Nationals preview
In a scene that would make the creators of Ephedra jealous,
hundreds of the best distance runners from around the nation will
gather at Irv Warren Memorial Golf Course to compete in the NCAA
Cross Country Championships Monday.
Thirty-eight women’s teams and 31 men’s teams, composed of seven
runners each, make up the field in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and among
them will be the seven men and women who represent the CSU
Rams.
After failing to qualify last season for the national meet, the
women’s team returns on the strength of a deep roster.
“There isn’t one person that stands out more than the rest,”
said junior Michelle Carmen. “Any one of us can finish first on any
day.”
Indeed. In their past four meets, the Rams have had a different
woman lead the team across the finish line in three of them.
Sophomore transfer Nicole Feest, senior Katie Yemm and junior
Crystal Clark have been top finishers for the Rams this season.
Yemm, a top runner for CSU since arriving in 1999, suffered a
setback last weekend in Ogden, Utah, at the Mountain Regional meet,
yet the Rams still finished third to nationally ranked Brigham
Young (No. 1) and Colorado (No. 7), a further testament to the
women’s depth.
Their third-place finish in the Mountain Region pushed the Rams’
women from No. 22 to No. 16 in the national polls and head coach
Del Hessel said he believes a top-10 finish is within reach for
both teams.
The top spot in the women’s 6-kilometer race should come down to
the defending-champion Cougars and the Cardinal of Stanford. Both
teams boast a wealth of fast, determined runners, but BYU’s women’s
head coach Patrick Shane said his team has hit its stride.
“We are starting to peak and it looks like we will be back in
the zone again this year,” he said. “We are used to the pressure
that going to a National Championship brings. We have learned to
deflect that pressure and just plan on repeating that.”
For the men the task to finish strong falls on the shoulders on
the team’s top four runners: senior Austin Vigil, juniors Bill
Michel and Mike Nicks and sophomore Josh Glaab.
After Hessel pulled him from the Mountain West Conference
Championship meet after three miles due to fatigue issues, Nicks
bounced back at Regionals to finish 21st overall and third on the
team.
Hessel said his presence on the team is essential, especially if
the Rams hope to improve on last season’s 27th-place finish.
Freshman Matt Ciancuilli helped solidify a previously
inconsistent fifth spot after finishing 32nd overall at Regionals.
Another strong performance from him could push the Rams’ men to a
top-10 finish.
Another factor pushing the Rams is the presence of two other MWC
competitors. Both Air Force (No. 8) and BYU (No. 11) have narrowly
defeated the 16th-ranked Rams in consecutive meets, leaving the CSU
eager to prove it is the better team.
The overall team title should come down to a battle between No.
1 Stanford, No. 2 Wisconsin and No. 3 Colorado, while the
individual crown could go to several men, most notably among them
Dathan Ritzenheim of CU and Kip Kangogo of BYU.
Ritzenheim and Kangogo finished first and second, respectively
at Regionals and BYU men’s head coach Ed Eyestone said he expects a
similar battle at Nationals.
“I expect Kip to perform much better at Nationals,” Eyestone
said. “I expect Kip and Ritzenheim to go tooth and nail at
Nationals.”
The gun for the men’s 10k goes off at 11 a.m. (Central) and at
12:15 p.m. for the women’s 6k.
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