NCAA Championship goal, power of onesie inspire cross country runners in NCAA West Regional
Cross Country
NCAA West regional
Saturday, all-day
Springfield, Ore.
The men's and women's cross-country teams, who finished fourth and sixth in the Pac-10 Championships, respectively, compete in the NCAA West Regionals.
By Andrew Moncada
Nov. 12, 2010 12:46 a.m.
The men’s and women’s cross country teams enter Saturday’s West Regionals in Springfield, Ore., motivated by aspirations for the NCAA Championship and a pair of UCLA adult onesie pajamas.
The pursuit for the NCAA Championship comes from the culmination of solid training, strong performances at previous meets and team unity.
The onesie pajamas come from a wager the women’s team made with coach Forest Braden after the Pac-10 Championships two weeks ago.
In a moment of team bonding, the women runners attended a meeting in which they all dressed in the nighttime attire, resulting in the following ultimatum from coach:
“If you finish better than seventh at regionals and show that you belong as one of the top teams, I’ll wear one to work,” he said.
The levity helps. For a freshman-dominant women’s team coming in ranked seventh in the West Region, Braden said that nerves could be a factor as the runners prepare for a meet that can either lead them to the NCAA Championships or end their season.
“We’re going to treat it as just another race. Everyone knows the importance of it,” Braden said.
But for senior Kelcie Wiemann, she can’t help but think of the ramifications of this weekend’s meet, of coming just a little short, of seeing her collegiate running career ending one race too soon.
“I need to leave everything out there on that course because it might be my last chance,” Wiemann said.
But Wiemann’s determination is nothing new. It has fueled her throughout her five years with the team. From overcoming an ACL injury her freshman year to the strong workouts with fellow senior Shannon Murakami last year to the early offseason training with freshman Melissa Skiba this past summer, Wiemann has always done what it takes to get to the next level. And nothing would be better than a strong performance at regionals and earning a trip to the NCAA Championship.
“It will be the best thing if the team can qualify for nationals. It will just cap off my whole career,” Wiemann said.
For a men’s team ranked fifth in the West Region, the weekend’s meet will mark the return of junior standout Dylan Knight, who missed the Pac-10 Championships because of illness.
“He’s not at 100 percent, but Dylan’s a fighter and he’s the leader of the team,” Braden said. “I told him, “˜If you want to run, this is your race. You earned it. You want it? Then go for it.'”
With Knight back, junior Kent Morikawa is optimistic about the team’s chances.
“With Dylan there, we’re going to have more confidence than last time,” Morikawa said. “We’ve been preparing this entire week, mentally and physically, so we should be ready to roll.”
While there will be several nationally ranked teams in the competition, including No. 2 Stanford and No. 3 Oregon, the men’s squad is looking forward to the challenge.
“There are a lot of good teams coming out, but the energy from the meet will definitely keep us up,” Morikawa said.
“We’re just going to give everything we have. We’re going to run with confidence, run with heart, run with passion and run for each other,” Braden said.
That, and a pair of onesies.
