There are many lessons to be learned from watching the best of the best compete.
Saturday morning was one of those pinch me moments. I traveled to the “up-and-coming suburb” (as my mom called it) of Verona, Wisconsin and bustled into a school bus, driven by “Bus Driver Gary,” at least according to the nameplate above his seat.
Maybe-Gary wore a Packers sweatshirt and a warm smile as he welcomed his passengers to Wisconsin. He shuttled fans from a local elementary school parking lot to THE Thomas Zimmer Cross Country Course.
(No, it’s not emphasized like Ohio State, but the Nuttycombe Invitational-course should be.)
Crowds huddled with their holiday Starbucks cups and Hoka shoes, waiting.
Mike Jay’s announcements boomed over the speakers as coaches offered their final encouragements.
One coach told her runner, “Hey, you’re here. You made it. That’s what matters.”
I stood near the start line, watching the fastest, strongest collegiate runners warm up.
I sort of expected them to have some crazy routine. Nope. They do high knees too.
The gun smoked, and then the race blurred. At each curve, the pack strode by in about 15 seconds, not just the frontrunners, the entire field. Blink, and you’re left alone in the slightly frosty weeds.
The results were … XCiting, especially for the BIG 12.
Here are my reflections as Rock M Nation’s cross country “fanalyst.”
Abigail Klapatauskas
1. Stay calm, cool and competitive.
If you closed your eyes near the start line, you’d never know you were surrounded by 31 teams, coaches and photographers.
A speaker played Rihanna’s “Only Girl in the World” over the team tents.
Besides that, it was so…quiet.
The runners concentrated on their warm up jogs, focused but seemingly not afraid.
The silence seemed professional, purposeful.
When the starter gave the two-minute warning, the runners finished their final strides and found their boxes.
Everyone seemed in control of the moment; though the nerves were probably there, I couldn’t see, or hear, them.
2. The race is won from the middle of the pack.
Championships always crystallize classic storylines. Cross country fans know the true test of a team’s talent isn’t in their frontrunners’ splits, but their fourth through seventh runners’ finishes. ‘Twas the tale for the winners once again.
After a confusing 14th place finish last season, BYU coach Diljeet Taylor’s women’s team looked to return to the podium for the first time since 2021.
They won it all, without placing a single runner in the top-10. BYU competed up and down their roster. Nelah Roberts placed sixth on her team and 83rd overall, beating runner-up West Virginia’s fifth runner who finished 89th. And that’s just one example.
BYU swept the championship through persistent pack attack from their men’s team, too; the strategy took their regional opponents by surprise in Peoria. Similarly, the Iowa State men took second thanks to only a minute differential between their first and final finisher.
The BYU teammates were so excited to sweep, that, despite the volunteers’ best efforts, they stormed the barriers to hug the runners in the recovery area.
3. Cross country takes courage.
Only one second separated first and 13th place through the men’s 7k marker. It took courage for Harvard’s Graham Blanks to break away from the pack in the final kilometer to defend his title and shatter the course record. He trusted he had enough left in the tank to make a move and then not look back…until the end of the chute to check his competitors were safely behind him. There’s a reason he’s only the 13th man in NCAA history to win back-to-back titles. The honor demands the perfect balance of courage, confidence, fitness and luck, maybe in that order.
Abigail Klapatauskas
Courage was when Alabama’s Doris Lemngole believed she could beat her former teammate after tying to the tenth of a second at their regional. In the post-Katelyn Tuohy/Parker Valby era, it was the first time in a while the title was “wide open” for the women. But Lemngole’s race proved the throne was never really up for grabs.
But it almost takes more courage to compete when it’s not your day. After winning the ACC title for the first time in the women’s program history, the No. 5 Notre Dame women’s team struggled Saturday, placing 16th overall. All-American Erin Strzelecki led the Fighting Irish and spoke candidly about her team’s experience, admitting the results were “bittersweet.”
“I was trying my best to get the ladies to come through with me,” Strzelecki said. “Gosh, I’m just so overwhelmed right now with so many emotions, but I’m just so thankful.”
She said several of their runners were “deathly sick,” but they still showed up and fought. Despite the results, she was proud of her teammates and proud of herself for finishing her final season.
The truth is, Notre Dame told most teams’ story, Saturday. Only three teams fit on the podium, and even then, some envy the top step.
The No. 11 Providence women’s team upset No. 3 Northern Arizona and No. 2 Oregon to earn a bronze finish, while the “don’t underestimate the No. 6 Huskies as underdogs” fell to 13th as a team. Not to mention the teams and individuals who just missed the cut to compete at all.
Courage is taking seven men or women and telling them to compete despite their circumstances, for the love of each other and the sport.
The runners recovered with professionalism.
As the men’s race started, the women ran their cool down jogs, already laughing and talking.
They’d debrief later, some traveling back to New York, Washington and Arizona, but first, they chose to cheer on their teammates.
Race and recover with a short memory; somehow, those were the coolest moments to watch.
After all, in cross country and in life, composure, teamwork and courage often win, but, if they don’t, cheer for the next person on the starting line anyway.
‘Till next season,
Abigail Klapatauskas