Over the past ten years, the men’s and women’s cross country teams have been among the most successful and least recognized programs at Georgetown. Both teams started the season ranked in the top 10 nationally, but have struggled to live up to their expectations this fall. This Monday, both the men and the women have the chance to redeem themselves and make their strongest showings ever at the NCAA Championships, held this year at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind.
In Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Ron Helmer’s 14 years as women’s Head Coach, the team has never finished lower than 10th at the NCAA Championships, and last year’s third place finish was its highest since 1993. The Hoyas’ squad did not lose any runners to graduation, yet the more experienced team hasn’t performed up to its potential this fall.
“I’m struggling a bit to figure out why we haven’t taken another step forward from where we were last year,” said Helmer, “Our fitness level is good. Our training is good. The only place I feel like we haven’t progressed is in meet results.”
The No. 7 women were especially discouraged by a one-point loss to Notre Dame at the Big East Championships in Boston, Mass. on Nov. 1. Georgetown had won the Big East title last year.
“[The loss] was definitely a disappointment. We went in with the expectation of winning,” said senior Marni Kruppa. “Maybe we took it for granted a little.”
The team got a much-needed confidence boost last Saturday, winning the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals in Davis, W.Va. behind a breakthrough performance by junior Sarah Scholl, who lead the Hoyas with a seventh place finish. The victory qualified them for the NCAA Championships.
“Winning Regionals helped fuel us for Nationals,” said Kruppa. “It’s not as big a deal as the Big East Championship, but it shows that we’re on the right track.”
Despite the win, Helmer was disappointed that the soggy conditions of the course forced the team to run a conservative race to avoid injuries.
“I was frustrated that the team didn’t have the chance to run up to their potential and have a really good performance as a motivator before Nationals,” he said. “I know they can run a good race, but I want them to know it.”
* * *
Last year, the men’s team dropped out of the rankings for much of the season, and were at No. 24 prior to the NCAA Championships, where they pulled out a 15th place finish. They finished fourth in the Big East Championships last year, and have improved on that result this season. They finished third at the Big East Championships, where senior Javon Broderick led the Hoyas with a fifth place run and Georgetown finished 15 points behind winner No. 10 Villanova.
Last weekend, the No. 16 men captured second place at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, led by senior Mike Smith, who won the 10K race in 30 minutes, 28.9 seconds. The team finished only five points back from Villanova for the top spot, and both teams qualified for nationals.
The improvement at Regionals resulted from a solid fifth place finish by sophomore Rod Koborsi, who had recovered from a foot injury earlier in the year, and a breakthrough eighth place run from first-year Fleet Hower in addition to Smith’s win. Broderick, who was originally slated to sit the meet out, led for much of the race before fading, finishing 16th, just behind Georgetown senior Dan Tebbano.
Originally, Associate Head Coach and men’s Head Coach Patrick Henner had hoped to run sophomore Chris Esselborn, who had been out for most of the season with a calf injury. Shortly before the race, Henner decided that Esselborn was not healthy enough to run and opted for Broderick instead.
“We figured we had a good shot of winning if he ran, but he wasn’t as mentally prepared as he usually is,” Henner said. “He’ll be fine. He’s ready to run well at Nationals.”
Smith became the first Georgetown runner to win the race since Justin McCarthy in 1997. He took a commanding lead four-and-a-half miles into the race, en route to a three-second victory over Villanova’s Adrian Blincoe, Jonathan Fasulo and Ryan Hayden, three runners who had beaten him a week earlier at the Big East Championship.
“They should all be top 25 [at Nationals]—and I think that’s conservative,” said Villanova men’s Head Coach Marcus O’Sullivan of the four runners.
* *
The overwhelming favorite to win the women’s NCAA Championship is defending champion Brigham Young University, who dominated the Hoyas at the Pre-NCAA meet at Indiana State University last month, putting six runners in front of Georgetown’s top finisher, sophomore Nicole Lee.
Seniors Kruppa, Laurendeau and Erin Sicher, juniors Scholl and Clement, and sophomores Lee and Jodee Adams-Moore will line up for the Hoyas on Monday. Lee has emerged as Georgetown’s top runner this season, turning in the team’s best performance at both the Pre-NCAAs and the Big East Championships.
“The Georgetown women have such a close spread right now that a lot is going to depend on where their pack falls in relation to other runners,” said Alison Wade, a cross country analyst with the New York Road Runners Club. “BYU has a similar thing going, but their pack happens to be closer to the front and they also have about 12 girls who could fill their seven spots.”
However, had Georgetown’s pack been about 30 seconds faster at the Pre-NCAAs, they would have been almost on pace with BYU. While this is a substantial time difference over six kilometers, it indicates that an exceptionally good race from the Hoyas or a poor performance from the Cougars could leave Georgetown in contention for the title.
“Realistically, BYU would have to do something very different from the rest of the season for us to beat them,” said Sicher. “If they perform well, we’re not really close.”
Kruppa sees things differently.
“I’m trying to be more optimistic,” she said. “We have a closer pack, but BYU’s pack runs faster. The key would be to move our pack up and run with them. They’re really confident, but as the defending champions they’ll be under a lot of pressure.”
