The Observer, November 16, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 11
Nationals for cross country women; heartbreak for men
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For cross country runners, thinking can get in the way. In a long, tough race like Saturday's Great Lakes Regional, it is the months of preparation that allow a runner to succeed; over-analyzing your actions while on the course can only slow you down.
To that end, coach Kathy Lanese told her team before the race to "act like a horse; be dumb, just run."
The women's team did just that, allowing neither their heads nor some of the best cross country programs in the nation to get in the way of a second- place finish and their second straight automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships in Northfield, Minn.
For the men, the competition of the Great Lakes Region, regarded as one of the top two regions in the country, proved to be too strong. Their eighth-place finish wasn't enough to qualify them for the national meet; only the top five teams in each region are considered for a spot. "I'm not disappointed," said Lanese. "I'm just heartbroken."
Esther Erb again dominated, finishing first overall with a time of 21:13.15, just one second off the course record. It also marked her sixth straight victory. "The week prior to the race, I was actually really nervous and scared because I hadn't really raced hard since the beginning of October," said Erb. But she regained her confidence before the starting gun sounded. "Ten minutes before the race, she (Erb) told me 'Coach, I got this.,"' said Lanese. "She certainly followed through on that."
The Spartans second through fifth finishers turned in strong performances. Kristin Bowhers took seventh overall with a time of 22:01.95, Britta Kumley finished 15th at 22:13.85, freshman Andrea Fischione finished 19th with a time of 22:23.55, and Joy Zhu took 31st with a time of 23:00.90. "I've?never raced so hard before and I've gained an immense respect for all my teammates' efforts," said Zhu.
Though the men won't be competing as a team at the national meet, their top runner, Dominic Smith, will represent them. Smith's eighth-place finish (25:12.12) was enough to qualify as an individual. "After the race [it] was bittersweet since I knew I was going to nationals, but it was without my team," said Smith. "I'm excited to get to run; it's been a goal since I got to Case to qualify for nationals as a junior and qualifying is quite a relief."
Mike Petro, the Spartans' second-best finisher, came in 26th with a time of 25:43. For Petro, that time was significant. Before the season began, each athlete wrote down the best time that they thought they could run that year. Petro wrote 25:45. He is the only person on the team to exceed what they thought would be their best effort.
Austin Schmidt placed 37th with a time of 25:59.10, smashing his previous personal record by 26 seconds. "I think the reason I ran so well was because I didn't do anything differently," said Schmidt. "I treated it as just another race."
Ryan Gjoraas was 40th at 26:00.95 and Mike Werneiwski finished 82nd with a time of 26:40.90, rounding out Case's top five.
Calvin College, who hosted the meet, saw both of its teams take first. "They are absolutely one of the top programs in the country," said Lanese. "Our game plan going in was to have the bulk of the team pair up with someone from Calvin and draft off them." That was a tough task. Calvin's Jed Christiansen, Tad Hulst and Jon Gries swept the top three spots. Their women's team formed a tight pack, taking the third, eighth and tenth spots.
The Spartan's women's team will look to improve upon last year's tenth place at tomorrow's national championship, entering the meet as the seventh ranked team in the country. They will have the benefit of a healthy Justine Jeroski, a freshman who, before a being sidelined with a severe upper respiratory virus, was one the Spartan's top five runners. And because of last year's success, many on the team are familiar with the NCAA Championships. "We have four girls with national race experience," said Lanese. "We're better than we were last year and we know what to expect."
How they qualified
Sixteen teams automatically qualify (the top two per region). The women's team falls into this category.
Another 16 at-large teams are selected. The men's team, ranked in the top 30 nationally throughout much of the season, would have been a strong contender for one of these spots, but their eighth place finish at the regional meet wasn't high enough; only the top five teams in each region are considered.
Dominic Smith qualified as an individual. The top seven individuals who aren't on a qualifying team are named individual national qualifiers.
What to look for on Saturday
The NCAA Championships are being held in Northfield, Minn. this year. It should be pretty cold. Will this give Case an advantage over teams that are used to training in warmer weather?
According to coach Lanese, the second spot will be the key if the Spartans hope to be among the top four teams. That means that she will be counting on Kristen Bowhers to have a big race. If she does, what is now a long shot for a medal position could become a reality.
Esther Erb should be among the top five at the national level. She's won six consecutive tournaments, but this one will be at a much higher level.
