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DyeStat Cross Country 2000
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National Finals� |
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steveu's notes from Orlando
By Stephen (steveu) Underwood
- One of the biggest surprises in the boys race was the 4th-place finish of Charlie Millioen of New York. Despite the heat, a flat course unlike those he's used to and a 7th-place finish in his region, he ran a big PR 15:05. "I knew 4th to 10th place was wide-open, so I just tried to run as smart as I could."�
- Dathan Ritzenhein, of course, was not the only competitor here from Rockford, Mich. HS. Kalin Toedebusch and Linsey Blaisdell represented the Rams girls' team well, taking 5th and 16th respectively.�
- The result was particularly gratifying for Toedebusch, who was not given that much pre-race respect. Though she was 10th last year and the third-highest returnee, she had been just fifth in her region."I started out slow; Linsey and I both did," she said. "This heat will kill you � I was so nervous last year, but this time my teammates helped me keep my cool. I think it was the smartest race I've ever run. It was great to finally break out in my last CC race in high school.
- The girls of the Northeast may have been somewhat unknown before Foot Locker - no more. After taking 1st and 3rd in the Northeast race, Natasha Roetter (Mass.) and Julia Pudlin repped their region quite well, finishing 4th and 8th. Northeast No. 8 Michelle Wales was a very impressive 9th as well.
- "I just decided to go out there and run hard," said Roetter, who admitted she started really feeling some pressure once she got to Orlando. "I was surprised to be so high in the first mile � but it was just a really good race and a really good time."�
- The 5-6-7 finish of Erik Heinonen (Ore.), Seth Pilkington (Utah) and Chandler Goodwin (Utah) was the key to the West taking the team title. But the runners each had individual motivation to succeed, too. "I've had a lot of frustration with injuries the last few years," said Heinonen. "I wanted to put it all together, show I really belonged her and do it up for Oregon. I'm really pleased with the race."
- "I was kind of disappointed with last week," said Pilkington of a 7th-place finish in the West. "I went out too fast � so today I started out in last place at the mile and started picking people off."
- Goodwin of national power Mountain View ran despite a painful IT-Band Syndrome injury problem that has been bothering him for three weeks. "I was pretty happy with how it went," he said. "It felt fine during the race, but it hurts a lot now."�
- California's Liza Pasciuto not only displayed a super finish to grab 6th - passing six or seven runner in the final stretch - but proved you can be a freshman and run a smart, solid race at the national level. "I just got into the last mile, got some confidence and just pushed," she said. "It's great. Everyone was surprised and I even surprised myself."�
- Tim Moore of Michigan may have been somewhat of a surprise when he took second in the Midwest region, but he confirmed that status in Orlando by taking that same spot among his teammates and 8th overall. "I started towards the back, staying relaxed, than catching up to the pack," he said. "But in the final 600 I really pushed it. This has been a great time."�
- Northeast region winner Seton McAndrew of New York, without a lot of national notoriety, produced a pretty bold effort, staying in the top four for much of the first half of the race. At the end, however, he faded to 28th. "I felt real good the first mile, but at 1-1/2 I started getting dizzy," he said. �
- Campbell Co. HS (Wyo.) coach Orville Hess had a feeling from early on that his jewel of a runner, co-favorite Alicia Craig, wasn't on her game. "From the outset she didn't look quite right to me," he said. "She didn't have that lightness of leg. I can't isolate one particular reason, but even as detached as she is, sometimes the pressure still gets you."� Craig later revealed (see main girls story) that she was bothered by symptoms that may have indicated dehydration�
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