The Observer, April 13, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 24
Petro leads super sophomores with help from great coaches
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Mike Petro prepares for each race the same way. Exactly one hour before his event begins, he runs a two-mile warm-up, stretches, and puts on his spikes.
"I don't have any superstitions," he said. "I just don't want to be rushed getting to the line. Maybe it's some childhood trauma. I remember one time in middle school we were really late to this meet. Our van pulled up, we ran out to the line and did our two-mile race. I vowed never to do that again, even though I had no control over that," said Petro.
Petro, a sophomore, runs the 5000-meter and is an integral part of a group that coach Dennis Harris calls the "super sophomores."
"Petro is the dean of the super sophomores," said Harris. "I call him Professor Petro. When he's around, school is in session."
"When Coach Harris gives you a nickname, it usually sticks," said Petro. "I have no idea what he's going to call us next year. Actually, he might just keep calling us the super sophomores until we graduate," said Petro. The sophomore distance runners include Petro, Dominic Smith, Ryan Gjoraas, and Michael Werneiwski.
"We've clicked as a group," said Petro. "When we work out we have fun. All of us are good friends and we benefit from each other. I think that shows on the track." The men's distance team has been a major, consistent source of points for the Spartans during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. "In the next couple years, we're going to be a force in the UAA," said Petro.
Petro enjoys track, but his main athletic focus is cross country. "I've been running cross country since seventh grade," said Petro. "I started track in high school because I realized that I needed to run year-round to be competitive." Since then, Petro hasn't looked back. "Sometimes I wonder why I run, especially when there's so much snow on the ground," said the Cincinnati native. "Distance runners have some loose screws. It's one of those sports. It's not just team and it's not just individual. You can go out on your own, but it's better with teammates."
The team atmosphere was immediately apparent when Petro came to Case. "When I was a freshman, on the first day of camp out in Pennsylvania, I got the sense that it didn't matter what year you were, we were all a family."
Petro's favorite athletic performance in which he has participated was a team effort, not an individual one. Last cross country season at the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational in Chicago, the team placed second only to Nebraska Wesleyan, who was ranked 10th in the nation. "Just about everyone had a personal record that day. Everything came together," said Petro.
Another memorable moment for Petro was during the cross country season at the Wooster Invitational. "There was a scuffle between someone on our team and the son of a former Ohio senator," said Petro. "When we were running our cool-down, he mooned us. We made a Facebook group to commemorate that one."
Along the way, Petro has had the help of outstanding coaches. His coach in high school, Jim Gossett, was the subject of Petro's admission essay. "He put in lots of time and always looked for the good in his runners," said Petro. Gossett won the Ohio High School Athletic Association's Sportsmanship and Ethics Award two years ago.
"At Case I've also been fortunate to have two great coaches, Coach Lanese for cross country and Coach Harris for track," said Petro. "They know that you have enough pressure with academics, so track is good as a release for all that stress. It's not something that should make your life more stressful."
Petro, a BME major, has plenty of academic stress. "It's a great thing to go out and clear your head," said Petro, who runs 50 to 60 miles a week. "The main thing is managing your time. Otherwise you can't do both the academics and athletics."
This summer, Petro will continue to train. "During the track season, you lift a couple times a week, but during the summer it's straight mileage," said Petro.
Coach Harris also has an assignment for the summer. "I'll have to come up with something to call the super sophomores. Hopefully they keep rolling academically so they can be juniors next year."
