2005 NIKE INDOOR NATIONALS
Post-Race Athlete Interviews
by Ricky Quintana

Sarah Bowman runs at the 2003 Penn Relays. (Photo by Alison Wade/New York Road Runners)

The 2005 Nike Indoor Nationals were held at the Prince George's Sports Complex outside Washington, D.C. March 12-13. Ricky Quintana caught up with many of the top performers after their races.

(Special thanks to Caleb Doan for his help behind the camera.)

Geena Gall, Flint, Michigan
(Winner, 800m, 2:10.62)

RQ: How did the race go for you?
Geena Gall: Pretty good. It's what I expected. I knew [Sarah] Bowman would go out really fast. I just stuck right behind her and started pushing it on the third lap. I just stayed under control on the fourth lap. I'm happy.

RQ: Did you start feeling her coming up on you in that last 50m?
GG: I could hear the crowd yelling, so I kind of felt her a little bit.

RQ: Pretty tough field. How does it feel to win this race?
GG: It feels good. They are all great girls that I ran against today. I'm kind of disappointed with my time. I kind of wanted to get that record of 2:09, but the win is good enough for me.

RQ: What are your aspirations for the outdoor season?
GG: I got second last year at outdoors. I'm going to try to win outdoors too.

RQ: Sarah has run some really fast times. Do you think you can get down there with her?
GG: I'm going to try this year. She pulled off a 2:04 last year and that was pretty amazing. I hope to be down there with her.

Sarah Bowman, Warrenton, Virginia
(Winner, Mile, 4:46.79)
Splits: 33, 69 (36), 1:45 (36), 2:25 (40), 3:02 (37), 3:38 (36), 4:12 (34), 4:46 (34)

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RQ: How was the race?
SB: It felt good. I've been sick recently so I was a little hesitant going into it. I was worried, but it came out okay.

RQ: For someone who was hesitant, you looked pretty confident going straight out into the lead.
SB: Yeah, I figured they were going to let me lead it. I figured Nicole Blood was going to let me do that because at Millrose I kind of hung right on her and I thought she was going to do the same to me, which she did [laughs].

RQ: Talk about some of those early season losses. What do you attribute those to?
SB: [Being] out of shape. That's what it was, really.

RQ: Did those losses bother you at all, or did they motivate you more?
SB: I said at the beginning of the season that I race myself into shape. Track & Field News quoted me as saying that, and it's true. It's a whole different thing to go from cross country where I'm always feeling like I'm running slow. So it just takes a while. It takes races to get used to that fast pace again.

RQ: So did the 2:43 high school record in the 1,000 give you a lot of confidence that you were on the right track?
SB: Yes. I'd been working for that. In that race I had to do it all by myself. It gave me confidence to go out hard like I used to. That's how I ran when I was little, just go out.

RQ: Last year you didn't have the opportunity to win this race. This year you went out and won after winning your sophomore year. How does that feel, to win?
SB: It feels good. It's my senior year and I've been trying to have some fun. Before the race I said, 'Have fun. You're never going to get this chance back so just go have fun with it.'

RQ: It's been a real tumultuous year. You've been in the press a lot. On the team, off the team. How have you dealt with that?
SB: I've been dealing [well] right now. It's all been okay. I don't want to worry about that. I'm going to be gone in two-and-a-half months, so there's no point in stressing over things like that.

RQ: I want to let you get to the 800m, but what do you think you'll have for that race?
SB: We'll see how I feel. That's about all I can say for that.

Ricky Quintana caught up to Bowman again, after she finished second in the mile by .13 of a second. She crossed the finish line in 2:10.75.

RQ: Pretty courageous race there.
SB: Yeah. It was going good until the last lap when I got cut off. I had to stop and run around. I was a little upset because I thought I could have had her if I [hadn't] gotten cut off.

RQ: You had the inside lane. How did that happen?
SB: They got past me and then they slowed a little bit. I was ready to take off.

RQ: You kept your composure and got back in it.
SB: If I would have gone a little bit sooner, then I [could have gotten away] instead of letting them take over and come back around.

