At the Big Ten meet yesterday near Madison, WI, the Minnesota men and women repeated their third place team finishes of a year ago. Below women's coach Garry Wilson talks about the Lady Gophers. Down the Backstretch: Did you anticipate going into the race that it was going to be such a tight team battle?
Gary Wilson: Yes, in fact I thought that Indiana and Iowa would have better races and make it a six way battle. As you know, the Big Ten is very tough and the teams that do well are those that can keep their emotions in check and stay focused among all the hype that goes with the meet.
DtB: How did you prep the team for Big Tens? What did you learn from the race that will help you in the Regions?
GW: On a practical note, I went to the Adidas Wisconsin meet in mid October and filmed the course and brought it back home. Sarah edited the film and we gave a copy of the course to each woman so when they go there they had a pretty good idea of what to expect. Of course, we also went over strategy of the race and they did their relaxation and imagery before the meet.
The biggest thing we had to do this year is to cherish our past and then realize that this is a new team and a new era in our program. As Steph Price said earlier in the year: "We need to make our own identity as a team." They have done just that. Nikki Swenson is our only experienced senior in the top nine and she has been a "mother hen" to these young women. She brings a lot of calm and confidence to them. She has led by example, on and off the field of battle.
These women have done a great job this year of having fun and enjoying the process. Coach Hesser and I could not be more proud of them. Of course, they still have things to learn, but they are getting better every day.
Sometimes the younger women try to go out too hard and then fade a little. Then there are races where they are a little too conservative in the beginning of the race and never get where they need to be at the 2K mark. All of this is a learning curve that cannot be rushed.
What we learned that will help us going into Regional is this. These young kids are really starting to realize that we as coaches know what they can do as individuals. 99% of the time what we tell them plays out in races just as we told them before they started the race. With that realization comes confidence. They realize that when we tell them they can be in certain spots in the race and it comes true that they really can do it.
These kids are really starting to trust in their abilities and it is showing more and more in each race. They will be ready to rock and roll at Regionals.
We tell them to relax and have fun, and we foster that care-free attitude and it carries over into the races. They are a very, very fun group of women that really like each other and it shows. We are a family and we all support each other and that is very comforting for each of them as they go into the "Big Team" wars.
One last important point is this. Sarah and I have been at this a long time. This is my 26th year here and my 43rd year of coaching. Sarah ran here and has coached for six years. She was also one of those women that cam in as a good, but not great high school runner, and as a senior made out Big Ten team after working her way up the "food chain."
I thing my years of experience and Sarah being closer to their ages gives us a lot of credibility as a staff. They know I have coached twice as long as they have been alive, and have seen it all and they know Sarah has been in the wars very recently. In other words, they are not going into the fight with a couple of rookie coaches. This, I think, gives them confidence that we can help them stay calm, cool, and collected.
DtB: All three of the top teams are what you could characterize as “young teams” in that there aren’t a lot of seniors on the rosters. Could make for interesting years ahead.
GW: One never knows how a team will shake out from year to year. Every year is a new group, and a new challenge. The good thing is we have a ton of depth, which was evident with this year's team. We took one true freshman and four red-shirted freshman into the meet along with a senior(Kelly Wilson) that had never run in the Big Ten meet before. So, of our top nine, six of the women were running in their first Big Ten meet ever.
We have depth, and there are at least ten women that did not make the top nine this year that could very well make the team next year. We have that luxury as a program. If every woman can stay in our "Zone of Discipline," they will have a great team for years to come. It is very exciting and fun to be in the hunt year in and year out.
DtB: Stephanie Price has been outstanding all year Any key to her success or elements she’s been able to improve upon that helped her this year?
GW: Well, of course I would like to say it is the coaching, but we all know that has very little to do with it! :-)
I have always said if you can be in the 4-H Club(that is healthy, happy, humble, and hungry), anything is possible. I tell our women all the time that coach Hesser and I I would love to take all the credit, but we cannot. If these women can take ownership of themselves and their preparation, and stay in the 4-H club, then they will improve. One year of maturity and getting older and wiser is worth two years of coaching any time.
Steph has done all of that, and it has proved very successful. She was our 13th runner on the team as a freshman, then placed 20th in the Big Ten last year, and now, of course, finished second. As we all know, distance running is a process and cannot be rushed. It takes time and if kids will realize this, then they will be successful. Steph listens to us, and listens to her body well. She has done all of the little things, and one can see the results. She is a great kid.
DtB: Did everybody come out of the meet healthy and ready for next weekend’s Regions in Peoria?
GW: Yes, we all came out of the meet in great shape. They are running two days of three to four miles only on Monday and Tuesday, getting massages, icing, and eating well. At this time of year, as you know, a runner does not get in better shape, and if they can be rested and healthy, then anything is possible. We have not peaked yet, so we are very excited for the next two meets.
DtB: Any special memories you’ll take away from this year’s Big Ten meet?
GW: The biggest memory was Julie Swenson, Nikki's mom, crying after the meet because she was soooo happy. Nikke placed 13th, and made the All Conference team. It was, by far, her best cross country race in her career. It was very special to see that. We have so many supportive parents who stick by their daughters through thick and thin. The Swenson clan is the epitamy of that.
It was also wonderful to have so many our our fans down there, and then, of course, the rest of our team being there carrying 30m flags all over the course makes such a huge difference for us. You will see all of the U of M flags when the meet is aired on the Big Ten Network on November 21.
The top three women battle on the course at Big Tens. Photo by Sean Hartnett
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