Track and Field Articles By Tony Casey

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Southern Illinois Saluki senior Jeff Schirmer is heading into his second NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. Action kicks off on Monday, November 23, with races starting at 11:45 a.m. Schirmer was a qualifier in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter runs this past outdoor season and took 25th overall last year at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. He's got his eyes set on a top-10 finish after finishing second to Minnesota's Hassan Mead at the Regional Championships last weekend. Let's see how… more »

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; Penn State senior Bridget Franek is fresh off her first World Championship team this past summer where she qualified in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She's now got a personal-best time of 9 minutes, 36.74 seconds in the steeplechase but is competing in her last collegiate cross country season. Last year in Terre Haute, Franek finished 15th overall. In her last race, the Big Ten Championships, Franek defeated Illinois' Angela Bizzarri, who finished sixth overall last year, to indicate where her fitness is. Let's see how well… more »

Binghamton's Erik Van Ingen had a stellar 2009 outdoor track season. The underclassman made it all the way to the USA Championships, where he failed to make the final, but still locked down a 1,500-meter personal-best time of 3 minutes, 43.18 seconds in his sophomore outdoor season. At the America East Cross Country Championships this past weekend, Van Ingen took the individual title. With his eyes set on making it to the NCAA Championships at Terre Haute, let's see if Van Ingen can reach his goal! What are your individual goals for this season? Originally the plan was to get… more »

Cal-Berkeley Golden Bear sophomore Deborah Maier has big goals for this cross country season. She wants to lead her Golden Bear harrier squad to the NCAA Division I Championships in Terra Haute, Indiana. She recently placed 13th overall in the White Race at the Pre-National Meet, running 21 minutes, 0.3 seconds over the 6,000-meter cross country course. Can you give me your team goals this season? I think more than anything we just want to qualify for Nationals. We haven't a team qualify in, I think it's been, close to 20 years on the women's side. The men's team has… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Alabama's Tyson David, a senior originally from Kitui, Kenya, started his college career at Central Arizona Community College. After David arrived at Alabama he made his presence felt immediately, being named the 2008 Southeastern Conference Cross Country Runner of the Year after winning the team title at SECs and then with a 63rd-place finish at the NCAA Championships in 30 minutes, 34.9 seconds over the 10,000-meter course. David's got current PRs of 7:57.07, 13:36.76 and 28:20.22. Let's see how he does in his pursuit of… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> William and Mary senior Ben Massam and his Tribe are heading back to NCAA Cross Country Championships. Last year, they placed 16th overall as Massam took 124th over the 10,000-meter course. As the Tribe is currently ranked ninth in the country, Massam continues to add huge weeks of mileage under his belt and really feels things “clicking” with his harrier squad. Let's see how they do! You're just coming home from a team barbecue, do you guys do that often? This past weekend we had… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Nebraska junior Lara Crofford opened up her 2009 cross country season with a victory at the Nebraska Woody Greeno Invitational on September 19. Crofford placed 45th at last years NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, covering the 6,000-meter course in 20 minutes, 45.4 seconds. With another year of training under her belt and a quick outdoor season, we'll see how well Crofford and her Husker teammates can do this year. She provided her answers to Flotrack via email. How did you spend most of your… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Notre Dame senior Lindsey Ferguson opened up her final cross country season with a win at the National Catholic Championships, covering the 5,000-meter course in 17 minutes, 33.1 seconds for her second straight title. The former high school national record holder in the 2,000-meter steeplechase is looking to go out in style while hopefully leading the Fighting Irish to the NCAA National Championships this year. After opening up with a win this year, have you set your ultimate individual goals for this season? Yes. I… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> University of North Carolina senior Lauren Holesh and her Tar Heels are looking for another appearance at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in November. Holesh took 30th place last year and is looking for a significant individual improvement with the help of new head coach Peter Watson. How did your summer go? How did you spend most of your time? Summer went really well. I took summer school for the first session. And Carolina is actually in pretty early. I got done with… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Georgetown's Levi Miller was 35th at last year's NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships behind teammate Andrew Bumbalough, in 11th place. Miller and the Hoyas have their eyes set on the Big East title then a podium spot at the national championships. Did you get your long run in today? We had that meet at JMU (James Madison University) yesterday. This weekend we stayed out at Shenandoah National Park in a little mountain lodge and did a long run on the Appalachian Trail. We had… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Tulsa's John Beattie, a senior originally from Southampton, United Kingdom, has an impressive distance running resume. At last fall's NCAA Cross Country Championship, Beattie finished in 29th place as his Hurricanes finished 13th. This past spring, he ran 28 minutes, 46.27 seconds in the 10,000-meter run at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. After training at altitude, with Kenyans this summer, we'll see what he can accomplish this fall. What kind of running did you do this summer? I did the NCAAs in June. After that… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> North Carolina State senior John Martinez is a steeplechaser at heart. The Stony Point, New York native ran 9 minutes, 6.6 seconds in high school over the hurdled 3,000-meter distance. Martinez has lowered his steeple personal-best time to 8:44.92. Heading into his last cross country season, Martinez looks to better his 49th-place finish from last year. You're back at NC State, right? Yes, sir. Have your classes started again? Yup, class started two weeks ago from tomorrow. I've been here for nearly a month. How… more »