RQ: Are you happy with the double?
SB: Yeah. I would have liked to have pulled it off.

RQ: Are you going to try to continue to run the 800m/1,600m double during the outdoor season?
SB: I don't know. It just depends on the meet I guess. I do it a lot during the outdoor season anyway, for our team points. I did it at our state meet and stuff like that. It's not something that I'm not used to. This year, I'm a little less used to it. I don't mind it.

RQ: Will we see a record assault from you in either the mile or the 800m?
SB: If I had to be honest, I'll be aiming for Ari Lambie's times. Like with the 1,000 indoors and everything. She's kind of like a role model for me. That's something I want to strive for.

Kelly Parrish, Ocala, Florida
(Fourth, Mile, 4:50.88)

RQ: So, big breakthrough for you today.
Kelly Parrish: Yeah. I've been waiting for this race. I really didn't decide [to run] until Sunday. I'm really excited about it.

RQ: You ran a pretty aggressive race.
KP: We watched the 4 x 1600m and my coach and I figured out they ran. I anticipated going out in 2:25 which is what happened and try to move up after that. I feel really strong coming off of base. I've had one week of speed work. I feel like it all went according to plan really.

RQ: Were you surprised to be that close to the lead?
KP: The workouts I've been having lately have indicated that I am way better than last year. I feel like I'm really coming around. I don't like to think of people [as] being too far in front of me. It's definitely exciting to be in the mix with some of these great competitors [who] I could only read about [before].

RQ: You ran 4:59 at the Gator Invite. This time you are just in better shape.
KP: I feel like I am. I guess going into the Gator Invite, I knew that all I had was base. Running close to my PR at Bolles this past week kind of upped my confidence. I went out [with] about the same splits. [It was] a little hard, but if felt good. It really felt good.

RQ: What does it feel like [to have] this breakthrough and be considered one of the elite?
KP: I've been waiting for it for a while, that's what it feels like. I've also incorporated resistance training instead of weights. That has really helped with my form. I feel like I'm running more efficiently and a little more under control.

Katie Doswell, Richmond, Virginia
(Fifth, Mile, 4:56.72)

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RQ: How did it go?
Katie Doswell: It went pretty well. I wanted to start off in the back — which is what I did — and hopefully work my way up. With two laps to go, they started breaking away a little bit. I did what I wanted to do, come from behind. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but maybe next year.

RQ: You've had a pretty remarkable season. Can you talk about that?
KD: Well, I quit basketball in the fall to focus on running, and it kind of went from there. My coach helped me out a lot. I was able to run some of the bigger meets and got the opportunity to do that. Now I got to run here, which is great, that was my goal.

RQ: I know that you ran adidas outdoor and you were obscure. Now, with all this notoriety, how does it feel?
KD: It's great, yeah. I went to Adidas just to run the 4 x 800m relay. I think I ended up running around a 2:12 which was, at that time, like a 15-second PR. Then, with the help of my coach and good training, I've been able to take it up a step. Virginia Tech was the first big meet I ran in. It gave me the opportunity to run against some pretty good runners.

RQ: What is it like to go into these meets and everyone is talking about you when last summer, Katie Doswell wasn't really on the radar?
KD: Well, I don't know if they are really talking about me, but it's good to be able to have my name out there and St. Catherine's name out there too.

RQ: I know you have the 800m in about an hour and a half. What are your aspirations for that race?
KD: Hopefully I'll start off in the back again and work my way up. We'll see what I have left at the end.

Lindsay Anderson, Leeds, North Dakota
(Winner, Freshman mile, 5:03.08)
Splits: 36, 1:13 (37), 1:51 (38), 2:31 (40), 3:09 (38), 3:48 (39), 4:25 (37), 5:03 (38)

[Video of this interview - This video will be available for a limited time. If you would like to view it in the future, please save it to your hard drive now.]

RQ: How was the race for you?
Lindsay Anderson: It was so exciting. I've been so excited to run this race. I've been looking forward to it for so long. It was so much fun.

