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Wisconsin Men, Minnesota Women Win 2008 Big Ten Cross-country Titles

Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley

Wisconsin's men won their 10th straight title, Minnesota's women repeated as champs but Nicole Bush of Michigan State won the individual title Sunday (11-1-08) at the Big Ten Cross-Country Championship Meet in Ann Arbor (MI).

Nicole Bush toured the 6,000-meter course (3.72 miles) in 20:15.8 to win by 12 seconds over runner-up Gwen Jorgensen of Wisconsin. Michigan State finished 3rd in the womens' competition.

Bush was subsequently named the Big Ten Cross Country Athlete of the Year 4 days later. Last season Bush placed 5th at the NCAA Championship Meet and hopes to do better this year.

Following Bush were senior Lisa Senakiewich in 5th, junior Becky McCormack 20th, sophomore Emily Langenberg 28th, junior Emily MacLeod 29th, sophomore Carlie Green 30th and senior Sarah Price 37th. The Spartans, who hoped to compete for the title, did not have their best day.

The Minnesota women edged Wisconsin, 63 to 67 points, to successfully defend the title they won last year. Led by junior Megan Duwell's 4th place finish in 20:29.7, the Golden Gophers next four scorers were 10th, 14th, 17th and 18th, a great example of team running in a major meet. Wisconsin's women ran 2nd, 11th, 12th, 15th and 27th.

Key to Minnesota's victory was their 10th place finisher—senior Gabriele Anderson who did a major gut check and passed 3 Wisconsin runners in a 300-meter finishing kick, clocking 21:07.2 and sealing the deal for the Golden Gophers.

Minnesota knows how important every scoring runner is in influencing the outcome of a race. It was just a year ago that the Golden Gophers captured their championship over Michigan State by a single point.

Wisconsin's men have had a stranglehold on the conference championship, winning their 10th consecutive title with 40 points to Michigan's 57 and Minnesota's 60. Every other team was far enough back they could have been in another race in a different city. Michigan State, for example, finished 6th with 138 points. Purdue finished last with 296 points.

Hassan Mead of Minnesota won the individual title, covering the 8,000-meter course (4.96 miles) in 24:26.4, but Wisconsin took home the team trophy with a 2-4-7-13-14 finish. Michigan ran 6-10-11-12-18 and Minnesota was 1-3-15-16-25.

Sophomore Landon Peacock was 2nd for Wisconsin in 24:35.9, senior Christian Wagner was 4th in 24:46.7 and sophomore Jack Bolas was 7th in 24:50.5.

The Wisconsin runners do not mind practicing a lot and it shows. Ten straight titles is an incredible feat and means the other Big Ten teams are doing a lot more wishing than working in the off-season. Talent certainly helps but 8,000 meters is not a 100-meter dash. Lots of runners without really great leg speed could run fast enough to finish much better at 8,000 meters.

The difference between the winning time and Michigan State's first finisher—junior Spencer Beatty at 25:07.7—is 41 seconds and change. When you compute the winner's time divided by 20, you end up with an approximate 400-meter pace of 73 as opposed to Beatty's pace of 75 for the same distance—call it a quarter mile at a 2-second faster pace. It isn't like the winner's pace was some kind of land speed record.

All of this suggests that the reason Wisconsin has been winning the conference championship for 10 straight years is a lot more mental than physical. The biggest distance talented runners have to compete with at this level is really the distance between their ears.

Sure it takes some talent to run at this level, but let's get serious here. Middle of the pack runners do not get college scholarships to run, winners do. Running really is 75% physical (you do have to train), 20% mental (you do have to believe you can win) and 5% inspiration (you have to see yourself winning BEFORE the race).

I confess and do not apologize for being a total homer. I graduated from Michigan State in 1966, and cannot stand to see this nonsense of Wisconsin dominating the Big Ten as a birthright.

Michigan State's men and women runners need to get with it. Rather than have the coach sit around and try to identify who might be a leader among the Spartan runners, the runners need to realize that leaders do not wait to be labeled a leader, they announce themselves by what they say and do.

Michigan State needs more runners to become leaders. Don't just go to practice, go through the motions and wait for the coach to decide if you are ready to run. Discover a burn deep inside of you that causes you to not just want to run but to NEED to run. Develop a white heat passion for competing and winning.

Never deny anyone the right to finish second, third or fourth, but understand that is not for you. Make up your mind to win and then pay the price to do so. If you cannot win as an individual, then you win as a team, but win because it is important to become the runner you need (not want) to be.

Do not give your coach a choice about whether he will have you run or not. Put your coach in a position where he or she would be a fool not to run you. When the gun sounds to start the race, take your place at the front of the pack and never look back.

Do not allow someone else to determine how successful you will become, they have not earned that right. If no one is stepping up on your team, you step up, set the pace and they will follow. There is no vacuum for followers, the vacuum is for leaders.

When enough runners improve and become leaders, they help motivate each other. Two or three leaders will pull other runners along and make everyone around them better.

When someone beats you, make sure it is the worst day of their life, that they are so sick and exhausted at the end that they will think twice about ever challenging you again. Make them hurt like they have never hurt before and never want to hurt that bad again.

Remember that everyone wants to win but there is a 1,000 miles of difference between wanting to win and having the will to prepare to win. Don't ever cheat yourself out of the opportunity to become a champion. Life is short and memories are long.

Settle for nothing less than the person you were meant to be, a winner from the top of your head to the bottom of your toes. Believe you can do it and then get about business of making it so.

It doesn't take any talent to quit on yourself, it takes a lot of effort to become the person you were meant to be. Think like a champion. Believe like a champion. Run like a champion.

About the Author

"Updated USA Prep Track & Field Records and the New Best 2008 Top Performances"
"Meet 'Pre' - America's Greatest Running Legend and Greatest Middle Distance Runner"
"Arthur Lydiard, the World's Greatest Middle Distance Coach, on How to Train Effectively"
"What Makes a Person Want to Run, and Why Few Will Ever Know the Joy of Running"
Find my Blog at:
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html

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