Colorado State University Athletics
Rams cross country looks to finish season on positive note
11/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 11, 2008
By Josh Kruger
Athletic Media Relations
Coach and Athlete Information | Spectator Information and Parking
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The CSU men's and women's cross country teams have one final race to right their ship when, for the second time this season, they run a race at home. On Saturday morning, the Rams host 18 other teams at Collindale Golf Course for the 2008 NCAA Mountain Region Cross Country Championships.
This season hasn't gone the way the Rams would have liked, especially on the women's side. Coming off the team's first-ever conference and regional championships last year, expectations were high both internally and within the cross country community as a whole. In the preseason USTFCCCA rankings, the women's team was ranked 14th in the nation and first in the Mountain region. With wins in the first two races of the season, the team looked like it would live up to those rankings. The last three races, however, haven't been nearly as successful, and the team has seen a considerable drop in the regional rankings to their current ninth place.
"This hasn't been quite the year we wanted," said Head Coach Bryan Berryhill. "Our women had much bigger aspirations going into the season. That being said, however, we all know that if there was one meet to turn all our troubles around, it is definitely this weekend's race. We know that we need to be as confident as possible going in."
One positive that the teams have going into the race is that they will be rested. After the MWC championships two weeks ago, Berryhill decided to go easy on them during practices leading up to this weekend.
"These have probably been the easiest two weeks of the season," he said. "We've definitely been practicing well, but we haven't done a whole lot. Both teams should be rested going into Saturday."
The women's team will be looking to give one final push in hopes of qualifying for the NCAA championships in Terre Haute, Ind., on Nov. 24. The top two teams from each region will automatically qualify, with the rest of the 31-team field being chosen at-large from all nine regions.
"The girls are feeling good," Berryhill said. "I think they are ready. There's no question that they have been frustrated throughout the year. They've been working so hard and so well in practice and, unfortunately, it hasn't translated to positive results in the actual races. But they still believe in themselves. They know that they have a great race in them. They just need to finally put it together this weekend."
The women will be going up against some very tough competition. Berryhill believes that without question, the favorites going into the race will be Texas Tech (ranked No. 1 in the region), New Mexico (No. 2) and BYU (No. 3). The other teams competing include Northern Arizona (No. 4), Utah (No. 5), Colorado (No. 6), Utah State (No. 7), Weber State (No. 8), Nevada (No. 10), Southern Utah (No. 11), Wyoming (No. 12), New Mexico State (No. 13), Air Force (No. 14), Montana (No. 15), Idaho State, Montana State, Northern Colorado and UTEP.
On the men's side, the Rams look to finish off a season that, like the women, started off strong but hasn't lived up to its promise. The men also won their first two races, the Wyoming Invitational and the CSU Classic, but have faltered in the last three races. Nevertheless, Berryhill feels good about his team's chances this weekend.
"I would describe the men's season as being 50-50 up to this point," he said. "Each race we have had half our guys give good efforts while the other half have not. They know that we need everyone on the same page on Saturday. On a positive note, I have definitely seen some very good progress across the board this season with the men's team. The future looks bright."
Like the women, the men face some formidable competition. Berryhill thinks that the top three teams in the region, Northern Arizona, BYU and Colorado, come in as the front-runners. In addition to these three teams, the No. 10-ranked Rams will face UTEP (No. 4), Air Force (No. 5), Weber State (No. 6), New Mexico (No. 7), Southern Utah (No. 8), Utah State (No. 9), Wyoming (No. 11), Montana (No. 12), Montana State (No. 13), Texas Tech (No. 14), New Mexico State (No. 15), Idaho State and Northern Colorado.
A possible confidence booster for the Rams is the fact that the race is taking place in Fort Collins. The results from early this year seem to suggest that the team enjoys racing close to home. On the flip side, while the team will feel comfortable racing in Fort Collins, any notion of a "home-course advantage" may be premature. According to Berryhill, no one on his team has ever run the course at Collindale.
"When we won our first two races this year, both were relatively local," Berryhill said. "Maybe it is `our thing.' A lot of our athletes are from the Fort Collins area and will have friends and family coming out to cheer them on. Hopefully this will give them a sense of comfort leading into the race. I know that Ellie (Rastall) is very excited about this weekend. She is a hometown girl and will have lots of support. We may not have any home-course advantage, but I do believe we may have a sort of home-area advantage."
Berryhill is realistic heading into this race. He knows that it has been a very trying season for both his teams. Nevertheless, he is hopeful that the team leaders can come through and help finish the season on a high note.
"Both teams are well aware of my expectations for this race and their capabilities for fulfilling them," he said. "On the women's side, we need Ellie Rastall, Allison Gohl and Kirsten Anthony to have great races. If they race the way that I know they can, a top-three finish is a definite possibility. On the men's side, I expect Jeremy Freed and Daniel Wallis to lead our team, but both Jake Keyser and Andrew Mauk are big keys as well. If we can finish this race in the top seven, I will be very happy."
The races will take place at Collindale Golf Course on the corner of Horsetooth and Lemay, east of Warren Park. Admission to the race is free and parking information is available on csurams.com, by clicking here. The women's 6,000-meter race is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., with the men's 10,000-meter race beginning at 11:45 a.m.