[Sly Fox]

Another Josh victory .. this time in Louisville:

McDougal’s Record Effort Helps Flames Finish Third at Louisville; Lady Flames Take Fourth

September 30, 2006
Louisville, Ky.


Josh McDougal raced to his 11th course record

Liberty junior Josh McDougal established a new 8K course record at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park on Saturday, covering the terrain in a time of 23:16 to win his third race of the season at the Greater Louisville Classic. His performance helped the Flames finish third in the team standings.

Junior Piper Newby was the Lady Flames’ top finisher for the third-consecutive meet, running a 5K personal-best time of 18:26. Her 16th-place effort lifted the Liberty women’s squad to fourth place in the race contested at the site of the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships.

Three of the top 10 finishers in the men’s gold race sported Liberty singlets. That was a key factor in the Flames’ third-place finish. Liberty tallied 143 points. Host Louisville ran away with the team title, scoring 51 markers. Tennesse came in second, finishing with 84 points. There were 36 total men’s teams entered in the race.

On the women’s side, a tight, 41-second spread between Newby and the Lady Flames’ fifth runner, Ashley Osborne (So., Bristol, Va.) helped Liberty edge Kentucky for the fourth spot, 156-163. Georgia Tech took the championship trophy with 83 points, winning easily over runner-up Chattanooga (139 points). Louisville held off coach Brant Tolsma’s Lady Flames by six points to finish third. Thirty-one women’s teams toed the starting line in the gold race.

McDougal (Peru, N.Y.) has enjoyed a number of runaway victories in his career but this was not one of them. He was challenged by Eastern Kentucky junior Jacob Korir, who finished just four seconds back. Both McDougal and Korir smashed the course record of 23:46, established in 2005 by Louisville’s Wesley Korir, Saturday’s fourth-place runner. McDougal’s course record was the 11th of his career. His time was also the second-best 8K effort in Liberty history, four seconds off his own 23:12 effort at the 2005 Pre-Nationals.

Younger brother Jordan McDougal (R-So., Peru, N.Y.) recovered from a tough race at the Roy Griak Invitational to take eighth place in a time of 24:35. Junior Jarvis Jelen (Sioux Falls, S.D.) recorded a personal-best 24:42 to come in 10th.

Freshman Josh Edmonds (Cooperstown, N.Y.) crossed the line in 25:39 to take 53rd out of 325 runners. Drew Ponder (Jr., Colonial Heights, Va.), a junior, rounded out the Liberty scorers. He placed 90th in a time of 26:06.

Nate Edwards (Jr., Warren, Mich.) (26:46, 158th place) and James Doak (So., Kintnersville, Pa.) (27:40, 242nd) were Liberty’s number six and seven finishers.

Newby (Hayden Lake, Idaho) has now established a new personal best in each race this season. Her time of 18:24 Saturday morning left her in 16th place, less than a minute behind race winner Tarah McKay of Louisville (17:26). Teammates Carol Jefferson (Jr., Schwenksville, Pa.) and Sarah Roberts (Jr., Zeiglerville, Pa.) were not far behind. Jefferson also set a personal record, finishing 21st in 18:30, while Roberts came in 27th in 18:37.

Rebekah Ricksecker (So., Laurel, Del.) broke 19 minutes for the first time in her career, clocking an 18:50 to place 41st. Osborne closed out the Liberty scoring when she ended up 61st in a time of 19:05.

Reyna Quiroz (R-Jr., Canyonville, Ore.) (19:26, 86th place) and Jo Welch (Jr., Castro Valley, Calif.) (19:31, 95th) finished sixth and seventh, respectively, among the Liberty women’s runners.

The Liberty men’s and women’s teams will be off this coming weekend before splitting up to compete in two Oct. 14 competitions. Some Liberty runners will travel to Terre Haute, Ind. for the Pre-Nationals. Many of the nation’s best harriers will converge at the site of the NCAA National Championships for that meet. Other Liberty athletes will participate in the VMI Invitational, tackling a challenging course at the Virginia Horse Center.

