Track and Field Articles By Tony Casey

Auburn sophomore Hollie Knight, originally from England, was an All-American in the 5000 meters last outdoor season. After finishing second in the Blue Race at Pre-Nats and second at the SEC Meet, she's ready to threaten a top spot at the NCAA Championships. Check out her profile here: http://www.flotrack.org/members/Hollieknight       What did you do at practice today? Today was another steady run. We did eight miles. It wasn't too bad. What kind of mileage do you usually do? On the build up to racing season I was probably at 75 miles a week. Now we're tapering for regionals… more »

Wisconsin Badger senior Gwen Jorgensen is a converted collegiate swimmer. She placed 83rd at the NCAA Championships last year in her first XC season and second recently at Big Tens. After coming off of being second at Big Tens, can you give me your individual goals this XC season? Throughout the entire season it's been about the team. So, basically scoring the lowest points possible for the team. Our team is really strong this year and I want to improve upon last year. Last year I was kind of just getting my feet wet. It was my first XC season.… more »

Happy Halloween, Flotrackers! David McCarthy, an Irishman and Providence Friar Sophomore, ran a great Pre-Nats race with a sixth place finish in the blue race. He's going into championship part of the XC with momentum on his side. Follow along with Flotrack to see how he does this season! How's your training going right now? The last few weeks have been really consistent. Keeping the mileage at a constant level. Not increasing it, just keeping it consistent. I came back this year, I had a few niggles in the leg after the summer. I redshirted indoor season and outdoor season… more »

Liz Costello, a Princeton Tiger junior, had a disappointing finish to a great cross country campaign last season after getting sick and struggling to a 209th place finish. This year she and her Lady Tigers look for a strong finish to the 2008 XC season. Great job at Pre-Nats. What were your thoughts about your race? Very happy. Just because the season hasn't really been going as I envisioned it during my training over the summer, for various reasons, and the first few meets. But the race at Pre-Nats, I don't know, the race felt very rhythmic and composed. I… more »

Portland Pilot junior Tommy Betterbed has a unique opportunity. He, along with his team, have to ability to make vast improvements. After Portland took 14th last year and Betterbed 194th, both have the chance to comeback with vengeance on November 24 at the NCAA DI XC Championships at Terre Haute. The Portland guys looked great at the Bill Dellinger Meet, keeping it really close with Oregon. Were you guys surprised of that kind of performance? We weren't that shocked. Our coach kind of played us down because we haven't been doing any fast workouts or anything. We've been doing a… more »

Sam Chelanga, a Liberty Flame, has already placed 16th at the 2006 NCAA XC Championships with Fairleigh Dickinson as the top freshman in the field. After a year away, running blazing unattached track times of 13:24 and 28:15, Chelanga looks to make 2008 his year to use his killer talent and win an individual championship. You obviously won Paul Short by a substantial amount of time, something like 40 seconds, what did that do for your personal confidence? Well, that just tells me that my training has been going well. It gives me some confidence. Do you like being a… more »

Kari Hardt, an Arizona Sun Devil junior, has placed well at the NCAA Championships. She and her Sun Devil women look to find the podium this season.   You placed 88th and 50th at the NCAA Championships and recently won the Roy Griak Invitational. What are your individual goals this season? I'd love to be an All-American at NCAAs. Now what are your team goals? Our goal is to win PAC-10s. We think if we did that we'd have a really good shot at winning nationals. Our team's really talented, we're just trying to get everyone healthy right now. Do… more »

  Oklahoma State's star freshman recruit, German Fernandez, took third at Footlockers last year and erased Jeff Nelson's 8:36 two-mile high school record with a 8:34 of his own. He, along with Ryan Vail and the rest of the Oklahoma State Cowboys, will look to take that national championship away from the Oregon Ducks.   First off, what is the correct pronunciation of your first name? You say German (hair-mon). But, I go by German, because a lot of people can't pronounce it.   Were you nervous going from dominating high school races to being a freshman on a college… more »

Stanford Cardinal Jake Riley, a redshirt freshman, looks the lead his squad to another top place finish at the NCAA Division I XC Championships. He kicked off the season with a second place finish at the USF Invitational. How's your training going right now?Training is going really well right now, I started keeping a log for the first time this summer because Coach Dunn requires it and I felt like it really focused me. I've been running more mileage than I ever have before, and aside from a few aches and pains here and there I'm feeling really strong.Can you… more »

Marie-Louise Asselin, an Ontario native, now rips up the distances in the NCAA for the West Virigina Mountaineers. She's placed 4th at the Canadian Cross Country Championships, 2nd at the Big Easts, and 17th at the NCAA Division I XC Championships. Watch her continue her successful run this season. She'll be opening up at the Paul Short Invitational.   The Olympics were this summer, were you glued to your TV or what did you do?I watched a lot of the Olympics. They were really exciting. I didn't just watch track and field. I watched a lot of other sports too.… more »

Patrick Smyth, a distance ace from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, returns his senior year as one of the top returning harriers in all of Division I. His goals are set, and they're set high. Let's see how this multi All-American does this fall XC campaign. What kind of training are you doing right now? Right now we're doing a lot of strength oriented stuff. Today it was really hot here so we tempered the workout a little bit. We had a 3-2-1. A three mile, a two mile, and one mile. We ended up doing a three mile, then… more »

Virginia Tech's Tasmin Fanning recently ran a huge PR at the Oregon Twilight Meet with a 15:47 in the 5k. She also got to meet presidential hopeful, Barrack Obama.

