Run Buffs Run!

You've only been running a few months?? Pretty good PR's if that's true! Sometimes training doesn't pay off for months or even years, as you accumulate "lifetime base". Stick with it during the frustrating times, as those times will drop sharply in response to good training. Hopefully it will be this year, but it may be next year, or the year after that. Sometimes there is a time lag between hard training and the rewards you reap from it. In D-I, I think you can run until you're 25, so even if you don't get on the team this year, you can still get 4 years in if you do grad school or a long undergrad. Good luck!

Nick - 28:40 on grass (was it on grass?) is a very decent time. As Paul said, you need to be patient, and let the time do the job of building your endurance as you train. The two mile steam loss is an indicator you need to do more tempo runs. Keep doing them.

Definitely do what you can to start training with the team.

Nick - In response to what you post on my blog - I starting running track back in 6th grade, got serious about it after 10th grade, and then started running XC in 11th grade. I ran about 16:20 on grass for 5k in high school, and immediately dropped a minute off that once I entered a collegiate program. Part of it was better training methods, part of it was natural physical development, part of it was running with 15 other guys equal to or faster than me, and part of it was simply learning how to push through pain and how to race. I couldn't believe how much I hurt during my year year of collegiate racing. I think just running with a team in itself will make anyone a lot faster. It's quite common for some people to actually get slower post-collegiately, because they start training by themselves (myself included). So for you to get on the team, even if you're not traveling with them at first, will help you make a huge jump in your running level. It's not just the training, but you can also pack up with teammates during races and literally get dragged to huge PR's.