Tradition fuels Men's Track success

March 1, 2004
see link to Aquin story on UST track here

see link to MIAC 2004 best performances here

see MIAC men's track home page here


Tommies Track Vision: 20/20

By ROBERT SIMON

Coca Cola was introducing a new formula, Mikhail Gorbachev was taking over in the Soviet Union, and Dan Marino actually just played in a Super Bowl. The year was 1985, and almost everything has changed since then. Almost everything.

That same year, the St. Thomas men's track and field team won the first-ever MIAC indoor team championship, and since then, nothing has changed. The Tommies have grabbed every championship since then, being the only MIAC school to win a men's indoor track title.

TheTommie championship streak stands at 19. Another title March 5-6 on the St. John's campus would tie a conference all-sport record of 20 consecutive championships, set by the St. Olaf men's swimming & diving team (1980-1999). It's already the third longest active streak of conference championships in NCAA Division III.

Although the dominance has been consistent, the Tommies' approach has changed. Early on in the streak, the Tommies relied heavily on individual performances. From 1985-1994, the Tommies produced 10 individual NCAA indoor champions, and in that same span 11 outdoor national champs. Since then, the Tommies have fielded only one outdoor champ -- Erik Rosenkranz in the 1995 decathlon. St. Thomas has been able to maintain its success by fielding incredible depth, rather than relying on a handful of dominant athletes.

Gone are the days of Leonard Jones, a 21-time MIAC champion who dominated the jumps throughout his career in the early '90's. In place now, are solid teams, built with strong depth.

Such is the case again in 2004. Although the team lost several points from last season, including All-Americans Andrew Hilliard and Roman Cress, the Tommies returned 18 seniors as well as welcome many talented newcomers. More than 60 athletes compete for St. Thomas. Last year, 28 Tommie athetes scored in the MIAC indoor meet and 32 scored outdoors.

In addition to depth, the track and field program has experienced great success due to a variety of other reasons. Ninth-year coach Steve Mathre attributes the continued success to good student-athletes, diminishing money for scholarships at the Division I level, and the high priority St. Thomas places on its track and field programs.

"With Division I schools not being able to offer as full of packages as they do for football and basketball, it enables schools like us to come in and lure a higher-quality athlete," Mathre says. This shrinks the gap between schools like the University of Minnesota and St. Thomas.

Add in the fact that St. Thomas is one of the premier Division III track and field programs in the country, and the coach says the choice is more attractive.

Mathre addresses this when asked about the role the streak plays in his coaching staff's approach. Does the team use the streak as a motivating factor, or more or less ignore it and let the chips fall where they may?
"We don't play on it (the streak) too much, although we might touch on the fact," Mathre offers, "but undoubtedly the athletes come here knowing about it."

Past performance would indicate that the Tommies feel no pressure of keeping the streak alive. Mathre reassures this with his coaching staff's belief of "low pressure, high pride." If the latter gains on momentum, then the other teams in the MIAC better bring their A-game, which is exactly what the Tommies expect this season.

"Without question," Mathre adds, "St. Thomas always has a mark on its back." Championship teams often do find themselves the targets of all other teams in their league. A look back at the performance of Super Bowl champions the following year, would demonstrate. However, with the high pride, strong depth, and high-quality athletes, the Tommies are ready for anyone.

As far as anyone goes, Mathre thought the biggest challenges this indoor season would come from either St. John's, Carleton, Gustavus, Hamline, or his alma mater, St. Olaf, where he was a six-time MIAC champion. When asked if he mentioned the Oles simply because of loyalty, he laughed. "We enjoy beating the black and gold just like everyone else."

If history repeats itself, then the Tommies will grab their 20th straight MIAC indoor championship on March 5-6 in Collegeville. And if Mathre is correct, then they can expect the best from the other challengers. However, unlike the New Coke, Russian leaders, and Dan Marino's Super Bowl hopes, the Tommies championship run doesn't seem to fade away.