How is your training going right now?

Training is going great. We’re going to start working some more specific speed and paces working up to the end of the season, while keeping up on volume because we’re extending the season a bit.

How do you feel about your 5k at Oregon?

I was pretty excited about my performance. I… more »

UNC's Brie Felnagle is an American Record Holder in the DMR and a multiple NCAA Champion. She's looking to peak at the Olympic Trials in the final of the 1500 meter race.

What's going on with your training right now?
I am pretty much moving away from base stuff and strength stuff from indoor and getting into aerobic training for outdoor.

What will your schedule look like for outdoors?
I'm looking to have my ultimate peak at the Trials. I'm kind of trying to extend my season longer than usual.
more »

University of Georgia's Ian Burrell is battling back after suffering allergies and breathing problems. He's posted impressive personal bests of 13:46 in the 5k and 7:59 in the 3k. Burrell is looking to go into law school and continue to pursue running.


How has your training being going lately?
Training has been going really well lately. Our workouts for the most part have been pretty decent. We're trying to figure out the races, which lately aren't going too well. There actually pretty awful. So, we're trying to figure out how to take the training… more »

Northern Arizona's David McNeill, an Australian native, had an amazing sophomore XC campaign with a 10th place finish. After facing a few injuries surrounding a 7:50 3k indoors, he's back for this huge outdoor season and ready to run fast times.

Photo courtesy of David's Facebook.

Have you run yet today?
Yeah, I went for a run this morning. We did the Navy 12k. So, like 7.5 miles.

What kind of pace did you run?
This morning I was sort of just on heart rate. So, I was sitting… more »

Altitude-training junkie Stephen Pifer, a senior Colorado Buffalo, is going into his last collegiate outdoor track season and hopes to make it a memorable one. With two XC team titles in his pocket, he looks for top honor at the NCAA meet and a strong at the Olympic Trials in the 1500m or the 5000m. Or maybe both.

What are your goals right for this season?
My number one goal is to have a good showing at the Big 12 Meet, because it's going to be in Boulder. Then in the NCAA meet, hopefully I can… more »

Newly crowned American Collegiate Record Holder in the 10k, Lisa Koll, an Iown Cyclone, is riding high, but keeping things in perspective. In her record run she negative split a 5k that was a mere two seconds from her 5k personal best. Looking to the NCAA Championships and beyond, this distance runner will continue to excel.

A few days after running the American Collegiate Record in the 10k, how do you feel?
It's still kind of settling in. It was shocking at first anyway. It feels good taking it all into consideration. Yeah, it was… more »

Stanford Cardinal senior Teresa McWalters, who has finished third in the 5k at the NCAA Meet, is currently coming back from injury and looks for a big outdoor season.

I hear you go by T-Mac. How did this nickname come about?
(Laughs) Who told you that?

That would be Russell Brown.
(Laughs some more) Yeah, well I guess he calls me T-Mac. It started my freshman year. I don't know when it came out, but it stuck when it did. I kind of fought it, but now everyone calls me T-Mac on… more »

Maddie McKeever, a Duke Blue Devil, is a five time All-American distance runner. She recently placed third at the NCAA Indoor Meet. She is heading into outdoor track and will open up at the Stanford Invite in early April.

You grew up in Littleton, Colorado. Why did you choose Duke University?
The choice was pretty simple. I guess I was just looking for a school with strong academics and also a place where I could fulfill my athletic potential. Duke was the closest school that could offer the environment I was looking for.

… more »

Wisconsin Badger Brandon Bethke has had a remarkable indoor season so far and looks for success at the NCAA Divison I Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend.

Image Courtesy of Mensracing.com

You finished 98th at XC this year, and then you come to the indoor season and run a 3:59 and a 7:51 3000-meter run, would you say it's been a breakout indoor season for you?
I don't know about “breakout”. Everything has kind of come together. In the past, I'd been running well over the years. But this year, everything has… more »

Cal Bear sophomore Michael Coe, a former high school mile juggernaut, has set his goals high and looks for this big outdoor track season to reach them. Training under Coach Tony Sandoval he looks to make the 1500-meter final at the US Olympic Trials.

