Gene's Blog: Cleveland Avenue to Cleveland, Ohio a sweet journey for Men's CC

November 18, 2009

Fifth-year senior Brian Sames gets another entry on his impressive running resume.

Sophomore Ben Sathre gets an entourage as he continues his journey to All-America status.

Senior Mike Connell gets to enjoy one more college cross country race.

And 17-year head coach Pete Wareham, already celebrating a special championship anniversary, has yet another fun November experience on a cross country course.

All because of what happened at last Saturday’s NCAA regional meet near Grinnell, Iowa. The Tommie men trusted their coach, trusted themselves and followed a simple rule of CC championship races -– the last 200 meters are just as important as the first 7,800 meters.

Shortly after 25 men’s teams battled for approximately 28 minutes in the qualifying race, the results revealed one of the closest regional team finishes in memory. Four teams were separated by just five points -- St. Thomas shared the region championship with Nebraska Wesleyan with 116 points. Those teams claimed the two automatic berths into this week’s NCAA Championships in Cleveland, Ohio.

St. Olaf (117) and Hamline (121) took third and fourth places, and 24 hours later were rewarded with at-large berths.

“We felt pretty good about the race, but when the final scores came up minutes after the finish and revealed we had won, it was really one of those great feelings of all-time,” Wareham said. “The guys were really jacked.”

Who knew a quiet golf course nestled among Iowa cornfields could be so inspiring. To borrow a phrase from a famous sports movie: Was this heaven? No, it’s Iowa.

“The guys proved to themselves and others what high-quality people they are,” Wareham said. “They know how good it feels to have success be the reward for long hours and years of hard work.”

Highland high

Maybe it’s an omen that the national race will take place in the city of Cleveland at Highland Park Golf Course, since the Tommies often do training runs in St. Paul down Cleveland Avenue into the Highland Park neighborhood.

This will mark St. Thomas’ 24th team trip to men’s CC nationals in the last 36 seasons, but first since 2002. It brings satisfaction to a group that has come close to a team breakthrough in recent seasons.

“Winning the regional meet was one of the best memories I have ever made here at UST,” said Sames, a four-time track and field All-American, four-time MIAC champ at 800 meters, and four-event school record holder. “I never made it to the state meet in cross country in high school, and our CC team hasn't made it to the national meet since I have been here.”

On this day, if just one or two UST runners had lost a sprint to the finish line, that could have turned a victory and an automatic berth into a fourth-place showing. That would have meant 24 hours of uncertainly until the remaining at-large berths were announced on Sunday. And one breakdown by one of the Tommies’ top five guys could have knocked them out of nationals’ consideration all together.

But this group took care of business for three reasons: Preparation, preparation, preparation.

“We don't have any guys who take short cuts,” Wareham said. “They know, accept, and want to test their upper limits. You can't ask for any more than that.”

Big gains

The Tommie leaders:

--Sathre, of Chaska, took third in a field of 177 finishers in a career-best 25:00 time and improved 20 places from the 2008 regional.

--Sames, of Shakopee, placed ninth in 25:19, an improvement of 32 places from one year earlier, and 81 spots ahead of his 2007 region showing.

--Connell, an Eau Claire native and one of the most improved runners UST has seen this decade, placed 14th in 25:37. He took 41st place in 2008 and didn’t even crack the top 90 at the 2007 MIAC meet.

--Sophomore Tyler Iverson of Moorhead placed 21st in 25:52 after a 69th-place regional run in 2008.

--The Toms' final scorer, fifth-year senior Greg Dowe of Apple Valley, continued his return from injuries. He outkicked four runners by less than two seconds to help the Toms return to nationals.

UST sophomore Crawford Hubbell of Des Moines and senior George Williams of St. Thomas Academy are also packing their bags for Ohio and their first national meets.

St. Thomas took a respectable third in the MIAC Championships on Oct. 31, but the team knew it could compete better as a whole. The Tommies used that as motivation as they battled in Saturday’s deeper field of nearly 200 runners.

