So Close But Yet So Far

Last Saturday the St. Olaf men's team attempted to duplicate what they had done a year ago.  Win the DIII men's team title.  Building up to the meet, the Oles had run two of the "most impressive performances" in school history. said coach Phil Lundin.  They had dominating performances winning the MIAC title with a nearly perfect score, and the Central Region title with another commanding performance.

The Ole men after winning the 2014 NCAA DIII Central Region title.
Photo courtesy of St. Olaf

Their number one runner, Grant Wintheiser, was undefeated against DIII competition.  He was hoping to stop being the "bridesmaid" and win the Ole's first men's NCAA individual crown.  Wintheiser, buoyed by the confidence he'd gained during the season and a personal best run at the Central Region meet, won the individual title.  The Ole team finished second.

"We knew we could do it(win the title)," said Lundin of the team's view going into the race.  They also knew that their vulnerability was depth.  All five of their scorers had to run as they did during the MIAC and Central Region meets or better for St. Olaf to fend off  DIII power North Central, who were aiming to rebound from their loss to St. Olaf in 2013.  They had the luxury of having any of their top five having an off day because they had two runners who could potentially pick up the slack, said Lundin.

On the muddy, slippery course there were falls.  Both North Central and St. Olaf had men go down, and in the end North Central handled the conditions and the challenge slightly better than the Oles to take the title 130to 143.  Lundin and Wintheiser were both philosophical after the race noting that North Central handled the challenges better than they did, but that the first and second place finishes of the last two years transformed the team from just another competitor to a legitimate contender for the title.

You know the program has come a long way, Lundin said, when you're disappointed with finishing second. The defeat was hard to take, said Lundin, because they knew they had a legitimate chance to repeat, to do what North Central has been doing for years, finding a way to win.  "How many chances do you get?" said Lundin.  North Central has shown that every National meet is a new opportunity.  They focus on Nationals from the beginning of the season.

Such is their aura that it is often enough to make the difference.  St. Olaf was not awed by the challenge.  They relished it.  This year didn't have a fairy tale ending, but the team members will use what they learned from this experience to continue to improve, said Lundin.  Wintheiser will focus on indoor and outdoor track goals.  Jake Bown, who fell late in the race, is already in training for the cross country ski season.  "It's his (best) sport," said Lundin.  "He's a tough competitor.  He did the best he could(at Nationals).  We wouldn't have done what we have (done) without him."

Jake Brown(231) and Grant Wintheiser(240) during the Central
Region Championships. Photo courtesy of St. Olaf

Disappointment will be replaced by determination.  One of the allures of sport is that you don't have a lot of time to bask in the glow of your victories or fret about your defeats.  As waiting for you is another race.