Perennial powerhouse No. 2 Stanford is considered BYU’s top competition for the NCAA title, but have struggled to find a strong fifth runner. At the NCAA West Regionals last weekend, there was a 42-second gap between their fourth and fifth finishers. A similar occurrence at a meet as large as the NCAA Championship could be devastating.
“Stanford is the only team I can even imagine upsetting BYU, but I can barely even imagine that,” Wade said. “They are vulnerable without a good fifth runner, but they have a very strong top four. Last year some of their top runners bombed, but they have more experience behind them now.”
Stanford is led by sophomore phenom Alicia Craig, who won the NCAA West Regionals, but Helmer questions their depth. “If one of their top four blows up, we could beat them,” he said.
If the Georgetown women were to upset Brigham Young and Stanford, it would be the first national championship for the Hoyas since men’s basketball in 1984. However, the team realizes that this is a long shot.
“We would have to have our best race ever, and BYU would have to have their worst,” admitted Lee. “The coaches have been kind of up and down about it. Sometimes they say,’ You’re really good, you can win this,’ and other times they say,’ You guys need to get it together.’”
“Even being on the podium, finishing second or third, will be harder than last year, but that will be our goal more than winning,” said Sicher.
* *
In addition to Smith, Broderick, Koborsi, Tebbano and Hower, Georgetown will likely send senior Dylan Welsh and first-year Chris Lukezic to the NCAA Championships. All-American Smith will undoubtedly be called upon to lead the team.
“Mike is definitely capable of running with the best runners in the country,” said Henner. “But ultimately, it’s a team race, and you don’t want guys thinking too much about individual accomplishments. He needs to focus on running a good race for the team, and if things click, he could finish very high.”
Hower, Georgetown’s third finisher at Regionals, was an unknown outside of his home state of Virginia until his 11th place finish at the Foot Locker National Championships at the end of his senior year of high school. He is peaking at just at the right time, according to Henner.
“Earlier in the season we were trying to have him start conservatively, and he just wasn’t able to get up to the guys he’s capable of running with,” said Henner. “We’ve finally figured out the best race plan for him. He seems to thrive on getting out early and holding on.”
The Hoyas will need another good race from Hower, and for Tebbano, Welsh or Lukezic to step up into the fifth spot, in order to perform well at the NCAAs.
“If there’s eleven or twelve seconds between your fourth and fifth guy at Regionals, you can have that much of a gap and be okay. But at Nationals, they come in two a second. You can slap twenty-five guys in there,” said O’Sullivan.
Stanford is the favorite to capture the NCAA title.
“It’s Stanford’s to win or lose,” said analyst Wade. “I don’t think anyone is really expecting much from Georgetown, in terms of contending for one of the top spots, but that will give them the opportunity, perhaps, to go out there and surprise a few people.”
Despite being narrowly defeated by Northern Arizona at the Mountain Regional, Colorado, led by individual favorite senior Jorge Torres, is expected to challenge Stanford for the top spot, along with Arkansas and Midwest Regional champion Wisconsin.
Villanova, who has defeated Georgetown twice already this year, may be hurt at the NCAAs by their weak fifth spot. Other teams are similarly vulnerable, including Colorado, Henner said.
“I see three to five teams that will be very tough to beat: Stanford, Arkansas, Colorado, Northern Arizona,” said Henner. “There are three or four others we are capable of beating, like Iona and Eastern Michigan, and another three to four, like Central Michigan or Weber State, that if we don’t run well could potentially beat us.”
“I think we’re a top five team. Depending on how other teams perform, maybe better,” said Smith.
* * *
At the NCAA Championships, held on the same course as the Pre-NCAA meet in October, the men will run an extended 10k distance, while the women will race 6k.
Georgetown will run their top seven men and women, hoping for both high individual finishes and a close spread between their first and seventh runners. The team’s score is a composite of the top five runners’ individual placements. One of the keys to keeping a close spread will be running in a pack through at least the first part of the race.
“In a big race like Nationals, it’s easy to lose perspective and get lost in the crowd,” said Henner. “Being with your teammates gives you feedback on how you’re doing. Putting two or three runners together usually gives better results, so Mike and Rod will run close together for sure.”
Koborsi claims the team’s ability to stay in a pack has improved drastically throughout the season.
“We’re getting more comfortable with it,” he said. “At first, our top three would finish way up there, but our bottom four would be mixed. Now we finish in pretty much a straight line. You get used to seeing a ‘G’ right in front of you and staying with the team.”
The Indiana State University course is flat and fast, which will make a slow team start especially hard to recover from.
“Peppering a couple of people in the top 30 and having our last guy in the top 70 or 80 would put us in good position,” said Smith.
The women have a similar strategy.
“We need to start off faster rather than start slow and work our way up,” said Lee. “Ideally, we all want to finish in the top 30 for All-American spots.”
The longer course will be to the men’s team’s advantage, because they train for the 10K race length all season.
“We’re a strength oriented team, so longer is always better,” said Koborsi. “This is a fun course, compared to some other ones.”
