Down the Backstretch: It’s often tougher going into a meet as the favorite, but you were able to pull it off. What were your thoughts going into the meet? Was being the team everybody was shooting at a welcome challenge or a bit of a distraction?Steve Plasencia: Going into the meet we knew that we were not going to sneak up on anybody after (winning) the indoor meet. Early in the outdoor season we began focusing on the fact that we could not be complacent, which is a natural tendency. The indoor meet at Penn State was an awesome weekend because of the success we had, and I think heading into the outdoor meet that we just wanted to go back and taste that success again.
DtB: You were able to win comfortably despite both the relay teams getting DQed. What happened with the relays?
SP: In the four by 100 we passed the baton beyond the exchange zone heading into the final leg. With the four by 400 we had a lane violation early in the race. The four by 400 DQ came after the meet was decided, so we really did not sweat it, but the four by 100, being the first day, caused some concern.
DtB: Hassan Mead had a long, but successful weekend. How do you balance the need for him to double up like this and still perform well at the upcoming NCAA championships?
SP: With Hassan he is always so willing and anxious to help the team. This Big Ten Championships means a lot to our guys. That said, we watched the score carefully throughout the day on Sunday, and if the situation presented itself that he or Chris Rombough, or Ben Blankenship were not needed I would have not run them. However, Michigan has a strong team on the track and they had closed the score on us heading into the 5,000 with Lex Williams leading their group in the 5,000, and also the chance for a strong four by 400 (relay), so we needed to run our guys. Hassan ran conservatively over a large portion of the race and came to the front only near the end, as opposed to the 10,000 where he led a lot. We will take the regional meet as a qualifying meet, and I am confident we can have him ready for the NCAA Championship.
DtB: As a first year head coach, you inherit much of the team, though you were responsible for the distance corps all the way through. Any conversations with Phil Lundin this season? Before or after the meet?
SP: Phil and I have talked on a number of occasions. Likewise, Phil is well acquainted with Lynden Reder and Paul Thornton, our assistant coaches, and I know he has spoken with them as well. Phil gave so much to this program when he was here, I greatly respect his knowledge and contribution to our program. He e-mailed me after the meet and I plan to give him a call.
DtB: What are the plans for the rest of the season? Goals
SP: We have seventeen athletes from the men’s team qualified for the Midwest Regional at the University of Oklahoma May 29 and 30. Obviously the goal of the regional is moving on to the national meet at Arkansas, June 10-13. After the regional we will be able to assess what our goals for the outdoor championship should be. We were fourteenth indoors.
DtB: At the beginning of the year, did you anticipate that you would be in a position to win both conference championships?
SP: At the beginning of the year I calculated, based on returning points from last year’s meet, where we stood. We were third. As the indoor season unfolded I watched the guys put up some good performances, and then when we arrived at the indoor meet a couple coaches commented to me that we were the favorites. Coming in I knew that last year we were very young and would be improving, but I did not anticipate that we would win both Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota
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