By AmyAnn Rupp
The BYU women”s cross country team is ready to run Friday Sept. 27 in Charlotte, N.C. at the 2002 Great American Cross Country Festival.
Coach Patrick Shane has taken fourteen women with him, which will comprise two BYU teams.
“I am excited about the race. I think we will do really well,” Shane said.
The two-day Festival features 35 cross country races for elementary, middle school, high school, collegiate and adult club runners.
Rick Hill, the sponsor of the Great American, flies in every competing team, coming from 40 different states, Canada and Great Britain, to provide an atmosphere where everyone can experience extreme competition.
“This guy flies in the best in the nation,” Shane said. “He is flying us in, which he has done for the past three years, and is also flying in local Orem and Mountain View High Schools.”
Among the top collegiate competition present will be number two-seeded Georgetown, No. 6 North Carolina State, No. 7 Arkansas and No. 8 Duke.
“This meet probably has ten of the top 25 teams in the nation at least, so we will have really good competition,” Shane said.
Despite the tough competition, Shane is only running his top four runners.
“Our A team will be an under-strength team,” Shane said. “We won”t be running Lindsey Thomsen, Jesse Kindschi or Laura Heiner.”
“That isn”t to say it won”t be a good team. It just won”t be what it will be later in the year,” he said.
Shane said the Cougars have been training at their peak this week.
Depending on individual abilities, the women are running somewhere between 50 and 70 miles a week.
“As a result of the hard training this week we might be a little flat going in, but we are trying to focus on something for the 25th of November,” Shane said. “It is ok to be tired now; you have to get in shape and now is the time to do it.”
For two Cougars, junior Michaela Manova and redshirt freshman Kassi Andersen, the Great American will be their first run this season.
“Certainly Kassi is one of the athletes that could challenge to win the whole thing,” Shane said.
“Michaela may not be quite ready, but she is so talented and good, her background would indicate that if she wants to and she is feeling good, she could do as well,” he said. “She is one of those athletes that could get it done.”
Shane said although he will not be running all his top runners, he predicts Georgetown will not be holding any back.
“Most teams don”t have the depth that we have,” Shane said. “By this time in the season they don”t have the luxury to withhold people, but they put everyone in.”
“For that reason it will be perfect for BYU to have their first chance to race against a possible national championship contender and get a feel for them,” he said.
In the recent NCAA coach”s poll, BYU continues to be seeded number one in the nation.
Shane said he hopes Georgetown beats the Cougars on Friday.
“I have two sides to me,” Shane said. “I really hate to lose, but I also hate to be ranked number one early in the season and all the way through.”
“Big deal if we don”t take it all, we won”t have three strong people running with us so it wouldn”t hurt our confidence and it would deflect the pressure,” he said.
“So we are not going to go out purposely and not run hard,” Shane said.
“Everyone that hits the starting line will be given a game plan, a strategy that will help them to run the very best race that they can.”
