I thought that with the 2009 cross country season fast approaching, it would be a good idea to do a season preview and talk with some of the current athletes to see their thoughts on the upcoming year.
Mike Spain (JR.) - It's weird to think that Mike Spain is only a junior because it seems like he's already accomplished so much in just 2 short (no pun intended) years. But with 3 All-American honors (12th XC, 6th Indoor 5k, and 6th Outdoor 10k), a school record (Indoor Freshman 5k), and 2 CCIW titles (Indoor 3k, Outdoor 5k), he brings quite a lot to the table this year. Spain had a stellar last year while bringing in new PR's of 8:25 (3k), 14:29 (5k), and 30:19 (10k). Although he has accomplished so much, Spain is looking ahead to the future and busting his butt to be the best runner he can. Here's what Mike had to say about the upcoming season.
Mike Spain - "So off the top of my head the thoughts on this season...
First off, the feeling going into this year has been different than any other year I've had as a team. I've been part of good teams before, ones that knew they would do well in high school and in college but never one that has the confidence or experience that this particular team has. One thing that has been comforting has been the amount of focus that many members have had so far this summer as shown by them consistently meeting up for workouts, team races, and long runs. The top guys and older guys on the team seem to be firing on all cylinders right now and the key to a great season will be to remain healthy and to keep the team focused. As long as we keep the team mentality we had last year, and not let any individual performance hinder a team race, we will be a very dangerous team and have a successful season. One thing that I would like to see however would be the next generation of NCC runners to join in and challenge themselves and try to mix up with the Varsity. It will be a very hard team to make, but I feel that the younger guys really need the experience and can learn a lot from the top guys on the current team. It's not very often you get the chance to be part of something great and the younger guys have the opportunity to be part of it, as well as learn from a lot of the mistakes and success that our team has had. Overall I know the team and myself are very excited and look forward to bringing back what belongs at North Central and restoring the meaning North Central Cross Country bears with it."
Nate(diz) Hird (Super Senior) - "If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right." This it the attitude that Natediz has been taking towards running this summer. Unlike the rest of the people on the team, Nate only has one more season of eligibility left this fall. He has made sure that he will make the most of it by staying on campus in Naperville to train all summer. This has certainly be made known with his top 20 finish at the Bix earlier this summer and his superb fitness. Nate comes into this year as a returning All-American from cross country last year and a multiple time CCIW champion. Nate's thoughts on this years XC team.
Natediz Hird - "Of all the seasons that I've been at North Central College, I am truly the most excited for this upcoming season due to the fact that the team we have this year has been a part of a four year process. This years current team has come a long way from what we were 4 years ago when most of these guys came in as freshman. Me being the only 5th year on the squad, I have gained a lot of experience the last couple of years and now know that our true purpose as a team this year is to come together as a group and do our best to win a national championship. This is definitely the most talented and hard working group of guys I have been on a team with in my life and in order for us to complete our goal of the being the best on nationals day we will need to continue doing all the right things that we've developed over the last couple of years, which includes working our ass off and gaining more experience on racing strong and competitively. If we can perfect these qualities during the year I believe it will be a hard task for other teams to challenge us on the final day."
Neal Klein (So.) - Neal was a huge surprise to almost everybody last year and he placed 36th at the National Championships. Since then he concluded his spring by running a fine 14:47 5k at the NCC Last Chance meet and helping to secure the CCIW Championship for the Cardinals. Neal is now a year older and a year wiser and looks to come in and help to Cardinals with some unfinished business this fall.
Neal Klein - "My view of my of this years team was shown to me on the bus ride back to NCC from last years conference race. We were all feeding off of each other's energy, confidence, and talent. In high school I ran by myself for every run and every race. Now I understand the true meaning of feeling TEAM. I am now on a real team. This team can fuel the fire for a National Championship."
Ryan Carrigan (Sr.) - To an outsider, Ryan Carrigan's 66th place at last years National Championships was a pretty good race. Unbeknownst to most people, Ryan Carrigan had a torn meniscus and toughed out the last 5-6 weeks of the season running through it. Ryan had surgery in the winter and hardshipped both the Indoor and Outdoor track seasons. Ryan has been working hard to get back to where he wants to be and is ready for a strong campaign this cross country season.