Men’s 8K Gold Race

Individual Finishers:
1) Josh McDougal, 23:16 (Course Record)
2) Jacob Korir, Eastern Kentucky, 23:20
3) Elkanah Kibet, Rend Lake, 24:01
4) Wesley Korir, Louisville, 24:07
5) Colin Sullivan, Unattached, 24:20
Jordan McDougal, 24:35
10) Jarvis Jelen, 24:42
53) Josh Edmonds, 25:39
90) Drew Ponder, 26:06
158) Nate Edwards, 26:46
242) James Doak, 27:40
318) Amos Mburu, 31:08

Team Standings:
1) Louisville, 51
2) Tennessee, 84
3) Liberty, 143
4) Eastern Kentucky, 165
5) Clemson, 187

Women’s 5K Gold Race

Individual Finishers:
1) Tarah McKay, Louisville, 17:26
2) Lanni Marchant, Chattanooga, 17:33
3) Bethany McCoy, Olivet Nazarene, 17:54
4) Bonita Paul, Unattached, 17:55
5) Brittany Sizer, Vanderbilt, 17:56
16) Piper Newby, 18:24
21) Carol Jefferson, 18:30
27) Sarah Roberts, 18:37
41) Rebekah Ricksecker, 18:50
61) Ashley Osborne, 19:05
86) Reyna Quiroz, 19:26
95) Jo Welch, 19:31
145) Leah Ramey, 19:59
208) Rebekah Wahlquist, 21:00
238) Meleia Johnson, 21:35

Team Standings:
1) Georgia Tech, 83
2) Chattanooga, 139
3) Louisville, 150
4) Liberty, 156
5) Kentucky, 163

http://libertyflames.com/index.cfm?PID= ... 6&TeamID=8

[01LUGrad]

23:16?! That's 4:40 per mile for Josh(if my math is working correctly tonight). I'm not sure what the course was like in terms of hills and surface, but that is still flying regardless.
I'm glad Jordan finally had a good race and Jarvis was pretty close as the #3 man. We still need work on 4-5 if we want to have a chance at nationals.

[BJWilliams]

Josh McDougal sets his 11th course record of his career...beats a pretty good field on the course that will host an NCAA Regional, and leads LU to a top 5 finish and they pick who for Runner of the week?

http://www.bigsouthsports.com/ViewArtic ... LID=593343

[01LUGrad]

The NCAA Pre-National meet will be held on Saturday, October 14 at Indiana State University. This is the same course where Josh lit up the field last year with a new course record time of 23:12. The mens team needs to have a great day in order to impress the NCAA selection brass. Traditionaly, teams from our region don't get a lot of consideration when the at-large selections are made for the NCAA Championship Meet. Hopefully LU can pull out a top 2 spot at Regionals later in the season and avoid the controversy, but first things first...Race well on Saturday in the Hoosier State.

[BJWilliams]

McDougal Keeps Unbeaten Streak Alive At Pre-Nationals; Newby Sets School Record In Women’s Race


Liberty’s Josh McDougal added another impressive cross country victory to his resume on Saturday, winning the men’s 8K white race at the Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, Ind. Meanwhile, Piper Newby eclipsed the Liberty school record for the 6K distance, running a 21:31 at the site of the NCAA National Championships.

McDougal’s (Jr., Peru, N.Y.) winning time was 23:14, just two seconds off the course record at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, established by McDougal in last year’s Pre-Nationals event. The junior is still unbeaten in his college cross country career outside of the national meet.

Joseph Lomong of Northern Arizona placed second in 23:18 and Jacob Korir of Eastern Kentucky, second behind McDougal at the Greater Louisville Classic, took third in a time of 23:24. McDougal’s time would have won the blue race as well. Martin Fagan of Providence took the top prize in the first of two men’s races with a 23:30 effort.

Newby (Jr., Hayden Lake, Idaho) placed 82nd out of 245 finishers with her school-record effort. Her mark of 21:31 was four seconds faster than assistant coach Heather (Sagan) Zealand ran at the 2001 NCAA Regional meet at Furman. Newby has now been Liberty’s top finisher in each of this season’s four competitions.

McDougal’s first-place effort enabled coach Brant Tolsma’s men’s team to finish 19th out of 36 men’s squads. Fifth-ranked Iona edged third-ranked Stanford, 100-106 to take the men’s team title in the white race. Liberty totaled 489 points to place 19th.