Northern Arizona University junior Astrid Leutert, a Switzerland native, made a huge improvement at the NCAA Division I Cross Country meet last year, taking 43rd compared to her previous year's 149th -place finish over the 6,000-meter course. She improved her time from 21 minutes, 53.4 seconds to 20:44.6 . Let's see how she and her Lumberjacks do this season! How was your 2008-2009 season? It was an up and down year. The cross season went really well for me and I had been healthy and stayed injury-free through the fall. I improved a lot compared to the previous year and… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Villanova Wildcat sophomore Bogdana Mimic, a Serbian native, took 67th last year individually at the NCAA Cross Country Championships as her team took sixth. She ran 20 minutes, 57 seconds over the 6,000-meter course. Bodgana hooked us up with her answers via email (from Serbia). Check it out and follow closely on Flotrack this cross country season to see how she and her teammates do. How was your 2008-2009 season?… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Portland sophomore Alfred Kipchumba took 18th overall at last year's NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. He ran 13 minutes, 45.56 seconds in the 5,000-meter run this past track season off of running 20-30 miles a week and took 12th overall at the NCAA Championships. This summer he's bumping his mileage up. Let's see how that works out for him this cross country season! Overall, how was your 2008 cross country season? I was proud during the cross country season because I got such a… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Iowa State's Hillary Bor, an Eldoret, Kenya native, has been ripping up the NCAA distance scene since his freshman year. This past outdoors season, Bor took second in the NCAA 3,000-meter steeplechase, running 8 minutes 35.12 seconds behind BYU's Kyle Perry. Last season he took fourth (8:36.84). He's also got a finish 56th-place finish in cross country. With another big cross country season ahead of us, let's see how Bor does. How much running are you doing right now? Right now I'm not doing very… more »

Harvard junior Dan Chenoweth took 42nd at last year's NCAA Cross Country Championships. Chenoweth is looking for another solid summer of running leading up to this year's fall championship. Let's see how he does! Can you sum up your 2008-2009 season? (Laughs) I guess it was kind of a long season, obviously. They were a couple of different seasons. I felt like the fall was a really good step for me. Personally, for me and my team, things went really well for us I think. Also, I had a strong season my freshman year and I had that next step… more »

Oregon Duck junior, Alex Kosinski, took eighth at last year's NCAA Cross Country Championships, as her team took second behind Washington. Not racing this summer, Kosinski and the Ducks are getting another shipment of the top recruits in the country, including Jordan Hasay, and look to take the national championships this fall. Can you sum up your outdoor season after you didn't make the finals in the 1,500 at the NCAA and USA Championships? I wasn't super excited about it, but I wasn't disappointed either because I was consistently running my PR for the year. I was waiting for a… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Brigham Young University junior Rich Nelson won his preliminary round of the steeplechase at the NCAA Championships in 8 minutes 41.85 seconds and went on to take 10th in the final. At the USA Track and Field Championships, Nelson took 16th in the prelim against top US competition. Going into his last year as a Cougar, his goals are to be an All-American in cross country. Are you running right now or are you still taking time off? I'm just barely up and running again… more »

Air Force Academy Falcon Sean Houseworth took 15th place at the NCAA Championships in the 10,000-meter run before competing in the longest track event at the USA Championships. Houseworth recently graduated and is toying with the idea of moving up to the half-marathon/marathon distances before making a run at the 2012 Olympic Trials. Since the USA Championships, what have you been doing? Any running? I'm taking some time off. I'm back home where I grew up in Illinois. I'm just back home, hanging out with the family and golfing a lot. You pretty good? Decent. I play quite a bit… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> UC Riverside junior Brenda Martinez recently took ninth place in the 800-meter final of the USA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Or., where she competed last summer in the Olympic Trials. Martinez has a personal best time of 2 minutes, 2.34 seconds in the half-mile and is heading over to Europe to race this summer. What are your plans for this summer? I'm going to Europe for a couple weeks to race out there. I'm still not done, still training right now. Which races… more »