The course finishes with a long straightaway of over 500 meters. “You can suck up a lot of people in the last part [of the race],” Smith said. “More weird stuff can happen at Nationals than in any other race.”
The coaches have carefully planned each runner’s training and racing schedule in the hope that they will all be fresh and peaking around the Championships.
“We delayed speed training a few weeks to make sure we were coming into race shape at the right time, because last year we peaked a little too early,” said Henner of the men’s work outs. “From here on out, it’s about resting and staying sharp.”
Helmer did not run his seven top women together until the Big East Championships, a luxury afforded him by the team’s depth. Instead, he has rested veterans Kruppa and Laurendeau, and given less experienced runners like Scholl and Clement more racing time.
Laurendeau posted Georgetown’s best result in last year’s NCAA Championships, coming in 14th, and Kruppa was the team’s second runner at 31st. Hampered by a hamstring injury, Kruppa trained this season but did not race until the Big East Championship, where she finished 16th.
Perhaps the most important strategy for the Hoyas will be staying mentally focused during the biggest race of the year. Because the top teams focus their training almost exclusively on the NCAA’s, the pressure causes some teams to perform poorly.
“It’s what you focus on all year, it’s the one main goal,” said Sicher. “That puts a lot of pressure on athletes. It’s hard for everyone to be 100 percent on the same day.”
Despite the stress of such a huge meet and the weight of expectations for their success, Georgetown cross country is confident that the NCAA Championships will be their best race of the season.
“This is a team of racers,” said Henner. “The bigger the event, the better they’re going to run.”
Probable NCAA Championship Lineups
WOMEN
Senior Marni Kruppa—Another powerful senior leader, Kruppa has only run in two races this year, the Big East and Mid-Atlantic meets. A hamstring injury has hampered her progress, but she finished 37th at last year’s NCAAs and has the ability to improve on that score this year.
Senior Erin Sicher—One of Georgetown’s most consistent scorers, Sicher has been a mainstay of the women’s cross country team. Her performances have been steady this season, finishing third among Georgetown runners and14th overall at the Big East Championship and third among Georgetown runners and 12th overall at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Cross Country Championship this past weekend. For the Hoyas to score well, Sicher cannot fall off her game.
Senior Jill Laurendeau—Georgetown’s top finisher at last year’s NCAA Championships, (14th overall), Laurendeau has not performed at that level this season. She finished sixth among Georgetown runners at both the Big East and Mid-Atlantic meets. The NCAA Championships would be the perfect time for her to break out and score like last year.
Junior Sarah Scholl—She surprised many at last weekend’s Mid-Atlantics finishing first among Georgetown runners and seventh overall. An unknown, Scholl needs to build on her strong performance from last weekend.
Junior Treniere Clement—Running cross country for the first time this season, Clement has consistently finished near the back of the Hoyas’ pack.
Sophomore Nicole Lee—This year’s breakout runner, Lee has run excellently finishing first for the Hoyas in both the Big East race the NCAA Pre-National Meet. She could be called upon to lead the pack at Nationals.
Sophomore Jodee Adams-Moore—Like Sicher, Adams-Moore has been consistent this year and is normally one of the leaders of the Hoyas’ pack. She needs to continue to perform at this level to give Georgetown’s NCAA score a boost.
MEN
Senior Mike Smith—Georgetown’s top performer this season, Smith won the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional and was second among Hoya runners at the Big East Championships and the Pre-NCAA meet, with seventh and 12th place finishes, respectively. Smith will be expected to lead the Georgetown pack at the NCAA Championships and has the potential to turn in a top-25 individual finish.
Senior Javon Broderick—He led the Hoyas to third place at the Big East Championships with his fifth place performance, but had a disappointing race at Regionals last weekend. Broderick should be back on his game at the NCAAs, where he will be counted on to provide strong leadership in the pack along with Smith and Koborsi.
Sophomore Rod Koborsi—One of Georgetown’s most consistent performers, he has been among the top four Hoya runners at every meet this season. Georgetown’s top finisher at the Pre-NCAA meet, he held on the same course as the NCAA Championships, placing seventh. Koborsi will run to lead the pack for the Hoyas at the Championship, and could have a breakout individual race.
First-Year Fleet Hower—After struggling with race strategy earlier in the season, newcomer Hower hit his stride at Regionals, where he finished eighth. He could be a major factor in Georgetown’s team finish if he continues to improve at the NCAA Championships.
Senior Dan Tebbano—Tebbano’s first score for the Hoyas this season came at Regionals, where he was their fifth runner. After a season of minimal racing, Tebbano will hopefully be fresh enough to push the Hoya pack.
Senior Dylan Welsh—Welsh finished third and fourth, respectively, at the Big East Championships and the Pre-NCAAs. He has been a solid and consistent performer in the Hoyas’ top five, and has a good chance of contributing to the Hoya score at the Championship.
First-Year Chris Lukezic—Lukezic has not scored for the Hoyas yet this season. His best finish was a sixth place finish at the Big East Championships, and he has had a month to train and rest since then. Georgetown will look to the first-year to have his best race of the year at the Championship.
