By Drew Bonifant

Tom Brown has always been a leader on the cross-country course. This year, he’s become a leader off it, as well.

“This year, he’s taken it to a new level,” said head coach Sherman Hart. “He’s stepped up to a leadership level, into what I’ve expected from him for a long time.”

There have never been doubts about Brown’s running ability, as he proved with a time of 26:56.2 at the Quinnipiac Invitational last Saturday, good enough for a second-place finish overall and first place for collegiate runners. The result earned him Colonial Athletic Association Runner of the Week honors for the second time in his Northeastern career.

“I just wanted to run tough during the race,” Brown said. “I just wanted to have a good year. It’s a great start, and I think I’m in a great spot for having a great year.”

While his finishes and times have been key to his team’s performance, his presence as a vocal leader has been just as vital.

“I’m pleased, not only on the course, but when he’s not competing as well,” Hart said. “Now he’s going after [his teammates] when they don’t do something right, and praising them when they do. He’s a lot more vocal, and there’s no better pressure than peer pressure.”

Brown said the nature of cross-country, which combines the times of a team’s runners to calculate the team’s score for the meet, discourages a selfish approach.

“Cross-country’s a team sport,” he said. “We try to do everything we can. Everyone’s important.”

Hart has also seen a change in Brown’s in-race philosophy, which he said has helped prompt better results.

“Confidence is a big thing, and he’s at full boom now,” Hart said. “[Earlier] he would go out and worry if he could win. Now, he has an attitude like ‘You’ve got to beat me.’

“I’ve seen him grow in maturity and confidence, which is huge in athletics.”

As for the future, Brown has some concrete goals, like a top-50 finish in the New England Meet Oct. 6 and as high a finish as possible in the conference meet, he said.

“I’m trying to be a little more competitive in races,” he said. “I just want to improve on them each time.”

Hart said he thinks Brown will do so.

“I just hope he continues to do what he’s doing, and keeps challenging himself,” Hart said. “We still haven’t seen the best of Tom Brown.”