Butler junior, Steve Lisgo, a native of Mansfield, U.K., recently took third place in the ultra-competitive NCAA 3,000-meter steeplechase. The Bulldog crossed the line in 8 minutes, 35.49 seconds to set a school record and get the qualifying time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India. Steve answered questions for Flotrack via email. Check them out! Sum up your NCAA Meet experience? Did you meet your goals? It was exactly what I was in the market for…the race of my life precisely when it mattered! I had goals going into the meet, however, I was reluctant to discuss… more »

Georgia Bulldog junior Chris Hill recently won his second-straight NCAA javelin title and is preparing for the USA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Or. Hill is one of the top-rated U.S. javelin throwers heading into the World Championship-qualifying event, while consistently being able to crest the 80-meter mark. Let's see how he does at USAs and hopefully at Worlds. What kind of workout did you do today? Today, I just went into the weight room and got a good squat session in. I went at some heavy twos and threes. Then I just went for a 15 to 20-minute… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Rice senior Lennie Waite ran a personal-best time of 9 minutes, 50.48 seconds for the 3000-meter steeplechase in Wednesday night's prelim. Her mark improved her Scottish National Record—the country where she was born—and qualifired her for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Waite will compete in the steeple final at 6:25 p.m. on Friday night. This interview was conducted a few days before the NCAA Outdoor Championships.    Are you intimidated at all by what Jenny Barringer and other steeplechasers have been running this outdoor season? Obviously… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Ryan Sheridan, an Iona Gael, is a key component to his distance team's success. Sheridan took 41st over all at the NCAA cross country meet this past fall pacing his team to a second place finish. At the NCAA East Regional Championships, Sheridan defeated a strong field of 5,000-meter runners to get his automatic bid to the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 11-13. Seed times did not have you as a favorite to win the 5,000 at the East Regional meet. Well, those are a little misleading.… more »

University of Southern California's senior, Eva Orban, a Hungary native, has been one of the top hammer throwers in the country in her four years in college. She's a two-time Olympian and is the reigning NCAA outdoor champion. Orban's got the best throw (226-11) in the country this year, leading the second-best mark (221-1) by over five feet. You're the defending NCAA Champion in the hammer throw and you've already got the biggest throw this year...by a lot. Are things going right on schedule for you? Everything is going really well. Practice has been going very well. I'm getting back… more »

Indiana Hoosier sophomore De'Sean Turner recently took second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Big Ten Championships, crossing the line in 8 minutes, 56.77 seconds. Heading towards regionals Turner's big goal is to qualify for the NCAA Championships and break 8:45. Is this season playing out the way you want it to play out? There are a couple of other events that I wish I had run better in. Not that I didn't have the opportunity, I just would have wanted to have prepared better. The steeple is one that's been working out pretty well for me. The Big Ten… more »

Notre Dame senior Mary Saxer has a long history of success in the pole vault. The Lancaster, N.Y., native has trained with American Record holder Jenn Stuczynski and was the first high schooler ever over the 14-foot barrier. Saxer recently broke the Big East record and has the fifth-best vault in the country. Let's see how she does with her run at an NCAA individual title. What are your goals for this outdoor season?This outdoor season is well underway and my first goal was to vault over 14 feet again, which I did about a month ago. I vaulted 4.30… more »

Cal State Fullerton's fifth-year senior Juliane Masciana has one of the top 3,000-meter steeplechase times in the country this outdoor season (10 minutes, 15.96 seconds) and is poised to make her first trip to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. When you went 10:15 in that steeplechase at the Asics/Steve Scott Invitational, you won by something like 25 seconds. How fast do you think you can run if you're pushed? I sort of think I went fast because I was by myself. I was able to focus on the hurdles and focus on my jumps, which is what I've… more »

