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Over the hills and through the woods: Teams travel to Pre-Nationals
by Carson Byrd
The herd emerging from the dust.
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If anyone had told a member of the Mars Hill College cross-country team a few years back that they would be nationally ranked and would cross the country to compete in high-caliber meets, they would have laughed at such a dream.
At 6 a.m. on September 24, however, the men's and women's cross-country teams board a Young charter bus to Southern Indiana University in Evansville for the Stegemoller Classic Invitational.
Awaiting them in southern Indiana is a race to prove that they rank among the nation's best. The race will be run on the same course that will be used for the NCAA Division II National Championships on November 20. The Mars Hill harriers travel to Indiana bent on raising their ranking. They will also gather strategic information on the course and on their opponents as they look ahead to the national championships.
Exiting the mountains via Interstate 40, everyone has headphones on and heads buried in pillows. The bus stops for lunch in Nashville -bag lunches courtesy of Chartwell's -- in a parking lot beside the Tennessee Titans' stadium.
Craig Eckstein, James Thompson and company head off to investigate. Tyler Wilkinson pulls out a Frisbee, and soon ten runners are launching the disc high into the blue sky.
On through the Central Time Zone, Happy Gilmore appears on the five televisions in the bus. Jon Stoehr watches with a slight grin. Is he smiling at the movie or something else? Stoehr is in a unique position as a sophomore. He has a chance to earn All-American honors in November. Putting in weeks of eighty-plus miles, he has been tuning his body to push himself to the limit. He wears a yellow armband bought to show support for Lance Armstrong's organization to fight cancer. The band reads "Live Strong." Stoehr does.
In the aisle next to Stoehr, Daniel Amick snoozes to country music. He too has a chance at All-American honors, as a junior. He has come a long way from starting his own cross-country team at his high school in South Carolina. He pushes when everyone hurts. In every race, he and Stoehr hang on to team leader Craig Eckstein's shoulder and inch ever closer to their goal of the season.
Craig Eckstein holds onto eventual winner Daniel Rojas.
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Eckstein is unique. Now he sits near the front of the bus and picks at freshman Brittany Gendron. Ask him how much he cares about running, and he's likely to say it's just something he does. But in his rail-thin body lies the determination of a giant. Eckstein is the best runner in the Southeast Region. He pushes the pace from the crack of the gun all the way through the finish chute. No matter what a course or competition throws at him, he goes for victory every time. Craig was not far from making All-American at last year's championships in Cary, North Carolina. This last season of his senior year, he has one more chance.
A few hours later a giant bridge looms in the distance, and we cross a flooding Ohio River into Indiana. Barges float along below us along with giant trees pulled from their roots. Lesser roads disappear beneath the muddy water.
In Evansville, Victorian homes line one side of the street, their windows fixed on the river. A steamboat from the 1800s is docked next to a casino along the river. Ashley Lear stares at the port and factories and says, "This city doesn't look like my town (Hayesville, North Carolina). I miss my mountains."
The bus pulls into a parking lot near the cross-country course at the University of Southern Indiana. Teams from around the country dart in and out of the woods and float across grassy fields.
Eckstein and Elliot Austin lead the group of men to check out the course, and Tabatha Lee and Rachel Retallick lead the women.
They cross the fenceless outfield of a softball complex over the low-cut grass, rounding a curve and down and then back up through a small gulch. After a second loop around the complex, the runners disappear into the woods to the back portion of the course. It follows a dusty dirt path and shoots down a ten-degree hill, then flattens out in a small open section. Next comes a gentle left turn and a gradual hill where, at the top of the hill the runners take mental notes before gliding down to the campus disc golf course. Floating over rolling hills, the teams slowly make their way back to the wooded section to the softball complex to the finish. The women will run a six-kilometer race tomorrow and the men will run eight.
Elliot says "The course is fair"-as it doesn't favor any team. There are hills for teams that crave the hills and flat grass fields for those that love to sprint. Craig warns against being sucked into the fast start that could occur tomorrow. Better to make their move two miles into the race.
