By: by Scott Lipsky
KENNESAW, Ga. - The Kennesaw State men’s cross country team will make history on Saturday, when they compete against the best teams in the south at the NCAA South Region Championship, at the Harry Pritchett Running Park at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Harry Pritchett Running Park is a familiar venue for the reigning Atlantic Sun champions, who raced there at the Crimson Classic on September 18. That weekend, the Black & Gold were led by Jaakko Nieminen and Nabil Hamid, who finished in the top 25 on the team’s way to a sixth place finish in the 16-team field.
Saturday will be different, however, on several fronts. First, there is much at stake for the Owls, as the two teams that finish at the top of the field will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA National Championship on November 21 at Indiana State University. Additionally, while the course will be a familiar one for the runners, it will not be exactly the same, as this weekend’s race will be a 10k, as opposed to the 8k they ran in September.
“I’m pushing the guys to finish as high as they can this weekend, knowing a bid to Nationals is out there for the taking,” said head coach Stan Sims, whose squad is ranked 11th in the South Region in the latest US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll, released November 2. “What really makes me excited is getting the chance to face our in-state rivals this weekend. Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, those are all teams we’d like to beat. That’s a major goal for us as well.”
NCAA rules permit up to seven runners from each team to compete in the race. Aside from qualifying as a team, a runner can make it to Nationals individually by being one of the top-four finishers among non-qualifying teams.
“Obviously, our goal is to qualify as a team, but I am definitely willing to chase a spot individually, even if that requires a little bit of risk,” said Nieminen, who was the top finisher among the Owls at the Crimson Classic, posting a 23rd place finish and time of 26:05. “We’ve done a little more mental preparation than usual, since we will be running a 10k for the first time this season. However, having won the conference championship, our training has been pretty good this season on the whole, so we didn’t change a whole lot from a physical standpoint.”
The race may also be the last for seniors Michael Johnson and Scott Burley. For Burley in particular, the race has extra meaning, since he has already exhausted his eligibility for indoor and outdoor track, potentially making this his last collegiate athletic event, unless they can qualify for nationals.
"It's funny, because i've kind of come full circle. When I was a freshman running at University of New Orleans, I was supposed to run in the Regional, but couldn't because of another commitment," said Burley, who used the last three years of his eligibility at Kennesaw State. "It makes me want to do well that much more, since I've waited until the end of my career to get here."
The men’s race will commence at 10:00 a.m. Central Time on Saturday.
Course Map: http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/alab/graphics/men-ncaa-course-map.gif
Meet Quick Facts
Event Name: NCAA South Region Championship
Event Date: Saturday, November 14th, 2009
Host: University of Alabama
Location: Harry Pritchett Running Park
Start Time: 10:00 a.m. (Central)
Distance: 10k
Last Time KSU Competed: First Time Competing in NCAA Regional (Competed in Region Preview at same course on 9/18 in 8k meet).
Region Preview Times/Finish: Jaakko Nieminen 26:05 (23); Nabil Hamid 26:07 (25); Piotr Witczak 26:47 (41); Michael Johnson 27:00 (50); Ryan Burruss 27:17 (57); Matt Auers 27:28 (61); Peikko Solla 30:46 (108)
Teams Competing (Conference): Alabama (SEC); Alabama A&M (SWAC); Alcorn State (SWAC); Auburn (SEC); Austin Peay (Ohio Valley); Belmont (Atlantic Sun); Bethune-Cookman (MEAC); Chattanooga (Southern); East Tennessee State (Atlantic Sun); Florida (SEC); Florida A&M (MEAC); Florida Atlantic (Sun Belt); Florida International (Sun Belt); Florida State (ACC); Georgia (SEC); Georgia Southern (Southern); Georgia State (Colonial Athletic); Georgia Tech (ACC); Jackson State (SWAC); Jacksonville State (Ohio Valley); Kennesaw State (Atlantic Sun); Lipscomb (Atlantic Sun); Memphis (Conference USA); Mercer (Atlantic Sun); Miami (ACC); Middle Tennessee State (Sun Belt); Ole Miss (SEC); Mississippi State (SEC); Mississippi Valley (SWAC); North Florida (Atlantic Sun); Samford (Southern); Savannah State (Independent); South Alabama (Sun Belt); South Florida (Big East); Southern Mississippi (Conference USA); Stetson (Atlantic Sun); Tennessee (SEC); Tennessee State (Ohio Valley); Tennessee Tech (Ohio Valley); Tennessee-Martin (Ohio Valley); Troy (Sun Belt); UAB (Conference USA); Vanderbilt (SEC)
Kennesaw State junior Nathan Haskins will be running in his first NCAA Regional race on Saturday, and in just his fourth race fall after missing significant time due to injury. KSUowls.com sat down with Haskins, one of the team’s emotional leaders, to discuss what we can expect to see out of himself and his teammates this weekend.
KSUowls.com: How are you preparing for a 10k as opposed to an 8k?
Nathan Haskins: My preparation is not a whole lot different in training for one over the other. I have increased my mileage and the workouts have been altered a little to combat the longer distance. Some of the workouts that we have incorporated involve doing longer tempos and intervals. There is a lot more emphasis on holding race pace or above for a longer period of time.
KS: Even though you didn’t get to run at the Crimson Classic, you did travel to the meet and were able to see the course, albeit the shorter version. What did you learn from it, and how did that change your planning for Saturday?
NH: It is a rolling course that is deceiving, because there are some hills, yet it is still a relatively fast course. I think this course is more favorable to our team’s abilities more than a flat course anyway. Training at Kennesaw Mountain everyday makes any hill seem small.
KS: What are your goals for this weekend? Since you can qualify for Nationals both as a team and individually, how will you approach this race? Will you have more of individual mindset with regards to time, or will you embrace the team aspect?
NH: My goal is to keep improving and help my team. At the start of the season I was really looking forward to pushing at the front of the pack, but I have had some adversity since then. Each day I feel like I am getting in better shape, but this weekend I plan on just improving upon my last race. Our team has potential to do very well this weekend and it will be interesting to see who we upset.
KS: What would qualifying for Nationals mean for you? Either as an individual or a team.
NH: Qualifying for Nationals for anyone has to be the highest honor. I train everyday to be nationally competitive even if I don’t get there this weekend. Honestly, I would love for my team to qualify more than just me, because those are the people that get out everyday and train along side me.
KS: What are your team goals this weekend?
NH: I know that we want to come out and let everyone know that KSU is going to be a team to reckon with in the future. I believe that a top eight showing this year would be a huge step in that direction. I personally, along with others, have goals that we want to accomplish at regionals and we will talk about that after we accomplish them.
KS: Do you see this meet as a potential learning experience, being your first NCAA meet?
NH: Yes, definitely! I have always wanted to run against the best in the country. I think meets like this are very important in the growth of a runner. You have to run against the best to become the best.
KS: Do you treat it any differently than you normally would?
NH: Honestly, I am not going to. Don’t get me wrong, I know that the competition is a lot better, but it is just another race in my mind. Running is a process. I will get a lot of experience from this race and if I race it the way I have all year I will do very well.