Did you do anything other thing other than the 3K this past weekend?
Yeah, I ran Friday night in the DMR. I anchored and ran the mile relay leg.

Did you guys hit the provisional time?
We hit the provisional time, 9:38. We were a little disappointed with… more »

Texas Longhorn Leo Manzano recently ran the mile portion of a world record effort by his Distance Medley Relay team. He is doing conferences this weekend and will be competing at the NCAA Indoor Championships, March 14-15.

DMR World Record, How did that feel?
Well, at first we didn't really know what we had done. Now looking back...it's pretty cool.

Do you think you can go any faster with that time?
Yeah, I definitely think we could take a few seconds off of that time.

How's your training going… more »

After a fourth place finish at NCAA XC, Villanova's Bobby Curtis opened up his Indoor season with a 7:50 3k. Training under legendary Coach Marcus O'Sullivan, Curtis is already looking outdoors and towards the Olympic Trials.

That 7:50 3k, how did that one feel?
It felt really good. It was my first race of the year and I'd really only done three track workouts before it. I've been doing more strength stuff. Like 16 miles long runs, tempos, and threshold type work outs. It's kind of hard to gauge where my fitness was. I knew the… more »

Georgetown Hoya junior Andrew Bumblaough has been through the thick and the thin of running. After fighting through injuries he has already posted top marks in the country this indoor season, with a 3:58 mile and a 7:53 3k. With Andrew in great shape and a big outdoor season rapidly approaching…the two could be a deadly combination.

IMAGE of Andrew Bumbalough Courtesy Imageofsport.com.

How much are you running outdoors compared to indoors?
Almost entirely outside. I guess we only come in once a week to do strides or unless it’s really REALLY cold.… more »

Pittsburgh senior Sam Bair, who has run close to going sub-4 in the mile so many times, has another great opportunity this weekend at Notre Dame’s Meyo Mile. If he goes sub-4 he and his father, Sam Sr., will be the first father and son combo in the prestigious club. Flotrack will be there! Good luck to Sam!

So, you’ve got a meet this weekend, where are you going?
Yeah, I’m going to Notre Dame this weekend to run the Meyo mile.

Do you know who else is going to be in the… more »

Nebraska native Colby Wissel is currently injured, but has PRs of 7:53 (a Jayhawk indoor school record) for the 3k and 13:54 (2nd all-time at KU) for the 5k. He is looking to overcome his Achilles injury and return for outdoor track.

Can you give me a brief history of you and your running?
My first track races were in elementary school. My Dad, Stan, was the physical education teacher and once a year he put on a track and field meet for all of the kids. I had a lot of fun with those… more »

Kansas’ Scott Sellers is one of the United State’s most promising high jumpers. He blasted onto the national scene in high school, collecting a personal best and national record of 7 feet 5 ¼ inches in the high jump. Since entering college he has jumped 7 feet 7 ¼ inches and won the 2007 NCAA Championships.

Can you give me your goals for indoor track this season?
Well, I’d like to improve on what I accomplished last year. I finished third at the National Championships and PRed by a centimeter. I’d like to go back… more »

Arkansas Razorback Scott Macpherson is an All-American and looking to keep learning under legendary Coach John McDonnell and make some noise this indoor season in the 5k and 3k distances.

How’s your training going right now?
Pretty good. It’s the beginning of the year right now so we’re trying to get a lot done but not take it too hard, because it’s a long season, which we kind of figured that out last year. We’re just having fun though. We’ve got a few solid weeks of good running.

Do you think you… more »

Last year’s DMR champion Russell Brown doesn’t have indoor eligibility left but will be training for USA Indoor Nationals and will be back to compete for Stanford in outdoor track.

What’s your major?
Right now I’m a master’s student, actually in sociology. I was political science for undergrad. Political science is not that hard of a major to fulfill. I knew I was going to come back here and I knew I had eligibility; I wasn’t really interested in expanding it out. I mean, like some guys, you can save your eligibility and have… more »

Ryan Vail of Oklahoma State University recently placed 11th at the NCAA XC Championships individually as his Cowboys placed third as a team. His indoor track season is going to kick off at the Tyson Invitational.

Can you give me a brief history of you and your running, when did you start seeing success?
I started running track in eighth grade, but I really wasn’t any good. As I grew I started to see a bit of success early in my high school track career, but I didn’t take the sport seriously. I played football in… more »

Michigan State Spartan Nicole Bush is getting ready for Christmas Break and the beginning of the indoor track season. She recently placed fifth at the NCAA XC Championships, the highest finish ever for a Lady Spartan.

How do you school mixes with being a top college athlete?
I think it’s pretty hard to balance anyway, if you’re not running. I don’t think anyone has it easy; I’m just used to doing it. I don’t know if it’s too hard, I wouldn’t know what to compare it to.