Wasting energy early is always a temptation in a race such as this. No one wants to be left behind in the dust or let the team down during a crucial race.
At Fazolli's, near a busy strip-mall, the runners gorge on pasta and pizza. The Atkins diet has no appeal to people who burn three times as many calories daily as the average American. Runners stoke carbs to win.
Jon Stoehr is still smiling. His parents have made the trip to Evansville and have brought a present for him -- his girlfriend, Krystle. He glows for the rest of the night.
Sophomore runner Elizabeth Head and her parents come around a corner to a booth where her boyfriend, Elliot, is sitting. Her mother carries a birthday cake. They lead the way, singing happy birthday to Elliot, and the entire team joins in. They sing again while they try to light the candles. After they're finally lit, Elizabeth's mother makes everyone sing one more time. We hear a kid say, "Mommy, they must like to sing the birthday song to that a guy a lot."
At team meetings back at the hotel Coach Owens and Coach Mark again emphasize the importance of this as preparation for the rest of the season. They will see how they stack-up against their competition from across the country and run on the same course that they will race on come the national championships in November. Certain runners are told to run with other teammates in order to maximize the best possible placing for both teams.
Morning breaks with overcast clouds encompassing the area. Breakfast is bagels, cereal, and fruit - quick calories. Now the pressure shows even in the faces of runners who have experience in big races.
On race day the Mars Hill bus parks behind one from Georgia - Kennesaw State University, ranked twenty-first in the nation. The runners unload into a tense and hostile atmosphere. Each team is eyeing the others, looking for weaknesses. Sixth-ranked Grand Valley State out of Michigan jogs around the starting line, and number ten Stonehill College (Massachusetts) sets up camp behind the starting line. Teams carrying high national rankings have come to defend them. Others, such as the University of Alaska-Anchorage, have traveled far to run on the national course, and do not want to see their money go to waste.
Corey SImons, Jon Stoehr, Elliot Austin, and James Thompson sprint to the finish.
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>They survey again the hills that may cause trouble and what sections the team needs to push especially hard. Fans find their places along the course.
Then all are called to the white spray-painted starting line. Eckstein, Stoehr, and Amick stand at the head of the box number four, intent on a top-30 finish. The rest of the team fills in behind them. The starter raises his gun.
"Runners take your marks!"
Every runner leans forward, loose and expectant, on one leg. Some look at the ground, others straight ahead.
CRACK!
One hundred and sixty-six men bolt off the line. Mars Hill's blue Adidas singlets and shorts become part of a rainbow of uniforms that come together down the first stretch. Craig Eckstein makes his way through the mob to the top twenty. Daniel is not far behind. James, Jon, Elliot, and Corey Simons lead a second pack of runners over the grassy fields and through the first mile marker. Freshmen Dustin Whitlow and Josh Wagner maneuver their way through the crowd. Chris Rischke holds on to Wagner's shoulder as they approach the woods.
Dust obscures the view. Runners from Cal Poly-Pomona leading the pack seem the only ones not affected by it. Over the hills in the back section of the course, the Mars Hill men work their way forward, catching dying "flatlanders" unused to so much climbing. Approaching the three-mile marker Tyler Wilkinson passes a clump of runners and pushes down the backside of a grassy hill and into the woods.
The leaders pop out of the woods and into the last half-mile. Dust covers their grimacing faces as they sprint into the finish chute on their last reserves. Daniel Rojas, a senior from Cal Poly-Pomona, wins the race in an excellent time of 24:59, averaging five minutes and two seconds each mile. Craig Eckstein leads the Lions to a 9th place overall team finish with his time of 25:51 and 13th place finish at a five minute and twelve second pace. Daniel Amick was the next Lion in with his 26th place (26:13). Elliot Austin was third for the team in 60th place (27:05), followed closely by Jon Stoehr (27:06, 61st), James Thompson (27:07, 63rd), and Corey Simons (27:10, 64th). Dustin Whitlow finished in a time of 27:42 (86th), followed by Josh Wagner (28:01, 102nd), Tyler Wilkinson (28:15, 112nd), Chris Rischke (28:39, 123rd), Jason Popkin (28:57, 130), Carson Byrd (30:15, 150th), and Lee Swanson (32:14, 160th). Some can hardly stand. Athletic Trainer Robin Kennell balances a few runners out of the chute and helps them to the Mars Hill encampment of bags, towels, and water bottles to stretch out.
