Pre-Race Press Conference Report - November 18, 2001

Reported by Parker Morse, Photos by Alison Wade

With only one day until the NCAA Cross-Country Championships, pretty much everybody has had their say on who the contenders should be and how they'll place, except the coaches and the athletes themselves. On Sunday, top athletes and coaches of leading teams faced the media to answer questions about their expectations for Monday's races.

Patrick Shane, Brigham Young University Women's Coach
On what BYU's women need to win the team title: "Stanford to get a late wake-up call."

"I don't know, we really don't think about that. It's about getting here healthy, having run good workouts, and we really don't think about what we'd need to do. Our goal is to win, as a team, and they know that if they train better and run better they can achieve that goal. We don't know what it will take tomorrow, but we're prepared to run well. We didn't know how it would be, after last year, losing our number one and number three runners, but somehow the little suckers keep coming up and running well. We're excited to be here, and obviously we're one of the teams that has a chance. You have to put yourself in a position where you can reach out and grab it when it comes around. We've got some experience in Tara Northcutt, we've got a good group around her, and there's a lot of important positive energy since we won the Championship here five years ago."

Shalane Flanagan, University of North Carolina
On running as the co-course record holder: "I know that last weekend's effort (where she tied the course record of 20:26 set by Washington's Sabrina Monro at the Pre-NCAA meet) was pretty minimal, so I know that I can step up from there. If I can just run like I did last weekend, I don't think I'd be any lower than top five. I just plan on running that same sort of race, but pushing more at the end. I led from start to finish, the next person was about twenty-five seconds away. Any time I felt a little tired, I backed right off. I'm just looking to run around that same time. It's harder with all those people in the way. I do want to go out a little slower, but try to run the same time. I'd like to be close to the lead pack, definitely within sight, but if they go any faster than 5:20 I won't be with them. My favorite part of the course is the end. There are two hills there, and that's where I hope to run strongest.

"Our team started the season wanting to be national champions. Maybe that wasn't as realistic, but I think we can surprise a lot of people tomorrow. If our fifth runner steps up, we can be top three, and I think a lot of people aren't expecting that. If we all run our races, we can be. If we'd had Victoria Jackson through the whole season, that would help, but most of our top runners are younger. We've got two freshmen in our top seven."

Molly Austin, University of Colorado
On her progress since winning the Purple Race at the Pre-NCAA meet: "I've gained a lot of confidence. That win helped me realize that I could run up there. Each race has been a learning experience, and each race has pushed my confidence up."

Sabrina Monro, University of Washington
The 2000 runner-up on the foot injury that has recently set her back: "It's just plantar fasciitis. It's pretty bad in my right foot, but tomorrow is Nationals. I'll block it out for that. I ran in trainers at regionals. It's harder to block out the pain when it's just a regional."

Lauren Fleshman, Stanford University
On being an both individual contender and part of a competitive team: "My number one priority is to score the lowest number of points for my team. It actually takes some pressure off to be running for the team, because I'm not just running for me. I know there are six other women out there working with me, and we're all working together, and that I need to do my part."

"Sure, we're young, but there's a lot of experience there. We know what we have to do, and we'll try to get there, but if we can't find our teammates, we can run alone. That's what we did in high school."

Vin Lananna, Stanford University Men's and Women's Coach
On race strategy at the Furman course: "You need to have good position early in the race. We know where we want to be when, and we'll get there. We've developed a strategy which, if it works, should win us the championship, but there are twists and turns on every course."

On Stanford's preparation: "Speaking for the men, we're well prepared, we've had an uneventful season, and we're prepared to perform at a high level. It's a young team, and 10,000m may be a challenge, but the course is set up well. The women's team is a young team as well, but most of them have been to this level before."

On picking the team for Nationals: "I hope we've picked the right seven."

Mark Wetmore, University of Colorado Men's and Women's Coach
On improvement in the pool of young American running talent: "I've been hearing that a long time. Ten years, I've been hearing about the renaissance of American distance running. We've always had a nucleus of young talent, like we do now. It's the job of Vin and myself to bring that talent along. The problem with American distance running is the disappearance of that talent at 23 and 24 years old. I don't think things have changed much.

