Senior Phil Abbott runs with determination — his eyes gaze down his path as he pushes his teammates on the men’s cross country team to do the same.

Abbott came into school more timid, but with the help of upperclassmen, he said he developed friendships that helped him as an athlete and a person.

“It was a good team dynamic,” he said. “You go to dinner together. They make it easy for you as far as getting along with people and having a group. I don’t really know who my friends would be if I wasn’t on the cross country team.”

Freshman Billy Savage has only been on the team for a year but said he has felt Abbott’s full impact on the team. Savage said Abbott is one of the hardest-working and most dedicated members of the team.

“When you see someone working that hard, you look up to that,” Savage said. “You want to work just as hard as them. If they’re running well and working extra hard, then maybe you should too.”

This season, Abbott’s hard work has led him to continue as one of the team’s top runners. He was the team’s top finisher at the Oswego Invitational, placing fifth. He also finished 18th at the Empire 8 Championships.

Abbott, who has been an athlete most of his life, was a soccer player before becoming a runner in high school. After his brother, Jeff, graduated from high school, Abbott joined the cross country and track teams to follow in his brother’s footsteps. He lettered three times and competed in the state championship those three years.

Though he followed his brother’s trend by joining his high school team, Abbott’s decision to come to Ithaca College was made on his own, even though his father and brother, who are both named Jeff, graduated from the college in 1980 and 2007, respectively.

“I came for the sound recording program,” Abbott said. “It’s one of the better programs in the nation. Only five people get in per year.”

Once on the cross country team his freshman year, Abbott finished with a season-best time of 27:28 at the Empire 8 Championships and a season-best finish of 16th at the Highlander Invitational in Houghton, N.Y.

After his freshman year, Abbott’s numbers took off. He was one of the college’s top-six finishers his sophomore year. He had a career-best time of 27:02 at the Roberts Wesleyan Invitational, placed 18th at the Empire 8 Championships and placed 69th at the New York State Collegiate Track Conference Championships.

Junior year, Abbott only ran in four races, placing a season-best 12th at the Highlander Invitational and running a season-best 27:16 at the Empire 8 Championships.

Fellow senior and captain Curt Bell has run with Abbott for four years at the college. Bell said he believes Abbott has really stepped up his performance this year.

“This year especially, he’s really come back,” Bell said. “He’s trained very smart, very hard. He’s been racing well for us.”

Savage said Abbott is always willing to put in extra work, which helps the entire team.

“If [Head Coach Jim Nichols] asks if you want to extend the workout or the distance run for a little bit longer, [Abbott] will always opt to extend it,” Savage said. “How he always wants to go the extra mile in training pushes everyone along.”

Bell said Abbott’s commitment to the team has had a positive impact in many facets.

“You can always depend on him,” Bell said. “He’s always the guy who’s up for doing everything he can to make himself and the team better.”