Conference Banquet

Tonight we attended the conference championships banquet. All the conference teams gather for a meal, some awards, honor the seniors, and a video montage of the season. It gives our gals a chance to dress up and enjoy the company of the other teams before we all compete against one another in the morning. As usual it was a nice event. Our only senior is Sydney Osmun. She actually came to Utah and competed on the swim team. However, after a coaching change she asked for a chance to compete on our team. She had a lot to learn, but she was patient and is reaping the rewards of her hard work by getting to run at the conference meet. She has stepped up for us all season and we expect her to do the same tomorrow. While I was at the podium and in my attempt to keep things short (as I am not exactly known for that) I didn't mention how endebted I am to my two great volunteer assistants. Shayla Houlihan (who has been with me as an athlete and now a coach) and first year ass't, Carol Eckerly have done a great job of helping me with our very youthful team. They always seem to know what to say and have provided outstanding ideas all season. They are a huge part of our growth and the success we all share. It's time to get a good nights rest and be ready to run with our hearts in stride as one.

The Calm Before the Storm

With about 40 hours before the Mountain West Conference championships all the work has been done. I feel confident that my young team will perform at a very high level. If they do that then the end result will take care of itself. Like everyone we have one gal fighting the flu and a few others dealing with the usual aches and pains that come with our sport. However, everyone is in good spirits and anxious to race in a championship meet that is only 45 minutes from our campus.

I have to admit that I have always preferred being on the athletes side of these meets. I knew that I had complete control of the situation and because I prepared the same every time I knew what I could expect from myself physically and mentally. As a coach you have to constantly battle being a great provider of knowledge vs giving too much information that overwhelms your team...especially one as young as we are. My two great assistants have really done an outstanding job with our team in this area. Maybe that's why I'm not as anxious or nervous as I have been in the past. Our group knows what they need to know. They just need to focus on staying in the moment, giving a great effort, and running for each other. I know they will!

Student Athlete Halloween Party

The annual student athlete Halloween party was held last night at the Student Union bowling alley/game room. This event features team costumes, a team bowling tournament, and pumpkin painting. Our team costume this year was a positive spin on the most recent health epidemic...swine flu. Our team did a great job and as the pictures above show...had a great time. The event is headed by our Associate Athletics Director for student support, Mary Bowman. She works with our Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) to put this event together. They provide pizza and beverages. The event also helps the Utah Food Bank as every athlete is asked to bring canned goods as their "entry fee" for the event.

Tailgate Party

With the cross country team off this weekend and the first of three consecutive home football games it was time to have a little fun as a team. My two outstanding assistants, Burke Bockman and Tapio Kuusela (with some help from our sport administrator, Zack Lassiter) organized a team tailgate party prior to our FB game vs Air Force. We had a great spot next to "Utah Village" (games, food, general students, and pre game radio show). Check out a few pics from the event above.

The top picture is freshman Angie Kaplar show off her prize from an outstanding performance at the FB skills booth. The third picture is the track staff with U of U Legend, Manny Hendricks. Manny works in our student athlete support/services office. He played basketball for Utah and then went on to play several years for the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL before returning to his beloved alma mater.

Mudville Invite

After eight inches of rain during the week parts of the University of Arkansas cross country course looked more suitable for mud volleyball than running. A large section just beyond the start line as well as another 50 meter path just after the two mile mark made for some interesting running technique. However, the meet was outstanding as usual with several nationally ranked teams in attendance. A total of 37 teams and 267 runners toed the starting line. Our young group was very focused all week and knew this was their last opportunity to build some momentum and confidence before the conference championships in two weeks.

They got out well, ran very well in the middle of the race, and finished the best we have all year. It took less than ideal conditions and a mud bath for me to really find out how tough this team can be. This race is part of a town festival, but that only seemed to heighten our focus and fuel our mission which as a coach is all you can ask...especially with such a young group.

Freshman Amanda Mergaert finished 37th overall in 22:07 which is one of the fastest times we've ever had a first year runner achieve. It was especially impressive considering she was ill and in bed all day Tuesday and Wednesday. The rest of our team all stepped up and ran their best races of the season as well. We finished a respectable 13th and will now focus our whole energy on the conference championships in two weeks!!

Chile Pepper Pre Meet

We just returned from our premeet run and course viewing. This is the first time at this meet for all of our current runners. This course hosted the NCAA Championships back in the late '90's. It is located on the University of Arkansas's Agricultural Center grounds and is a cross country only facility. We will run our first 6K race of the season tomorrow against 39 other teams. There are approximately 300 total runners in our race. The course has a few wet spots due to eight inches of rain that fell earlier in the week. Check back tomorrow for what could be some very interesting/fun pictures and video!!! :)

Community Involvement

Since we were on Fall Break this week our team decided to take advantage of some extra free time by going to a local elementary school and spending time with some of the local kids. We had two different groups--one on Tuesday and another on Wednesday. They enjoyed some recess time as well as spoke to the youngsters about the importance of doing well in school and being involved in many activities. Our athletes have always been very generous with their time especially when it comes to aspiring young Ute fans. The kids really enjoying listening and interacting with our athletes and I know our athletes feel the same. Competing in Division I athletics is a privilege that our women take very seriously. They enjoy sharing their stories about how they were able to get to this level and hope it helps the next generation be successful in their lives. Most importantly we encourage them to dream big and be positive.

Mergaert Leads Utes at Nevada

On an ideal morning to race our team competed against Sacramento State and Nevada-Reno in Reno on a windy course full of rolling hills. Times were very slow due to the tight turns and four trips up the 600 meter hill on this loop style course. I thought we did a much better job of being patient early in the race. However, we failed to respond to some moves mid race and it really cost us in the team race. I was very please with freshman Amanda Mergaert who finished third overall and only 12 seconds behind the winner who was a Regional qualifier in the steeplechase and 5K during the outdoor track season. Jenny McCune was aggressive early in the race and was able to hang on for a top ten finish. Our 3-7 group had a good spread, but they have to get closer to our front two if we hope to meet our team goals in the coming weeks. Like everyone else we have some illness and injuries to overcome and I think we can. Ultimately, we have to run with more confidence and respond to any and all moves that the competition makes in the middle of the race.

Picture: Megan Combe and Amanda Mergaert stretch during their warmup for this mornings 5K race.

Scavenger Hunt Practice

I wanted to mix it up at practice today. I thought we had an excellent practice as a whole on Wednesday and with a long run tomorrow I still wanted to get one more quality workout in without completely beating up our young team.

So I put together a scavenger hunt on campus for the team. We divided into four teams of 2-3 athletes. Everyone had to go to the same places, but in a different order. The sixth and final requirement had them all finishing at the pool and doing three lengths in the water any way they chose. They had to go to the athletics administration offices and take a picture with a specified person. The went to the office of our NCAA athletics/faculty rep. A trip to the compliance office and to the University President's office were also on the list. Finally, they had to go find out what time a particular TRAX (light rail) train left the Ft Douglas Station. It was fun and it was a great workout...particularly when you consider I had them go for a 25 minute run beforehand. All four teams finished within four minutes of each other which also created a great competitive atmosphere.

The top picture is Chantel, Brooke, and Amanda with a picture of our mascot, Swoop, in the ticket office. The other picture features Adrienne, our travel agent--Mary, and Lucy.

We're off to watch the opening swim meet this evening. Have a great weekend. We're off to Park City to do our long run in the morning!!! Sa---weeeeetttt!!!