The men quickly change into their training shoes when the gun sounds for the start of the women's race. Rachel Retallick, Tabatha Lee, and Kate Prichard lead the way for the Lady Lions.
The guys duck into the woods and race other spectators for the best viewing spots. A din of cheers follows the runners. Ashely McCauley works her way up a hill and around a pack of runners. Erin McKee powers her way down a hill and back through the woods.
Shannon Wommack from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga wins the race in a superb time of 21:42, averaging five minutes and forty-five seconds for each mile.
Ashley McCauley, Brittany Gendron, and Erin McKee midway through the race.
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>Rachel Retallick leads the Lady Lions to a 10th place overall team finish in a time of 24:13 and 29th place, averaging six minutes and twenty-four seconds a mile. Kate Prichard (24:44, 43rd) and Erin McKee (24:53, 48th) were the next finishers. Tabatha Lee (25:34, 73rd) and Brittany Gendron (25:52, 84th) rounded out the scoring for the Lady Lions. Other finishers were Ashley McCauley (26:30, 98th), Chelsea Haines (27:09, 107th), Miley White (27:26, 113th), Jennifer Rogers (27:49, 123rd), Elizabeth Head (27:57, 126th), Beth Harms (28:22, 132nd), Jennifer Wright (28:28, 133rd), Keely Hollahan (28:29, 134th), Ashley Lear (29:23, 141st), and Laura Crigger (33:48, 147th).
The teams watch the brief awards ceremony held near the starting line, and then pack their bags and load the bus. With their performance today, the men's team earn the 23rd rank in the national poll. Previously unranked prior to this race, the ranking sets the team into the history books as the highest ranked Lions' team ever.
Both men's and women's teams did well, despite some off-days by a few individuals.
The course proved difficult for everyone, but the freshmen ran impressively despite the pressure. Brittany Gendron from Canada ran a great race. Dustin Whitlow, the top freshman on the men's side, conquered painful blisters that have hampered his training. Josh Wagner had a bit of an "off day" as he was feeling tired from a tough week of training, but he looked impressive none-the-less. Jason Popkin dropped roughly four and a half minutes from his previous 8-kilometer best. Popkin had mentioned earlier in the week that he has felt better this week than he has for a long time. His various injuries have subsided for the most part, and he has kicked back into high-gear to continue his push towards the top seven.
Darkness falls onto the bus as it makes its way through Tennessee on Interstate 40. People laugh, play games, and watch Orange County on the TVs. The women have solidified themselves as the top team in the Southeast Region, distancing themselves from Wingate University. Rachel Retallick has regained her form from last year. Erin McKee again stepped up big to help the women's team when they needed it the most.
Craig Eckstein has added to the dozens of meet t-shirts in his closet one more. He is ready for an All-American certificate this season. Daniel Amick missed making the all-meet team by one place and a few seconds, but his spirits are high. Jon Stoehr fought the course with all of his might, despite not feeling the best prior to the start of the race. The men's team made a strong showing by beating the University of Alaska-Anchorage which ranked 20th in last week's poll, and finished within fifteen points of Kennesaw State University (21st nationally), and the host team the University of Southern Indiana (15th nationally).
Knowing that they are within grasp of a top-twenty finish come November is huge relief for the runners.
The men's and women's teams return to action in two weeks against Division-I teams, as well as Division-II teams at the prestigious and challenging Furman Invitational in Greenville, South Carolina.
As of September 28th, the men's cross-country team has earned the honor of being ranked the 23rd best team in the nation. The season may have started in late August, but the real racing is just beginning.
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