RQ: Last year, you ran 4:58. Did you have any notion of breaking 5:00 here?
LA: I just wanted to try my hardest and do my best and whatever would be would be, I guess. I just wanted to have fun and try my hardest.

RQ: Not too many people have heard of you, being from North Dakota. Can you tell us a little bit about where you came from and everything?
LA: I live in a pretty small town. There's only about 500 people in the town I live in... Me and my sister [Krista], she's going to be running the two-mile today, we thought it would be fun to run here. There are so many good runners here. We thought it would be fun to run against them.

RQ: Have you been doing Junior Olympics and those types of things?
LA: No. We haven't [done] those yet. This is the first national meet I've run in for high school. I don't know, it's lots of fun, I guess.

RQ: What are your aspirations? Do you intend to run more national meets?
LA: Yeah, I hope so. We're hoping we can run more and come back every year.

RQ: You're just a freshman and you are running so fast. Have you always had that talent?
LA: I don't know. My Phys. Ed. teacher thought we should start running. We just decided to run. It's just been so fun.

RQ: How has running in North Dakota been? It's been pretty harsh.
LA: We've been running on a treadmill, actually. We've run on the treadmill the whole time because it's been so cold outside. We like the treadmill running.

RQ: What is the typical treadmill workout?
LA: It varies. We do hard workouts twice a week, and then we just do our long and easy runs.

Kate Niehaus, Spring Valley, Columbia, South Carolina
(Winner, Two-mile, 10:31.87)

RQ: How was the race?
Kate Niehaus: It was a lot of fun. I secretly wanted to win coming into it, but I knew it would be a stretch. My coach just said to stay with the pack. I knew the first lap was going to be kind of crazy. I decided that if I felt good at the mile, I would push the pace. I did and Krista [Anderson] came up on me in the end, so that was pretty tough. It was a lot of fun and I felt the best I've ever felt in a race.

RQ: Did it surprise you that you were able to get the lead from some of the bigger names, Lindsey Ferguson and Katelyn Kaltenbach?
KN: I was really surprised. I've come to realize that even if they are big names, you can't assume there infallible because everyone has great days and good days. The difference between a great day and a good day can mean a lot for someone like me.

RQ: You were a three-time Foot Locker finalist this past fall [she finished 33rd after finishing 17th in 2003 and not finishing her freshman year]. Were you happy with that performance?
KN: No I was not. I think that helped motivate me for this race and for the rest of the track season. I wanted to run a little better at Foot Locker.

RQ: I know you've been working hard since your ninth grade year to be in contention for something like this, but how does it feel to win a national championship?
KN: It doesn't seem very real. I'm not sure if it really happened. During the last lap when I was ahead, it was like 'Whoa.' It didn't really seem real. I knew during cross country, I felt like I was ready to run fast, but just couldn't get there. This was a really big stepping stone for me.

RQ: Going into the last lap, Krista got a lead on you. I don't know how much confidence you have in your kick, but what were you thinking?
KN: In the back of my head, I was like 'Oh no.' But my coach just told me to stay with her so I tried to stay with her. I just gave it all I had at the end. Then the lady said, 'One more lap' and I was like, 'Oh no!' But that was the end.

RQ: Were you surprised at how fast you could move on that last lap?
KN: I didn't think I could do it, but I tried my best.

RQ: And your time was a new PR.
KN: Indoor or outdoor by about 10 seconds, so I'm pretty happy with that.

Krista Anderson, Leeds, North Dakota
(Second, Two-mile, 10:32.14)

RQ: You tried to take the race that last lap.
Krista Anderson: Yeah, it was a good race. Kate really pushed me at the end there. Of course, I was hoping I would pull it off, but she had a little more left than I did.

RQ: Did you have a little more motivation after watching your sister win the freshman mile?
Krista Anderson: It gave me motivation.

RQ: What did it feel like to be in this race?
KA: I ran here last year, too. I finished fifth. I ran 10:47 last year, so I improved by 10 seconds over last year. This is my first meet since cross country, so I had fun.