"We race them too much in high school and college, expecting them to train two months and race nine. Then there are financial problems. I've been lucky to have two athletes who were able to get sponsorship, train full-time, and improve, but most athletes only get a box of shoes and a ticket to Nationals. They're expected to train full-time and still maintain some sort of minimal lifestyle, which in this country is pretty expensive."

On his men's number-one ranking and the expectations that produces: "The only pressure we feel is pressure we place on ourselves. Our ranking doesn't affect this at all."

On having two stars (Jorge Torres and Dathan Ritzenhein) on his team: "They seem to have become best friends within ten days of Dathan arriving in Boulder. They've been competitive, but I don't really need to hold them back."

On Colorado's team strategy: "They know what works best for them, and I've told them to run the race the way they always do. Coming down from altitude, I don't think we're prepared to go out over our heads the way some teams do. But in the second mile there's a big ox-bow loop, and I told them if they were well off where they needed to be, to just cut across." [Laughter.]

Jorge Torres, University of Colorado
On the course: "The critical point in the course is the back side of the loop around four miles. A lot of people will go out too fast, and this is where they'll be hurting."

On risking team points by reaching for an individual win: "The team race is very important. It was really disappointing last year, being only eleven points away from winning. I want to win for myself, but I know it's going to be tough. I might let the individual race go if it would endanger my team, but I think I'm fit enough that it won't be an issue."

John McDonnell, University of Arkansas Men's Coach
On Arkansas being "underrated": "We're young, and we're happy to be here. We'll run as well as we can, but I think our ranking is justified. I tried to figure out what kind of a score we'd need to win in '97, but Vin figured it better than I did, so I'm not going to try this year."

On the Razorbacks' not having their usual depth: "We're not changing our strategy much, except that last time here we went out too fast. We won't be doing that this time. We do need some guys to step up, like Fernando Cabada."

Alan Webb, University of Michigan
On making the transition to collegiate cross-country: "It's been a smooth transition. I love my teammates, it's been an easy transition there. I just can't believe we're already here. It seems like just a few weeks ago that we were in training camp. I find it pretty exciting that I'm here and I survived my first season.

"I'm running about the same mileage I ran in high school, just a little bit more. About the same speed, but a little more intense. I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life. I don't think there's a race between me and Dathan, I just hope he enjoys seeing me struggle."

On not being the center of attention: "It hasn't helped as much as you might think."

On how he likes 10-K races: "44 seconds less than Boaz."

David Kimani, University of Alabama
On his season: "Everything is working well, not like last year when I had troubles with injuries. It's cross-country, just another race. I'm ready."

On the course: "The last 3-K is the race you run. The last 3-K has the hills. We'll push on the hills, and whoever is strongest there will win."

On his race plans: "There are no secrets. You just run."

Boaz Cheboiywo, Eastern Michigan University
On his preparation: "I have been preparing well to win the NCAA in a fast time. There is one thing I believe: everyone has been training for this very day. I have been training for this very day. The day will determine who the winner will be. I cannot say I will win. I just want to run a perfect race for me."

On his start in running and allegations that he has taken money for running in Europe: "My brother was a great help to me when I started running. He took me to a training camp in Nyahuru, and he took me to run in Europe. My full name is Boaz Kisang Cheboiywo, but my brother was using the middle name - David Kisang - so I used that name in Europe. It didn't go too well. But I knew I wanted to run in the NCAA, and I knew about the NCAA rules which wouldn't allow me to take prize money, so I stayed away from that. My main goal was to come to America and get an education. What if I wanted to be an athlete, and I got injured, or didn't win? I wanted an education as insurance, so if I could not be a professional athlete, I could still do something. I have two more years to finish my degree, because I was able to transfer many credits from Kenya, but I may also get a Masters.

"The president of Eastern Michigan investigated my time in Europe, and he is satisfied that I was not a professional. The athletic department has all the documents, including the letter from K.I.M. [Kim MacDonald's agency], who they say was my agent. He was not. I want to put this controversy to rest today, and assure my fellow athletes: I am not a professional. I am a student just like you."