Ryan Carrigan - "I am very excited for this upcoming cross country season. The guys on this team have matured and become such a close knit team that there is little we can't achieve. This confidence that our team has developed sums up the philosophy that our team displays in practice and on the line at a meet. Every person knows that the team is more important than the individual and because no one person is particularly satisfied with last year's results, the team is energized to succeed instead of the individual. This is why the upcoming season will be fun; because of the collective goals that we will achieve all year long and having a team to share it with."
Sean Carlson (Sr.) - Going into his freshman year, Sean Carlson came in with big goals but not knowing what to expect. Now, a seasoned veteran, Sean has 3 National XC meets under his belt and knows exactly what's in store for him this fall. Sean had a great track campaign that concluded with a 9:29 steeplechase and a 4th place finish in CCIW. In arguably the best shape of his life, Sean comes into this 2009 season eager and ready to go.
Sean Carlson - "When I think about our team this coming season I see a very deep, confident, and mature team. We have more than seven guys that I would be confident to have on the line with me. We have had 3 years to discover what it takes to be great. Now we are ready to use the lessons we have learned from our disappointments and our most recent accomplishments. When we first got to NCC, the coaches and alums told us stories about other teams and the paths they took to become great. As this team has evolved into what it is now and what it is becoming, we have learned our own teams’ path. In previous years, we only thought we were on the right path, but this year, we know what is at the end. Up until this past year, we operated only on blind faith in the program. We were trying to follow someone else’s tradition. The results we had were few and far between and were not where we or anyone else wanted us to be. This past year our guys became a team, not just a group of guys trying to get PR's, but an utterly selfless group that all want the team’s best performance. This group of guys has always had the work ethic, hit the workouts, and logged the miles, but from our experience we know that it takes more than just that to be great. It takes a team mentality, belief in each other, and a collective knowledge of where we are going. We are creating our own tradition, and we know our path. This season, our thoughts do not consist of the meets, the other teams, or a motto. We are focused on only what we can control: our team and our own tradition."
Dan Buys (Sr.) - If you were to ask anybody on the team who they thought was the most elegant, most graceful, and most attractive guy on the team, they would answer Dan Buys almost instantly. Over the past 3 years, Dan has accumulated almost a cult following on the team. Now a lot of this is because of his looks and grace, but some of it is because of his running too. Dan finished a fantastic track season that saw him run 8:31 for 3k and 15:10 for 5k indoors, and close out the outdoor season with a 9:23 steeplechase. Dan is poised to have another great year and to keep the legend of Dan Buys growing.
Dan Buys - "Alright so some quick thoughts on the season. I guess this is coming in large part from a senior perspective, but having been seniors in high school when north central took 12th,Ii know myself and the rest of the guys in our class weren't scared away by that, but almost more excited to come here because of it with the idea that we could help in some way shape or form to get North Central back to where it should be. Although it took longer that expected, and a lot of bad experiences, last year proved that we are back. These days you can really feel that knowing/quiet confidence and bond between members of the team. Couple that with a sense of selflessness and one common goal, my hearts racing just sitting here typing this. I know its not much, but that's basically how I feel about the upcoming season."
Alex Knobloch (Sr.) - Knobloch has been on the verge of cracking into that top group for a few years now, and this might just be the year. He made a huge jump this spring while running 4:16 for the mile indoors, and following that up with a huge 14:53 5k, and 3:54 Provo performance in the 1500. He is in the shape of his life right now as shown by his top 25 placement at the Bix. Knobloch is a well primed machine ready to go.
Alex Knobloch - "I think our former captain, John Lancaster, said it best when he said that this team can’t go through more rebuilding stages in the future. We wear the stripes of the North Central XC program….. we don’t rebuild, we reload. Like past Cardinal generations, this new NCC team has the task of not only capturing that final achievement we’ve been working towards for the last three years, but also ensuring that the culture that has been reestablished over that same time period will be passed on, without interruption, to the next generation of Cardinals. To the younger guys on the team, look to the upperclassmen leaders on the team…. even more so than performance (which I’m sure some of you will contribute), this team needs you to patiently observe. The time will come soon enough when you’ll be called on to step up and help the team through your performance. And to the upperclassmen, well, there isn’t anything I really need to say because I’m sure you all have that same feeling that I have that this year (for many of us, our last) is going to be something very special."
Chris Kane (Sr.) - As you can see from the last number of names I mentioned, the team is very Senior driven and this class has had much success over the past few years. Chris Kane has been and will be a big part of this success. He is a perfect example of someone who works their a** off and consistently improves each year. He has transformed himself from a decent high school runner to a tough college runner shown by his top 10 finish in the CCIW last fall, near 15 minute 5k time, and 31:30 10k. He will have a great XC season.