RQ: Were you thinking about winning entering the race?
KA: Yeah. Every time I enter a race, my goal is to win. If I can't win, I guess second place is the best after that.

RQ: What is it about the Andersons which make you such great runners?
KA: I don't know. I guess we just work hard. We've been training on a treadmill all winter. We haven't gotten outside at all. We just train hard.

RQ: Where are you going to go to [college]?
KA: Good question. I'm not really sure yet. I'm going to decide fairly soon.

RQ: Do you have any schools in mind?
KA: I visited Toledo, Kansas State, the University of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Arkansas. So one of those schools.

RQ: Somewhere nice and cold.
KA: Probably.

Saratoga Springs, New York, 4 x 800m Relay, Winners in 9:20.34
Brianne Bellon (2:23), Lindsey Ferguson (2:17), Caitlin Lane (2:24), Nicole Blood (2:16)

RQ: Pretty long day for you.
Nicole Blood: Yeah, it was. But it's exciting.

RQ: You had a chance to bring home another championship for Saratoga. Was that what you were aiming for?
NB: Yeah, it's awesome. I mean a few of us have two rings to bring home. We have a seventh grader taking a ring home.

RQ: How did the mile go for you?
NB: Pretty good. It was a tough race. Everyone going in was really strong. There was nothing I could really do about it. I ran as hard as I could and that is all I can really ask for.

RQ: Did the night before take a little sting out of you?
NB: Maybe a little bit, but what are you going to do? I just pretended that it was my first day of racing. I didn't really have it in my mind. Mentally, it didn't really bother me at all.

RQ: What are the big races going to be for you in the spring?
NB: Penn Relays is definitely going to be a big one. I don't think we can make it to Arcadia because of ACTs. I'm not really sure besides states and nationals.

RQ: What will be your big race at Penn?
NB: We usually run the 4 x 800m and the DMR. I just stick to relays there.

Ocean City, New Jersey, Distance Medley Relay, Winners in 12:12.22
Allie Moreland, Erin Walsh, Renee Tomlin, and Brittany Sedberry

RQ: What did you think coach?
[Head coach] Bill Moreland: It was pretty exciting, I'd say that. I don't think we thought we could win that. We finished sixth at the outdoor meet last year and we were hoping to improve on that.

RQ: Brittany put you through the wringer coming from so far behind on the last leg.
BM: Oh yeah. We were counting on those last two legs. If the first two were close, we knew Renee Tomlin, who has run 2:10 outdoors, and Brittany on the 1600m leg, we would be strong in the end.

RQ: How were the splits for you?
BM: Renee certainly wasn't happy. She ran 2:19, but she's a swimmer. She hasn't run all winter. So coming off swim season and running 2:19 is pretty impressive. Brittany we haven't raced lot this winter so I think that's been good. She ran 10:37 for the two-mile indoors. She was ready to break 5:00. You could see Detroit coming back to them, but I wasn't ever sure that they were going to catch them.

RQ: Anyone on your team surprise you?
BM: No, I think they did fine. Having done the outdoors, they know what this whole experience is like. Erin hadn't run this winter. She didn't do our winter program. We were wondering if she and Renee would get through this. Obviously, they did a great job. This is the first time we've ever won something like this.

RQ: Talk about what this means. Watching the girls take the lead and winning the national championship.
BM: I don't think it's really sunk in. You think of that and you say that, but when you hear 'Ocean City girls, national champions' it sounds really good.

RQ: Are the kids excited about?
BM: They are really excited about it. The three girls and I are sitting here watching Brittany ease up on the girls in front of her. Then, you saw that Detroit girl start to tire after 1,200m or so and come back. They started reeling them in. It was an exciting race the last 200m.

Brittany Sedberry, anchor
(Anchor of Ocean City's winning DMR)

RQ: Tell me about that last leg. You were down by a lot when you got the baton.
Brittany Sedberry: I just stayed with the girls. I knew the one girl was a fast runner. Right over there, I made my move and was going for second even though the first place girl was really far ahead of me at the beginning of the leg. I didn't even know we were closing on her. Then, I saw her on the last turn and I was like, 'Oh wait, I can get the first place girl. Oh my God, we can win!' I didn't realize until the last turn. Because you know, there are girls you are lapping, that sounds mean, but you're lapping girls and you don't know which one is in first. Then I heard the guy of the PA system say it was [the leader]. I didn't know until that turn.

