Legacy keeps fifth year cross-country runner Jacob Warner up at night. Not all the time, but enough that he answers "Yes. I think about it way too much, sometimes at 1am when I should be asleep," when asked if he's thinking about it. The answer is quickly followed by a laugh.

It makes sense that Warner would spend considerable time thinking about his legacy since "it's been running since seventh grade." When he graduates with his MBA in December, he won't stop running, but he will have graduated from the collegiate team scene.

Running, as Warner points out, is "something you can do for life." For example, he points out that his mom has been running for her whole life. It is, in fact, partially her example of running, but mostly her continuous support that has allowed Warner to run for five and a half years in college.

"She's amazing. She's probably one of my biggest, if not my biggest inspiration," Warner declares, pointing out that he never wants to be in an interview where he doesn't acknowledge her support.

The sport is "completely dependent on yourself," Warner points out, describing why he stuck with running over all the other sports he "didn't take seriously" as a kid. With team sports like basketball or soccer you aren't always playing the position you want to be, whereas with running it's completely dependent on yourself.

He brings this up later in the interview too, when asked about the parts of being a student-athlete that other people don't see. Warner focuses on the mental aspect, admitting that it's a struggle sometimes to separate the mental well-being and mental identity from his running results. "It's a lot easier for somebody on the outside to say that it's all going to be ok, but they really don't know, because it really might not be," Warner states.

Warner wasn't always an UMSL Triton. Before arriving to campus, "I was very spiteful of where I was," he admits, "I felt like I had something to prove."

But, looking back now, Warner sees his transformation into learning to run for himself again, being "more appreciative and just enjoying the fruits of my labor of what I've done here." He does admit that it's only with the end approaching that he's started truly reflecting. He's gone through lasts before: last indoor season, last track and field season, but now it's the final goodbye.

When entering the transfer portal before the 2021 season, Warner was looking to be somewhere that wasn't a college town. "I just wanted a good coach that cared and would give the athletes the time they deserved," which Warner calls a "low bar" though was clearly the driving factor behind the decision to test the transfer waters.

"I got a world-class coach," he declares. Which wasn't necessarily a surprise because "I did a lot of research on Coach Steve [Picucci]." Most of that research showed the success Picucci had "on the women's side" which Warner wasn't sure how it would translate over to the men's side. Clearly, it translated because "he's been the greatest coach I've ever had."

Lest someone assume that Warner can say that because his time at UMSL has been perfect, Warner chooses to highlight his comeback from injury as a moment that sets Coach Steve apart.

"I had a lot of unflattering races," Warner states plainly. "Just knowing behind the scenes, knowing that he had my back all the time, was good to hear." He ties it back to his own coaching career, laughing about how sometimes his high school runners do things that he questions defending. But "knowing that Coach Steve is always there and always willing to go to bat for us...for me it's what inspires me to work harder."

Working harder and pushing the limits on what the team thinks they can accomplish is an important part of team culture. And it's that team culture that Warner most consistently highlights in the interview.

The program started and then COVID hit, making it difficult to build a culture from scratch. With a brand-new start, there were no expectations and no foundation to start from, the team had to build it as they grew with different experiences.

At the start, it was a struggle to build out a team and consistently have the personnel needed to make it feel like a real team environment. Now? "I can confidently say after we've gotten multiple area transfers into the school, that we have one of the best, if not the best, team cultures in St. Louis." That's special considering where the team was five years ago.

Building that team culture started after COVID. "It was Build-a-Bear as far as team culture goes," Warner offered with a grin. During his transfer process, Warner had been looking for something different in terms of team support but hadn't been looking to be part of building a culture. He's grateful for the opportunity he was given by entering a program in the process of crafting team culture.

Part of Warner's recruitment involved a candid discussion surrounding team culture. Picucci remembers "speaking with him about our culture or lack thereof. I told Jacob I need a leader, someone that will help me show these guys and future student athletes the right way to do this."

Warner came to UMSL to help jump start the team culture, and now "he is our leader and the heart and soul of this team. I know his teammates feel the same way, he was/is the catalyst to turn this group into a 'team'. Without him I don't know where we would be right now," Picucci finishes.

This year, his big, personal goal is to "break 30 minutes in the 10k." And, "either as a team or individually, go to nationals. I'd also like to win conference as a team," he adds.

The emphasis on the team appears even when Warner is reflecting on what his favorite memories are. His first is the "exact moment at the indoor conference championship when I went around the reigning conference champion." Warner finished third in that race, winning the first track medal in program history. But what he remembers the most is "the look on all my teammates face." He knows, "that was when we started thinking 'what can we actually do?' not just 'we're lucky to be here."

The other two moments that stick out for Warner also involve teammates. Finishing second and third in the 5k with Benjamin VandenBrink is his second favorite memory. Picucci made it a point to add that Jacob "took the lead after the first mile and pushed the pace for the next section of the race (5-6 laps). He knew that was his and Benjamin's best chance a being all conference that day." There's no way to tell what would have happened if Warner hadn't pushed the pace, but Picucci believes "if he doesn't do that, they are likely not all conference."

His third was racing in Maryville, Mo. at Northwest Missouri State University, coming back from injury. Unlike previous injury comebacks, "even though I was running slower than I had, I felt valued and that meant a lot to me." He specifically mentions his teammates and coach taking the time to support him before and during the race.

It's always about running for Warner, but it's not always about legacy. At least, it's not always about personal legacy. He takes a deep breath with a long exhale when asked what he hopes outlasts his time on the team. "I hope that everyone knows that the team is more important." He rephrases the statement to be more definitive, "It is the most important thing. I hope everyone is willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of the team."

That's not an answer Warner would have given five years ago when his college running journey started. But it's the only answer he gives now, looking back.