“I knew that our guys were running great from early on,” Wareham said. “Our plan was to get into a solid position as a team and then remain steady throughout the race. Our guys did a perfect job of this with Ben right in the lead group, Brian and Mike in a group near 15th to 20th place, and Tyler right around 30th. We had our No. 5 guy be a bit more aggressive early in the race, and Greg Dowe did this for us. As the race progressed it was clear that our top four put us near the top teams. It was just a matter of our No. 5 guy having a stronger day than we did in the (Oct. 31) conference meet.  In the end all of our guys had great finishes with Ben squeaking past a Hamline runner, Brian passing 3-4 guys down the homestretch, Mike and Tyler holding off all challengers, and Greg passing 8-10 guys in the final 250 yards. All of those things made a huge difference.”

Pete's proud

For Wareham, this week marks his 25th anniversary of leading the 1984 Tommies’ NCAA championship team victory, also in the state of Ohio. Wareham’s third-place NCAA individual finish –- his third All-America honor in cross country -– helped St. Thomas claim the first men’s team national championship in school history.

Fifteen weeks later, Wareham (shown at right) was a part of the Tommies’ 1985 NCAA indoor track and field team title.

Wareham has coached a few more talented and experienced UST squads. His 1997-2002 Tommie teams all reached nationals and placed eighth, 12th, 12th, 15th, fifth and 18th, with seven individual All-America finishes. But Wareham has a special admiration for this year’s group.

“We've had great leadership from our seniors this year,” Wareham explained. “They showed passion for the sport and teamwork. They led by example, and they showed all year that they are willing to take on a challenge and give it their best. These guys -- Mike Connell, Brian Sames, Greg Dowe, George Williams, Tony Gerten, and Steve Arves -- are hard working and reliable each and every day. They led the way, and the others picked up on their ability to stay focused, committed, and passionate about team success.”

Sathre (pictured at right) beat Hamline standout Ian Bauer in a photo finish for third place (click here to view the link to the image: http://www.raceberryjam.com/indexcc.html) and continues to gain confidence and experience at the front of the pack.

“Ben Sathre is one tough kid who has a clear understanding of what it takes to be successful in this sport,” Wareham said. “He doesn't shy away from the many challenges that present themselves. This sport requires consistent hard work, talent, and the highest level of mental toughness. No doubt he is one of the very best sophomore runners in the nation.”

“It was definitely a breakthrough for the team to have everyone perform well on the same day at a time when it counts,” Sathre said. “The biggest difference for me between 2008 and 2009 was the adjustment to collegiate running. I was used to running 30 miles a week in high school and suddenly we were doing 55-60 miles, and this year I was doing 75-80 when I wasn't injured. I also learned the importance of taking care of myself outside of practice and making sure I was eating right and getting enough sleep.”

Fond farewell

For super seniors like Sames and Dowe (pictured at right), the fifth time’s a charm.

“Last season was a heart break. We could've been more successful, but nothing seemed to go our way,” Sames explained. “I think that we have learned that nothing will be given to us, and everyday at practice, our coach, Pete, reminded us that to accomplish our goals we need to work harder than anyone else in our sport. Whether it was a workout, longer run or just a couple miles in the morning, every athlete on our team focused on winning. We were confident and knew what had to be done, and we put in the work that was necessary.

“Personally, I’m trying to enjoy that last bit of collegiate eligibility that I have left. I’ve really enjoyed this last season with the seniors and other guys. We knew we would have a strong team and could realistically make it this far, and now that our goals are becoming realized, it really makes us proud to be part of such a good program. I am so proud of the team for all of their work and success, and it is wonderful that my last race as a Tommie will be in the national meet. It‘s just a dream come true.”

In 72 hours, Pete Wareham’s Tommies will line up together at a golf course in Cleveland and proudly join a national field of 32 teams. They’ll look to make even better memories.

Is this heaven? No, it’s Ohio, and it’s an NCAA championship meet where dreams are realized.