RQ: You kind of sat back in the group for most of your leg. Was that you plan?
BS: It's easier to work with a group of girls than to go out by yourself. So you might as well work with them.

RQ: You split 4:58. Were you happy with that?
BS: Yeah, that's the first time I've ever run an indoor mile this season. My best time outdoors is 4:55 so that was good.

RQ: Will this get you pumped up for tomorrow?
BS: Yeah, now I'm really pumped. Before I was ready to go and stuff, but now it means that much more.

RQ: Winning a national championship, did it ever enter your mind that you could do it?
BS: I'm always the one to set the standards a little higher. Everyone was like 'Why don't we go for top six? Why don't we go for top three?' and I was like, 'Why don't we win?!' I don't know if we believed it when we were saying it, but it happened.

RQ: What does that mean to you to win a national championship?
BS: When I crossed the finish line, I was like, 'Wait, we're national champions right now, that's pretty cool.' It felt good.

Saratoga Springs, New York, 4 x Mile Relay, Winners in 19:59.24
Lindsey Ferguson (4:58), Karyn Delay (5:13), Caitlin Lane (4:55), Nicole Blood (4:51)

RQ: How did it go out there?
Lindsey Ferguson: It went really well. I went out pretty hard. I ran my own race and did my own thing and did pretty [well].

RQ: Was breaking 20 minutes a goal of yours?
LF: Yes, it was a team goal. I looked forward to going out there and getting it.

RQ: How do you feel?
LF: I feel really great. I feel really happy for the team.

RQ: You've been at this a long time. Did you ever imagine having the success you all have had this year?
LF: No, we really didn't expect it, but it's awesome, everything that we've accomplished as a team.

RQ: How did the race go for you?
KD: It went really well. It was great to have the crowd behind us. There's nothing like the big meets when everyone is cheering for you and everyone is behind you.

RQ: You had your teammate helping out. Did you exchange any words or anything?
KD: We tried to stay pretty focused, but I think we all knew we wanted to do it for everyone else. It's easier to run for other people than just for yourself.

RQ: Caitlin, you are all new to this. Can you tell me what this means to you?
Caitlin Lane: This is just amazing. I never really thought that I'd be doing this right now. Just to be under 20 minutes is amazing.

RQ: How has your transition from your former school [Argyle] to Saratoga?
CL: It's been great. Everyone has been so supportive. We're all encouraging each other and we all have each others backs about everything.

RQ: What is the difference that you've seen between your former school and this school?
CL: We both really have a team environment thing. The girls are just great here. They are all like my sisters.

RQ: Finally, Nicole. How did it go?
Nicole Blood: It went really well. Everybody was on their splits. I knew I could get around 4:50, so I knew it would be right around our time, so it was going to be exciting.

RQ: They were announcing it. Were you aware of your times and what you were trying to hit?
NB: I was looking at everybody else's splits. We had made goals before and everyone was around where they wanted, so I knew I had to hit a little under what I needed to.

RQ: You finished pretty strong. Were you running within yourself?
NB: Yes, I felt really good. I had to push it hard those last two laps. They were telling me my splits. I knew it would be right there.

RQ: Twenty minutes, what does that mean for you?
NB: It's awesome. Last year we kind of went for it, but we got 20:08. We knew we definitely had a shot [this year]. We looked forward to it. And it was as exciting as I thought it would be.

RQ: You all have one year left, what is next year going to be?
NB: Karyn is a senior, but we have some other girls stepping up.

RQ: Karyn, what does it mean for you to step away as the first team to run under 20 minutes in high school history?
Karyn Delay: It's so amazing. I don't think I can describe it. It's so much more than I could have hoped for or imagined. I really appreciate the effort they put forth. It is more than I could ask for.

(Interviews conducted March 12-13, 2005.)