Colorado State University Athletics
CSU cross country teams look to rebound at MWC championships
10/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Oct. 30, 2008
By Josh Kruger
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - After two weeks of solid practice, the Colorado State men's and women's cross country teams head to San Diego, Calif., this weekend for the Mountain West Conference championships on Saturday.
Even though the teams haven't performed up to expectations over the last two competitions, Head Coach Bryan Berryhill feels the best is yet to come.
"The team spirit is high after two rough performances," he said. "Both the men and women have been concentrating a lot more on the goals ahead of them than dwelling on the last two races."
The women's team will be looking to defend the title it won for the first time ever last year in Albuquerque, N.M. Last year they entered the race as an unknown commodity, but this year they expected to come into this race with targets placed firmly on their backs. The results in the last two races, however, may have changed that. After beginning the season ranked first in the 15-team Mountain Region, the team enters this race ranked seventh.
"Our season hasn't gone as well as we had scripted it so far," Berryhill said. "We haven't done all that well lately, but on the positive side, all of our real goals from training camp are still ahead of us. Defending both our conference and regional titles are all we have been about this year. With such a young team, I kind of like having the roles reversed from the start of the season when we were favored. Being the underdog can give you a chip on your shoulder. I think our women will respond well to that."
Berryhill's lineup for this weekend's race is very similar to the one that ran at the Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, Ind. Seniors Kirsten Anthony and Marissa Saunders, sophomore Allison Gohl, and redshirt freshman Ellie Rastall lead the way for the Rams against the eight other women's teams in the Mountain West, including four ranked in the top 10 in the region. They will be joined by sophomore Lauren Kleppin and true freshmen Michelle Dettmann, Kendra Gerk, Nicole Peters and Crystal Pitney.
"The women have been practicing very well the last two weeks," Berryhill said. "In reality, they've been practicing well all season, even though the results may not translate. That being said, the team is confident. They have a great ability to refocus after disappointment. Their confidence has remained high through some tough conditions."
On the men's side, the Rams will be looking to return to their early season form. They set a clear goal at the start of the season of finishing in the top two in the conference and in the top six in the region. They seemed to be well on their way to accomplishing those goals before stumbling a little in the last two races. All the same, Berryhill believes their goals are still well within reach.
"The men are coming off their best workout of the year this past Saturday," he said. "The last two weeks in general have been our best all year, but Saturday was especially good. If that doesn't give them confidence in themselves, nothing will."
Even though the men's race isn't as big as the women's race, with only six teams racing this weekend, that doesn't mean there will be any less competition. Along with the 11th-ranked Rams, there will be four teams ranked in the top 15 of the region participating, including No. 2 BYU. Junior Jeremy Freed and sophomores Jake Keyser and Daniel Wallis lead Berryhill's nine-man lineup. They are joined by senior Kip Taylor, juniors Wil Buchanan, Andrew Mauk and Shea Phelan, and sophomores Ryan Friese and Jeff Holt.
"BYU will most likely be the heavy favorite," Berryhill said. "But after that it should be pretty wide open for second place. I think we have a great shot of finishing in the top two or three. If we can do that, then we set ourselves up well for regionals and then, hopefully, the NCAAs."
The race is hosted by San Diego State and will be held at Mission Bay Park on the same course that held the 2008 USA Cross Country Championships earlier this year. The women's 6K race is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. MT and the men's 8K race at noon MT.