http://bouldernews.com/bdc/cu_cross_country/article/0,1713,BDC_2450_1562216,00.html
But Slattery may not be completely healthy for Monday's nationals By Michael Sandrock, For the Camera November 22, 2002 It takes years of patient training to build up the endurance and strength necessary to reach the highest levels in collegiate cross country, and five University of Colorado seniors have been able to do just that in forming the core of the CU squad that will compete Monday in the NCAA Championships at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind. The five seniors — Molly Austin and Tera Moody for the CU women and Steve Slattery and Ed and Jorge Torres on the men's side — supply the character and values of the Colorado teams which will both be vying for top spots on Monday. The defending champion men dropped to No. 5 in the last poll of the season while the women remained at No. 3. Both are coming off second-place finishes at the NCAA regional qualifying race. No matter how Colorado ends up on Monday, CU has a great group of young runners who have had the examples of Slattery, the Torres brothers, Austin and Moody to look up to, head coach Mark Wetmore said on Thursday. "The seniors have taught our cultural ethics to all the new people. That is a legacy of immense importance." The seniors are, said Wetmore, "the leadership of the team, and they are the opinion leaders of the team. They define our values. We try to identify candidates of special character when recruiting, but we can't tell (how high school runners will do in college) until they are in the crucible of training and racing. It is rare that someone of questionable character survives four years (in CU's program)." That is not because the training required at Colorado is exceeding difficult, but rather because runners in a big-time college program like CU need to train nearly every day during their college years. "It is just a big commitment," said Wetmore, "and then there is the pressure of a program in the spotlight like we are, so a lot of people go by the wayside." The Torres brothers, Slattery, Moody and Austin have not, however. All are strong, mature runners whom Wetmore expects to run well on Monday. "I was really naive my first two years," said Austin, eighth at the 2001 NCAA championships. "It is fun to look back and see how we have progressed. It has been so much fun and a great experience." Austin, the Torres and Slattery have been among the best runners in the nation this year, and all would be expected to be among the top finishers on Monday. Slattery, however, has been "under the weather" and is not certain to be completely healthy for the race. "If Steve is not 100 percent, it will be a severe blow to our chances of defending. He is crucial to our chances," said Wetmore. "Steve is one of the best in the nation, but was far back in the regional meet. He is not feeling a lot better yet and is just resting. But he is definitely a big-race runner, and will run the best he has got within himself." Torres won CU's regional by clocking 29 minutes, 33 seconds for the 10K course, but CU placed second to Northern Arizona. After regionals, the men dropped from third to fifth in the United States Cross Country Coaches Association final poll. Stanford is ranked first, followed by Arkansas, Wisconsin, Northern Arizona and CU. Stanford is led by Don Sage, who like the Torres brothers was a top high school runner in Illinois. Sage won the men's West Regional in leading the Cardinal — which CU defeated by just one point in winning the 2001 NCAA championship — to the regional team title. What makes Stanford so good is its depth, said Wetmore. "They have nine Division I-caliber runners, and if one gets a cold, they have a guy 10 seconds behind him." That is not the case for Colorado, but the good news for the Buffs is that except for Slattery, the CU runners heading to Terre Haute are all healthy, including Austin, who was slowed by a cold at regionals. "I was really sick before the regional, but am feeling better now and am excited about Monday's race," she said. "I hope to keep the leaders in sight and not lose touch. It is hard to say who the favorite is. Someone always pops out at this meet." -ENDS- =========== "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Ralph Waldo Emerson _____________________________________________________________ Sign up for a 6mb FREE email from http://www.spl.at Join the buzz, chat with us! http://chat.spl.at _____________________________________________________________ Select your own custom email address for FREE! Get [EMAIL PROTECTED] w/No Ads, 6MB, POP & more! http://www.everyone.net/selectmail?campaign=tag
