter

** Note  ** Eastern Illinois will compete in the 2016 NCAA Midwest Regional on Friday, Nov. 11 in Iowa City, Iowa...

A study was conducted that finalized that a student athlete gives 40 hours of their week to their sport.

In that amount of time, an athlete's teammates become family, due to consistent struggles, mutual happiness during success, and the highs and lows of being an athlete at a high level.

The Eastern Illinois cross country team, however, takes the term family-in-sport, and gives it a different meaning.

Junior Lea Viano and seniors Julie James and Riley McInerney, have a different type of family bond, that started before they were even born.

All three of their fathers ran cross country at EIU, and two of them even share a national cross country championships title.

Lea's father Mike, Julie's father Bill, and Riley's father John all played a major role in their child's commitment to the program, without trying to sway them to coming to EIU.

For all three, the experiences when they witnessed their fathers together, reminiscing and talking about their times together made them eager to have their own similar experiences at Eastern.

"My dad loves EIU, so he always wanted me to go, although he knew I was looking at other places." Lea said. "He, my mom, and my sister all went to EIU, so that helped me make the decision."

For Mike, it's all about having fun watching his daughter at meets and in her life, chasing dreams on a similar course that he ran on at Eastern.

"I remember running for EIU and it was such a special time." Viano said. "I have been blessed to have Lea running in college, and truly enjoy going to the meets watching all the current EIU runners have fun and race hard."

Not only does Mike love watching Lea race, but he also loves going to the meets and looks forward to them because of two special friends that he gets to see.

"I am so excited when I get to a meet and see Mac and Bill because they are so excited also." Mike said. "Reason being, it brings you back from so many years ago and to watch them being as into the races their watching as I am."

Even after so many years apart from his teammates, he still considers his cross country teammates, his brothers.

"It's just a close family of distance runners that understand the ups and downs of the sport and celebrate when it's a good day and are sad on the bad days." Mike said. "The best memories I have are how Coach Tom Woodall always cared about every runner, the fastest to the slowest. Mac and Bill were very talented and intense runners. I never got to be on the national championship team, but the legacy they left will last forever."

Lea still feels the family connection and the legacy left behind when her dad and his old teammates are at the races.

"I feel a connection to EIU when he comes and watches me race." Lea said. "When he's not here, I don't like it. It means so much to me that he was a part of the team to, years ago, because he understands."

Just as Mike would bring Lea to Eastern when she was younger, Julie can recall coming to Eastern when she was young, and the family atmosphere she experienced was one that stuck with her when she was searching for colleges.

 "Growing up I remember going to cross country meets at Eastern before I was even a runner." Julie said. "I remember going to EIU cross country reunions, and seeing all of the alumni together, I realized that they were a family, and all these years later, they still are."

It's not hard to notice the love of EIU running that Mike, Bill, and John (Mac) have while they are together, and the fact that they can share it together and with their children makes it more special.

"They all just love the sport so much, and after all these years they are still friends and still have a bond with their coach." Julie said. "It's so cool having teammates whose dads were in the program, it's sweet to see that the tradition is still alive."

And the family tradition and legacy of her children running at Eastern is exactly what Julie wants to happen in the future. 

"Hopefully my kids come here someday." James said. "Our dads are a part of the team who won nationals. I love hearing the stories whenever they are together at meets now, because I'm living the exact same story they were telling us when we were young."

Unlike Lea and Julie, Riley's playground was O'Brien Field, because his father coached Eastern cross country while he was a child.

 "EIU is home to me." McInerney said. "A lot of kids want to get out of their hometowns, but I just felt super comfortable here. I grew up with Eastern, being around EIU cross country my entire life, I always had it in my blood."

While Riley vaguely remembers going to cross country meets when he was a little kid, he would go to his dad's practices when he was coaching, and play around at practice.

"My cousin ran at Eastern as well, and I remember messing around with him while he was practice." Riley said. "We were always travelling, and I remember I got to even ride on the bus with the team as a kid," Riley said.

While Riley knew Lea from running camps, Julie was the one who he really didn't know until they were teammates, Riley said.

 "I remember at the state track meet in eighth grade our parents introduced us, and it was as awkward as can be." Riley said. "Now I can ask them how their families are, and all of our families keep in touch all the time. It's so nice because we were already family friends technically, so heading into college it made us closer because we could relate."

From their father's experiences at Eastern and the winning tradition left behind, Lea, Julie, and Riley all share a special bond, much like their father's.

Through this, the Eastern Illinois cross country team is not just a team bonded through practices, wins, and losses, but is a family bonded for life, through their love for running and for the tradition that will continue to drive the program to success.