Jordan McDougal (R-So., Peru, N.Y.) and Jarvis Jelen (Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) provided a solid 2-3 punch for the Flames, placing 53rd and 54th, respectively in the 246-runner field. McDougal’s time was 24:29 while Jelen came in at 24:30.

Freshman Josh Edmonds (Cooperstown, N.Y.) came in 182nd with a 25:33 clocking. Drew Ponder (Jr., Colonial Heights, Va.) gave Liberty five finishers under 26 minutes, crossing the line in 25:56, a time that was good for 205th place. Nate Edwards (Jr., Warren, Mich.) also competed, placing 236th with a 26:41.

On the women’s side, top-ranked Stanford showed why it deserves that status, placing four runners in the top eight and rolling to a 45-200 landslide over 18th-rated Minnesota in the blue race. Liberty’s final total was 770 points as the Lady Flames ended up 31st.

Carol Jefferson (Jr., Schwenksville, Pa.) was Liberty’s second finisher, crossing the line in 22:02, a time that was good enough for 140th place. Sarah Roberts (Jr., Zeiglerville, Pa.) followed closely behind, finishing 154th in a time of 22:08.

Sophomore Rebekah Ricksecker (Laurel, Del.) (188th place, 22:33) and junior Jo Welch (Castro Valley, Calif.) (206th, 22:51) were the Lady Flames’ fourth and fifth runners.
Coming in sixth for Liberty was Reyna Quiroz (R-Jr., Canyonville, Ore.) (208th, 22:53) and Ashley Osborne (So., Bristol, Va.) (224th, 23:14) rounded out the Lady Flames’ top seven.

The Liberty men’s and women’s teams will now have a weekend off before traveling to Charleston, S.C. for the 2006 Big South Cross Country Championships on Oct. 28. The Liberty men’s squad is coming off its first Big South title since 1999 and the women’s harriers are seeking to improve upon their second-place finish a season ago.


Men’s 8K White Race

Individual Finishers:
1) Josh McDougal, 23:14
2) Joseph Lomong, Northern Arizona, 23:18
3) Jacob Korir, Eastern Kentucky, 23:24
4) Neftalem Aria, Stanford, 23:29
5) Forest Braden, Boise State, 23:38
53) Jordan McDougal, 24:29
54) Jarvis Jelen, 24:30
182) Josh Edmonds, 25:33
205) Drew Ponder, 25:56
236) Nate Edwards, 26:41

Team Standings:
1) Iona, 100
2) Stanford, 106
3) Florida, 217
4) Notre Dame, 255
5) Iowa, 270
19) Liberty, 489

Women’s 6K Blue Race

Individual Finishers:
1) Michelle Sikes, Wake Forest, 20:16
2) Arianna Lambie, Stanford, 20:20
3) Kassi Andersen, Brigham Young, 20:22
4) Teresa McWalters, Stanford, 20:24
5) Amanda Trotter, Stanford, 20:27
82) Piper Newby, 21:31
140) Carol Jefferson, 22:02
154) Sarah Roberts, 22:08
188) Rebekah Ricksecker, 22:33
206) Jo Welch, 22:51
208) Reyna Quiroz, 22:53
224) Ashley Osborne, 23:14

Team Standings:
1) Stanford, 45
2) Minnesota, 200
3) Arizona State, 224
4) Brigham Young, 242
5) Providence, 247
31) Liberty, 770

http://www.libertyflames.com/index.cfm? ... 6&TeamID=8

[01LUGrad]

My two pennies on the Pre-Nationals meet:

1. Josh is rolling again. I do find it interesting that Wisconsin hasn't been at any of the big-time meets yet. I would have liked to have seen Josh take on Chris Solinsky before nationals. (Solinsky is the only returning runner that finished ahead of Josh last year at nationals.) Is he ducking competition?
2. The team finished in 19th. Not too bad. We were third from our region behind UVA (12th) and Bill & Mary (15th). Our cumulative time was only 2 seconds behind W&M, which doesn't mean anything, but it sounds nice!
3. The 4 and 5 guys need to bring it at the Region Championships if we are going to slip into 2nd in the region and make it to nationals. At-large bids are awarded to teams outside of the top 2 in some regions, but with only 3 teams in the top 20 from our region, we don't stand a chance of being awarded a third spot.
4. It will be interesting to see how the region will play out because of the increased distance. Regular season meets are 8k (4.97 miles), but the region and national meets are 10k (6.2 miles). That increased distance may play a factor. Who is prepared?
5. This might sound bad, but I am going to say it anyway. Iona, the top team at the PN meet, is LOADED with foriegn runners (at least, I can't pronounce any of their names). I can't stand this. If we are going to hold a NATIONAL Championship, shouldn't you have runners from THIS nation on your team instead of all Kenyans and Ethiopians?

[WinthropEagleFan]

5. This might sound bad, but I am going to say it anyway. Iona, the top team at the PN meet, is LOADED with foriegn runners (at least, I can't pronounce any of their names). I can't stand this. If we are going to hold a NATIONAL Championship, shouldn't you have runners from THIS nation on your team instead of all Kenyans and Ethiopians?

That's a sticky issue (and I know that Winthrop XC and Track coach Ben Paxton agrees with you). If they aren't doing anything wrong (ie. committing recruiting violations or recruiting ineligible runners), I really don't see a huge problem. While they aren't 'American' runners, they are attending an American University, so where else would they run? Where do you draw the line...every school that I know of has had international students so I don't see the problem with having international athletes.

[01LUGrad]

I agree with you, WEF in that it is completely legal to run as many guys out there from wherever in the world you want, as long as they meet academic standards. My issue is that, for example, a guy from Kenya wins the national championship. He is the NCAA National Champion, but he is not given the title of "All-American," a title given to the first American finishers. Interesting how words like "National" and "American" that mean the same thing in many other respects are treated as different things in this context.

Again, I know it is legal and that it takes place in many other sports, it just bothers me.

[A.G.]

5. This might sound bad, but I am going to say it anyway. Iona, the top team at the PN meet, is LOADED with foriegn runners (at least, I can't pronounce any of their names). I can't stand this. If we are going to hold a NATIONAL Championship, shouldn't you have runners from THIS nation on your team instead of all Kenyans and Ethiopians?

This coming from a fan of a school LOADED with international students. Just take a look at our WBB roster. Or the MSOC team.

[01LUGrad]

I know we have athletes from other countries on our rosters. That's not the point.

I am talking about distance running. It is no secret that since guys like Billy Mills, Frank Shorter, Steve Prefontaine, and Bill Rogers were dominating the scene in the late 60's- early 80's, the United States has fallen behind the Africans in the world of distance running. I just wish more American universities would spend more time developing home-grown talent that would be able to compete on the world stage.

There is WAY more to this, but I realize that I would be typing to about 2 people on this board if I got into all of the in's and out's of this issue.

*We now return you to your regularly scheduled discussions about the LU kicking situation*

[ATrain]

5. This might sound bad, but I am going to say it anyway. Iona, the top team at the PN meet, is LOADED with foriegn runners (at least, I can't pronounce any of their names). I can't stand this. If we are going to hold a NATIONAL Championship, shouldn't you have runners from THIS nation on your team instead of all Kenyans and Ethiopians?

This coming from a fan of a school LOADED with international students. Just take a look at our WBB roster. Or the MSOC team.

And men's and women's tennis

[01LUGrad]

Why speed work is important.

http://www.bend.k12.or.us/shs/xc/Cascade/index.html

(pics in the middle of the page)

[PAmedic]

oh deer, that doesn't look quite right.



(sorry)

[WinthropEagleFan]

I'll get my first ever look at McDougal on Saturday at the Big South Championship meet, which is going to be run about 3 miles away from where I live. I've heard/read alot about him, so I'm curious to see how 'fast' he is in person.

[01LUGrad]

He's fast. REALLY fast.

It will be interesting to see if the coaches turn him loose or have him run conservatively, trying to pull some other guys along.

[01LUGrad]

.................................
/]\----/]\----/]\~~~~~~~~~/]\
./\-----/\-----/\~~~~~~~~~./\
Everyone Else..............Josh McDougal

[Sly Fox]

Cute.