Chris Kane - "First of all, I'm really proud of the all the work our guys have been putting in. We've worked hard so far, but it's not done. There's a little less than a hundred days until nationals, and we can get much better or just stay where we are. I know we are going to get better, that is why this is going to be a really exciting season."
Nathan Rutz (So.) - Rutz started off last fall kind of slow but has really come a long way and will be a big factor not only this fall but in the next few years. Rutz dropped tons of time in the steeple at the end of the year and got his PR down to 9:26 at the last chance meet. He has been looking great this summer and will be looking to prove that he is the real deal come cross country. He will be a big name in the future.
Nathan Rutz - " "Success breeds success". While a bit cliché, this quote bears a striking resemblance to the path this team has taken leading up to the 2009 Cross Country Season. Spain and Brady's All-American performance at the 2009 Outdoor Track & Field Championships were the most recent performances indicative of the path the team is on. Every member of the team has been able to build off of the incredible momentum generated in the fall of 2008 and before. With the success of this past spring and the miles put in this summer that will be the foundation for this coming season, the expectations set for this fall will be very high but very attainable with the growing senses of responsibility, accountability, and direction that have developed. The amount of success achieved this year will stem primarily from these values which can only bode well for this year’s team."
Kyle Brady (Sr.) (Written by Nathan Rutz) - Kyle Brady's career at North Central is coming to a close and he is sure to stand out more than ever this year. Coming off of a spectacular junior year where he amassed three All-American performances (Indoor 5k, Outdoor 5k, Outdoor 10k), he will quickly become, once more, the steady performer that has anchored this program in the recent past. With PR's of 14:30 (5k) and 30:28 (10k), Brady will be a huge factor in any race he's in. Despite the loss of Steeplechase Ace John Lancaster, the Cardinals will have another fantastic year and Kyle Brady will be an exemplary leader for younger Cardinals to look up to.
Kyle Brady - "Even though some see these past few years as down years and a bad time period for NCC, I feel great to have been a part of them and feel that because of the progress that we made, it has been 100% worth it. It has been a great journey the past 3 years and I would not rather spend it with anybody else then the teammates that I have grown up with. I am looking forward more to this upcoming season then anything and it will be great to reap the rewards of our past 3 years of work. It has been fun to watch the team growing up and really seeing the difference in attitudes from the past few years. My freshman year we had no idea what to do and went into Nationals blind. My sophomore year it wasn't much better and we still didn't have that confidence. Finally, last year we had that team knowing and unity within the group. It will be great this year because we all have one goal and are working hard together to accomplish the same thing. The important thing that we work on this year is passing the torch down to the younger guys and getting them to believe in the same ideals and values that we have relied on throughout the last few years. It will truly be a great team to be apart of."
Coach Nick Hird - Nick has been around the program almost as much as anyone in the last 3-4 years and he has done a spectacular job staying in tune with what's going on with the team. He is very insightful and has done a great job showing this team the way and helping them get to where they needed to be. Even during the time when the program was at its lowest and few still believed, Nick was still with the team 100% and was a huge impact in turning this team around. He has some great things to say.
Nick Hird - "For the first time in a long time I can say that we've got a very mature, experienced group of guys still hungry to get on top. This is a group that has dealt with what seemed like rock-bottom for NCC, has brought it back up and are continuing to work to bring it to the very class of D3 again. It took years of hard work, frustration, criticism, blind faith, disappointment, true teamwork, and finally some building successes to get where they are now. This is a very senior oriented group of guys that continue to want to outwork everyone and will do anything for their teammates to get where they collectively want to be. Most everyone trying to crack that top 10 and top 7 have either run at one or many national meets or at least hit a list in track. These guys have a been a pleasure to work with and to watch grow into the men they have become. I look forward to the next couple months of pain, sweat, and tears to see what this group can truly accomplish after all the groundwork has finally been laid. It should be some of the most rewarding times many of these guys have had since getting to college and they deserve everything they will accomplish this year."
This is just a brief preview of some of the guys on the team and obviously there are many other guys who will and who have impacted this team but if we included everybody who made an impact, there probably wouldn't be room on the page! Stay tuned for more info about this season and updates on meets. Until then, only a picture of Dan Buys will tide you over. Enjoy!
KB