New Mexico's Rory Fraser, a British fellow, cranked out a fast 5,000 at the Mt. SAC Relays. His time of 13 minutes, 39.85 seconds was a big personal-best and also a mark that ranks him seventh in the country for Division I athletes. 13:39. What are you feelings on running that time? Pretty happy. Pretty happy. It went pretty well. With a 10-second PR, you obviously can't complain about that. I still think I can go a bit faster by not committing as much in the start. The first lap was in 62, so I kind of committed enough to… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Princeton Tiger senior Michael Maag recently set a school record in the 5,000-meter run at the Mt. SAC Relays with a 13 minute, 41.17 second mark. Maag is finishing up his four academic years at Princeton with a degree in economics before heading back to his home state of Oregon to compete for the Ducks next outdoor season. How do you feel about your 13:41? I feel really good about it. It was a pretty special race because the whole year I've been training well… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> University of Arizona's top shot putter, senior Zack Lloyd, has a huge personal-best throw of 69 feet even under his belt. The only thing that eludes this college journeyman is an NCAA national championship. Lloyd is looking to accomplish joining the 70-foot club and also getting that elusive title this outdoor season.   What are your goals for this outdoor season? I'm looking to get an NCAA title under my belt, which is my number one goal. Then my next goal is 70 feet. My… more »

At the Stanford Invitational, Boston University senior Andrea Walkonen got her NCAA-automatic qualifying time in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 33 minutes, <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in 13.66 seconds. Walkonen's not going to be racing much as she's going to focus on the 10,000 at Nationals.   You're still a bit of an “unknown” although you were All-American in cross country and indoors. Do you prefer it that way or would you rather be a high-profile athlete? It's kind of fun to be one of the unknowns because people are… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -->   Michigan Wolverine senior Justin Switzer is a two-time All-American. He's got personal bests of 1:48.48 in the 800-meters and 3:58 in the mile. He used to be a competitive mini-car racer when he was younger and still has that need for speed.   Are you happy with being a two-time All-American right now? Yeah, I can't be disappointed with it, I guess. I would have liked to get something last year.   Well, you have this outdoor season to get another. Is that the… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Auburn junior Elkanah Kibet recently took seventh at NCAA Indoor Nationals in the 5,000-meter run. He's going for a fast time at the Stanford Meet this weekend in the 10K. Have you taken any off days since NCAAs? No, no, no, no. I haven't taken any days off because I'm getting ready for Stanford. I'm going to run the 10K at Stanford.   How do you feel about your performance at NCAAs? I feel good. I feel happy because I got All-American. I think I… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> 800-meter runner, Mike Rutt, of Connecticut, recently earned All-American honors at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. He's going to red shirt this outdoor season and hopefully succeed at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.   Have you taken any days off since NCAAs? I'm taking these next five days off. Just to kind of regroup and give my legs a little rest. I haven't really rested them since—well, once or twice during the season—but since XC not much.   It's a complete… more »

West Virgina Mountaineer Keri Bland has been one of the most consistently successful runners in the NCAA for the past few years. She was considering not even running in college and is well on her way to grabbing six All-American honors in two school years, a remarkable accomplishment. She's got a fast 800 this year, a fast mile, and is working to get her school's DMR team to Nationals. Let's see how she, and her Mountaineers, do this indoor season. What are you looking to do at Nationals? As far as I know, right now, I'm running the mile and… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Florida Gator Christian Taylor is only a freshman, but he's got a deep resume of accomplishments under his belt. This season he's qualified for the NCAA National Indoor Meet in three events, the long and triple jump, as well as the 4 x 400 meter relay, where his Gators are the top ranked team with a time of 3 minutes, 5.82 seconds. Let's see if he can pull off a big triple, like used to do in high school.   What are you looking to… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Wichita State Shocker Kellyn Johnson, a transfer student from Cloud County Community College, has finished 26th in 5000-meter run at NCAA Nationals. The senior has run 4:42 and 9:22 already this indoor season and hopes to pop at time that will get her to the NCAA Indoor Meet. She also looks for big personal bests come outdoor season.   What did you do today at practice? Today we kind of did a little interval work. Not much though, because we have conference this weekend. It… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Colorado Buffalo senior Kenyon Neuman has already logged himself a provisional qualifier for the National Championships in the 3K, with a time of 8:02.42 and an auto in the 5K with his 13:41 this past weekend. Let's see how he does to finish up this indoor season. You just ran 13:41 indoors. How'd that feel? It felt pretty good. I was happy with it. I was expecting to run something fairly fast, but it was a nice PR and it was a really good day.… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Shane Knoll, a Michigan State junior, recently broke onto the national scene with his convincing 3 minute, 57.36 second Meyo Mile victory. The Spartan has goals this indoor season of dropping a fast 800 and 3,000, as well as mixing it up in the mile at the National Championships. So, are you still riding the wave? A little bit. I've calmed down a little.   What was it like when… more »