So, are you training for… more »

David Kinsella has been through the thick and the thin of distance running, having to take time off for injuries. He placed 12th in 10K last year at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and is just coming off an 8th place finish at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.

Can you give me a brief walk through your history with the sport of running?
My first year of high school was my first year of running; I was a sophomore, because I’d went to the junior high. I guess you could say I ran there, but… more »

Washington Lady Husky Anita Campbell leads her team into the NCAA Division I Championships in Terra Haute, Indiana. In the past years she had only went as an individual. Let’s see how she does after making the trip with her entire team to back her up.

PART ONE (BEFORE NATIONALS)

Can you talk about your training this far in the season?
My summer training went pretty well. I went home, I didn’t stay in Seattle. I started with a good base and didn’t run too much, just enough to feel good coming into… more »

Hakon Devries, a former Footlocker finalist, is one Stanford's top runners as they head into Monday's NCAA Championships in Terra Haute, Indiana.

Name and Title?
Hakon Devries, Stanford University, Junior(athlete), 4th year academically.

Picture of Hakon Devries, Thanks to Stanford Athletics Website for the picture.
Why do you run?
I played a lot of different sports when I was growing up and I found that I was good at running when I did all of those. Everyone likes to do things that they are good at and I'm definitely no exception.… more »

Former Footlocker Champion AJ Acosta, who now runs for the Oregon Ducks, recently ran an 8k PR of 23:24 at PAC 10’s. He and the Ducks are heading into Regional's and the NCAA Championships.

What does “AJ” stand for?
Andrew Joseph
An article recently came out about your adjustment to college, can you explain that?
It was really just an acclimating process. I was coming in as the top high school guy in the country. I was going into a program where I was running with guys like Shadrack Kiptoo, Galen Rupp, Scott Wall… more »

University of Arkansas’s Christine Kalmer is one of the top XC runners in the SEC and in the country. She is looking to improve her 117th place finish last year at NCAA’s (where she lost her shoe).

Coming off a 2nd place finish at SEC’s, how would you say your season is going right now?
I’m really excited about my season thus far. It’s really picking up and things are going according to plan. It kind of got off to slow start. But after SEC’s it really shows that I’m on track. I’m really looking forward… more »

Georgetown Hoya Melissa Grelli was one of the top finishers in blue race at Pre Nationals this year. She and the Hoyas have the Big East Championship this weekend.

How is your training going this year?
It’s going really well. We had a pretty good workout yesterday and now we’re taking it easy before the Big East Championships. I started off with lower mileage than usual because our approach right now is more long term. We recently brought up my mileage but we are staying pretty consistent right now, which is about 60 miles per week.… more »

Liberty’s Josh McDougal just racked up his third victory at Pre National's. He has placed 4th, 13th and 27th at the NCAA Championships. The individual championship is his goal this year.

How did Pre Nat's go for you?
It obviously went pretty well. I went there knowing it was going to be a tough race. Every time I race Jacob (Korir) it is. The course was great, the weather was great, and so the times were as well.
What made the times so fast on that specific day?
Generally it’s the competition. It’s always… more »

Last year, Brent Vaughn led his Colorado Buffaloes to their second team championship in the past three years. This year, he and the Buff’s look to pick up where they left off.

Is it hard to maintain having a family and being a nationally ranked Division I athlete?
No, I don’t think it’s too tough at all. I have my wife around all the time and that makes things easy. It’s got to be a little more difficult than it would be for someone without a family. We make it work just fine. We just arrange… more »

Iona Gael Mohamed Khadraoui has placed 23rd and 46th at the NCAA Division I XC Championships in the past few years and looks for a high place finish. The Gaels will also be looking for a top 5 finish in the team standings.

What kind of preparation did you do for this season?
I stayed in New Rochelle. I got a lot of training in July and August. I took two weeks off after nationals, got good mileage in, with hills and tempos. I don’t do any racing or anything during the summer. I just train… more »

Nicole Blood KWIK-E
By Tony Casey

Oregon Duck Nicole Blood, a 3 time junior champion, boasts personal bests of 9:22 and 16:19 (the top freshman time in the country last outdoor season). She and the Lady Ducks look to make a big splash on the nation this XC season.

How did your summer go with training?
It went great, a lot better than last year. I’m healthy and ready to go. After Brazil I took some time off because it was a long season. I actually got my wisdom teeth out, so… more »

Hey, Flotrack readers! My name is Tony Casey and I go to SUNY Plattsburgh in upstate New York. I ran XC all through high school, making it to the New York State Championships twice. I was also a Section 7 indoor champion in the high jump. I started getting into the results and the history of running so I would have something to talk to my coaches about. Now I just do open races for fun.
Every Friday I will be posting an interview with a Division I XC/Track and Field athlete. This first one is with fellow New… more »