Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Win District V Title
April 06, 2003 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
Many may feel that there was no doubt the team would win the title, the team believes it won as much by heart, confidence and hard work as by talent.
When the cold, icy winds were hitting them in the face and many talented squads were wanting to pull out of the race, the Cowboys stuck in there and won the race during the last 1,000-meter stretch.
This race is very motivational for the Cowboys, fully preparing them mentally as well as physically before Monday's national championship race in Greenville, S.C.
Monday's field will be highly competitive, but the Cowboys believe they will succeed if they run with the heart and confidence that they did at the district meet.
Junior Rene Carlsen and sophomore Chuck Sloan both agree that there are a number of talented teams in the field that the guys could use to pace with, but this squad does not focus on the competition around them. They pace themselves, run their own race and push each other along the field.
"I could pace myself with Colorado's second or third man to keep up in the race, but I do not depend on that tactic," said Sloan. "I tried that last year when I paced myself with Adam Batliner (Mountain District Champion), thinking he would pull me along; he started dying at the 4 kilometer mark, and I had to leave him behind. This year, I will not focus on pacing myself with the opponents-just gunning them down."
Carlsen said, "We know that a team like Colorado will be up front, so pacing with them could help but we don't do that. We work as a team and run our own race. We know that we will be up there in the end."
"We are not worried about what the other teams will be doing," said men's head coach Dick Weis. "We are just going to go out and stick to our plan, and we will be all right."
Weis plans to attack the field with comfortable running and teamwork.
"Many teams go out hard and fast at the nationals and they die out early," said Weis. "They run without a plan. We will stick to our plan; we will go out comfortable and run hard where it counts, at the end of the race."
This squad knows its talent and believes that it should be on the trophy stand at meet's end.
The Cowboys know that there will be several individuals on the team setting goals, but this will not be the primary area of concern. Instead, the team will be focusing on one goal, winning the national championship.
"I just want to run my best race for my teammates," said redshirt freshman Scott Gray. "My goal for this race is to help my team win a trophy".
"I have the ambition to place in the top 25 and I will try to run my kind of race so I can help the team," said junior Habel Churu.
Several of the veterans do not expect anything less than All-America honors, but they will be motivating their teammates to do well also.
"I want to be All-American, but it will not be that easy," said Carlsen. "I had a slow start early in the season, but am performing well now; I want to do well for the team."
There will be satisfaction in witnessing overall team success, in positions and personal bests.
"I will give this race everything that I have; I will not sell myself short out there," said junior Brian Young. "It will make me happy to see my teammates give it their all also because in turn, they will be successful."
The Cowboys hope to build on a recent history of national success, including a third-place finish in 1995 and a fourth-place showing in 1996.
"This team should do well," said Lane. "We are a program of tradition, that brought trophies back the past two years; we do not want to be the first team in the last three years that did not win a trophy, just like we did not want to be the first team in the last three years to not win the district championship."
They are planning to control the field, not as individuals but as a team, complimenting each other's talent and motivating each other all the way to the trophy stand.
"We need to keep encouraging and supporting each other to do well," said Framme. "We just have to keep telling ourselves and each other that we are a major contender in this race."
Sloan summed everything up stating, "I want everyone to do well; I want us to finally put it all together."
