Alabama Men's Cross Country: Preview
8/26/2009 12:00:00 AM
Aug. 26, 2009
For two straight years, The University of Alabama men's cross country team has seen its best two seasons in school history. Over the past two years, the Crimson Tide has produced a pair of top two finishes at the SEC Championships, including the 2008 SEC Championship. The squad has also claimed two South Region titles, and tallied a pair top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships.
The Alabama men have made an appearance at the NCAA Championships in each of the past four years and hope to make it five straight in 2009. The Tide turned in the highest finish in school history two years ago, placing sixth, and followed that with a 10th place finish in 2008. The coaching staff has taken notice of the potential of this year's group and expects similar or better results than last season.
"I think our expectations and goals are fairly high," cross country coach Joe Walker said. "We've established ourselves as a team that's at nationals virtually every year and have been top-10 the last two years. We've also won a SEC cross country title so I don't think we go backwards from there. I think our goals remain to finish top 10 in the country and hopefully to repeat as SEC champions."
For 17 years, Arkansas had dominated the Southeastern Conference but Alabama felt confident it was time for a change. In 2008, the Tide claimed the title as their own, thus snapping the Razorbacks 34-year conference title streak, which dates back to the Southwest Conference. The question now is if the Crimson Tide can repeat as champions or did it lose too much from last season, returning just four of the top seven runners from that squad?
"When you look at the years of eligibility, we may be considered young but also up front, it's a pretty veteran team," Walker said. "We've got some guys that have come out of junior college so they've had that collegiate experience already. Our incoming guy from Kenya is running at a high level in Kenya, and I think NCAA competition will be a great opportunity for him to shine. So we're young in a sense, but experienced."
This team also enters this season with a target on its back, which is something Alabama has not had since 1973 when they won their first SEC Cross Country Championship. Coach Walker had this to say about approaching this season with a different mindset as defending SEC champions.
"Now we're the target of other people, whereas before we're kind of looking at it as `hey, there's this one team that's had a hold on that title for years' and I think it's a little easier to motivate a group to go after that target. Now, we're the team that's coming off the championship. There are a lot of teams out there that are strong and feel like it's their turn so we do approach it differently, and I'm sure it will change a little of our mindset."
Ironically, Alabama has just the type of athlete it needs in order to maintain a championship attitude and make a run to repeat as SEC champions in senior Tyson David - David finished second at the SEC Championships in 2008 and was the SEC Athlete of the Year in cross country. The JUCO transfer is not necessarily a vocal leader as much as he is a leader by example. Since joining the Crimson Tide, David has won four SEC titles, one Mideast Region title and been named All-American twice on the track.
"Tyson's really injected a sense of focus into the program," Walker said. "He's a guy that really knows his body, knows how to train and knows what he needs to do to be ready for the championships."
Also returning in 2009 is senior Emmanuel Bor, who finished fifth at the SEC Championships and was the top finisher for the squad at the NCAA Championships. Bor, the SEC champion in 2007, should be motivated by the fact that his brother Julius Bor has joined the Crimson Tide and looks to add depth to this team. Julius comes in as a two-time JUCO All-American in cross country and the coaching staff believes he can compete for the SEC title in cross country. Andrew Kirwa, who has been All-SEC and All-South Region every year, returns for his junior season after finishing 10th at the SEC Championships last season. Junior Stephen Payne is the final returner from last year's championship squad's top seven and will look to contribute even more this season after a successful rookie year in 2008.
On top of the returning talent, Alabama has added even more key players and depth with Moses Kiptoo, a long distance specialist that the staff expects to surprise many this fall. Also joining the Crimson Tide is Fred Samoei, who is a middle distance star that is likely to compete for the individual SEC title. E.C. Gibbs, a transfer from Georgia Tech, is another athlete from the state of Alabama that could contribute immediately if he can get his SEC waiver.
The Crimson Tide will open the 2009 campaign with a smaller meet at the Brooks Memphis Twilight on Sept. 5 in Memphis, Tenn. before returning to Tuscaloosa to host the 21st Annual Crimson Classic at the Harry Pritchett Running Park on Sept. 18.
"I think we have tremendous schedule this season that gives us a variety of different experiences and different fields," Walker said. "It's one that presents a lot of challenges and yet will help prepare us for what we hope will be another trip to the NCAA Championships as a team. Hosting the region meet will be a good chance for people to come out and see us compete against the best teams in the south."
The squad will preview the site of the SEC Championships when it faces conference rival Ole Miss at the Ole Miss Invite on Sept. 26 in Oxford, Miss. Alabama will then travel across the country to compete at the Bill Dellinger Invitational hosted by defending NCAA champion Oregon on Oct. 2 in Eugene, Ore. Before starting the championship portion of the schedule, the Crimson Tide will get a look at the NCAA Championship course in Terre Haute, Ind., while competing at Pre-Nationals on Oct. 17. The men claimed the title in 2008 by defeating 10 of the top 30 ranked teams in the country.
As previously mentioned, Alabama will attempt to repeat as conference champions at the SEC Championships being held in Oxford, Miss. on Oct. 31. Alabama will host the NCAA South Region Championships for the first time since 2004 when they finished eighth. Since then, the men have won three out of the last four titles including two straight (2005, '07 and `08). The NCAA Championships return to Terre Haute, Ind. on Nov. 23 where the Crimson Tide finished sixth and tied for 10th in the past two seasons, respectively.
After finishing 10th at the NCAA Championships last year, there was visible disappointment in both the athletes and coaches. Alabama had a vision of standing on the podium in 2007 at the SEC Championships and fell short, only to claim the title in 2008. The squad also had a vision of standing on the podium at the NCAA Championships in 2008 and again fell short. The 2009 season should be exciting to see how this team can, or if it will, bounce back.
"We were 10th in the country and that was probably our worst effort of the year," Walker said. "We felt like there were only two teams that were just better than us. We honestly expected a top-five finish and came away 10th so it was disappointing for sure. I think the guys, right now, are excited about the group in a sense that we know we've got the talent to compete and that's the first step."
In this sport, it takes a certain and most definitely rare mindset to push through the pain of a grueling 6.2 mile race in the cold slush with a mixture of snow, mud and ice under your feet to emerge with the elusive title in late November. In order for your mind to endure the elements, your body must also be fit and healthy on the day when it matters most.
"I'm confident that we've got the talent in place at this point to be a contender," Walker said. "Now it's getting fit, being healthy and being focused for team type goals. You have to be fit, you've got to be hardened and really ready in November. That's the biggest challenge, in getting your body to the point where you're as fit as you've ever been, and you're also healthy."