Nicole Schappert finished the mile last weekend at the Penn State National Invitational sandwiched between her two teammates. Each running better than 4:44 in the mile. With this provisional-qualifying time, she looks to book her ticket to indoor nationals in the mile as well as on Villanova's DMR team.   <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> How would you say your training is going right now? My training is going really well. Easing into track season we kind took it slowly, but now were into the area where we're running a… more »

Syracuse Orangeman Brad Miller recently finished a hair over four minutes in the mile. He's looking to get under the historic mark this indoor season and also win all of his races. Without breaking your balls, what's it like to get as close to four minutes in the mile as you did this past weekend without breaking it? I knew coming around the last turn, I saw the clock right near the finish, and saw 57, 3:58, 3:59. Then right when I passed the line I was pretty sure I didn't have it. I knew it was going to be… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Minnesota's top pole vaulter just cleared 14 feet, four inches at the Minnesota Open last Saturday. The Gopher junior bettered her own school record and looks to get her own NCAA Championship this indoor season.   You got 14'4 this early in the season, how high can you go? I don't know. My goal for the year was to jump 14'6. I'm heading in the right direction. I didn't expect to be jumping this high this early in the year, but I'm really happy with… more »

Photo Courtesy of Image of Sport   Zsofia Erdelyi is a USC Trojan sophomore. She's been an international runner since her high school days back in her native Hungary. She's got a steeplechase chase personal best of 10:01 and looks to drastically lower it in 2009.   How is your fitness right now? Are you in really good shape? No, I don't think so because I just got back home from Hungary. It was really cold and I couldn't really run. It was really, really cold. I just got back and began to practice. I don't feel really good right… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Northern Iowa's Tyler Mulder won the 800 meter National Championship last indoor track season. This time around he's looking for a faster time, but the same result.   How is your fitness right now? It's going pretty well right now. I just got the flu, but it's been pretty good.   What are your goals for this indoor season? My goals for this indoor season would be to win Nationals again, but also to improve on all my times from last year. The 600, I'd… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Jeff See is a senior at Ohio State, a sub-four minute miler, and a multi All-American. Follow Jeff as he makes his bid for a National Championship this indoor season. Did you get a run in on Christmas Day? Yeah. I took an easy day that day. It wasn't too bad. My oldest brother has kids, so we do a Christmas with them. I do a run in the morning.   Overall, how would you say your 2008 year went? It was a B+ or… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Katie Engel, from the University of Illinois, has placed 64th, 58th and most recently 22th at the NCAA Division I XC Championships. With her stress fracture, she might not race indoors but should certainly rip it up in outdoor track.   Overall, how would you say your XC season went? I'm pretty happy with it. I didn't really know what to expect this XC season at the start of the season. I don't usually try to have too specific goals of myself, I kind of… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -- Indiana Hoosier Wendi Robinson recently placed 28th at the NCAA Division I XC Championships in her home state. She's got 4:46 mile speed and looks to carry her Hoosier DMR team to the Indoor National Championships. Can you give me a recap of your XC season? The high and low points? To start it had been a while since I'd raced. I had redshirted outdoors. Mostly because we do peak training. We thought our team would be a better team in two years. Plus my… more »

This Virgina Cavalier was one of the top under classmen in the DI NCAA XC Championships. In 2007 Emil placed 26th at the World Junior XC Championships in Scotland. He's ready for his first indoor season after a solid XC season.   How did the XC Championship race play out for you? The race went out pretty quick. Through the first 400 meters, I found myself up in the front...front 20 or so. I kind of checked myself at that point. I thought I'd chill out a bit. From 1k to 3k I just tried to go with the flow… more »

Butler Bulldog senior Andrew Baker recently took 40th at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. He's finished 28th at said meet before and looks for fast indoor track and outdoor track seasons. Can give me the play by play of how YOUR race played out at NCAAs? I got out OK we were in box 29, I got to the front but then by the end of the straight the two sides of the field swamped the middle a little and I found myself a little further back than I wanted to be. My plan was to get to… more »

Kyle Perry, a Brigham Young Cougar senior, has put together an impressive 2008 XC campaign. He's coming a second place finish over 10 kilometers in the Mountain Regional Championships, with a time of 29 minutes, 29 seconds. A runner with great foot speed to match (7:51 3k and 3:59 mile), watch Kyle make a bid for a top spot at the NCAA XC Championships in only a few days. What are you doing this week in preparation for the NCAA Championships? Yeah, we're tapering. We're going to do some shorter, faster stuff this week. We've done a lot of tempo… more »

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 »

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 our schedules opposite of… 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… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> 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-five 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… 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 »

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 fast. Pre Nationals always seems to… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> 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-five 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… 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 »

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 »