[Sly Fox]

WEF's hometown is hosting a meet Saturday and the Charleston fishwrap did a nice story on Josh to preview the race:

Emerging star competing for Liberty in Summerville
Friday, October 27, 2006

When most people think about Liberty University, the first person who comes to mind is its controversial founder, Jerry Falwell. But in the past three years, those in the national running community increasingly are thinking of someone else.

His name is Josh McDougal and he's creating quite a buzz. he junior from Peru, N.Y., is the likely favorite to win the men's division of the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., on Nov. 20, not to mention have a bright future as a pro runner and possible Olympian.

But before his goes on to that glory, McDougal will be in the Lowcountry on Saturday to compete with his team in the Big South Cross Country Championships, hosted by Charleston Southern University, at Miler Country Club in Summerville. The event is free and open to the public.

McDougal's racing resume is stunning. He is undefeated in his three years of cross country, with the exception of the past two national championships races, where he finished 13th as a freshman and 4th as a sophomore. He'll have a target on his back in November after posting the best time, 23 minutes, 14 seconds, at the pre-Nationals in Terre Haute on Oct. 11. He is smashing course records right and left, including some previously set by Olympians Alan Webb and Meb Keflezighi, and has cross country personal bests of 23:12 in the 8K and 29:32 in the 10K.

McDougal could have gone to running powerhouses such as Stanford, Wisconsin or Colorado on scholarship, but he and his parents chose Liberty because they wanted a Christian university that was in Division I. "I felt this is the place the Lord wanted me to be and I clicked with the coaches," said McDougal. "After I visited, I didn't even look at any other schools."

It was manna from heaven for his coach, Brant Tolsma, who has been a cross country and track coach in 27 years and says McDougal is "the best talent I've seen or ever will see" on one of his teams.

"We knew Josh was really good when he arrived, but he has gone way beyond what we expected," said Tolsma, who hopes to build a national program on the strength of McDougal's legacy. "What's incredible about him is that, as a runner you can have a bad day or a cold, but he runs consistently well all the time."

As a team, Liberty likely will win the Big South's men's division and be a top contender in the Southeastern Regionals on Nov. 13 at East Carolina University - thanks also to junior Jarvis Jelen and Josh's younger brother, sophomore Jordan McDougal.

The McDougal brothers' running success comes despite the fact that they did not compete on high school teams. Their mother, a former collegiate runner, home-schooled her children and they weren't allowed to be on high school teams.

They competed at Junior Olympic meets and other major meets, perhaps the biggest for Josh being the 2003 Footlocker Cross Country Championship, where he finished fourth in a 5K time of 15:01.

As for the women at Saturday's Big South meet, Coastal Carolina is seeking to win its sixth consecutive title and the Chanticleers' top runner, freshman Julia Viellehner, is the favorite to win. Viellehner, who is from Winhoring, Germany, won the Coastal Carolina Invitational 5K with a 17:28 on Sept. 17 and was the top freshman and 18th overall at the pre-Nationals in Terre Haute with a 6K time of 20:38.

http://www.charleston.net/assets/webPag ... 10/27/2006

[Sly Fox]

Here is the Big South SC preview from the Myrtle Beach fishwrap:

BIG SOUTH CROSS COUNTRY
CCU out to douse Flames
Liberty has teams to beat at Big South Championships
By Ian Guerin
The Sun News

To win their respective Big South championships, the Coastal Carolina men's and women's cross country teams will have to run through the Liberty University Flames.

CCU women's coach Alan Connie and men's coach Jeff Jacobs share a common dilemma: how to outlast the runners from the hills of Virginia.

"It's been that way in cross country and also in track," said Connie, whose team is trying for its sixth consecutive cross country title. "The returnees, they know the Liberty women, and vice versa. It makes it a little more simple because you say 'Look if we're going to win as a team, these are the runners from Liberty that you are going to have to beat.'"

Jacobs and his CCU runners are vying for their first cross country championship, as well as the first CCU men's cross country championship since 1996. His team will have to get by a Liberty squad that is led by one of the best runners in the country, Josh McDougal.

"Certainly at the beginning of the season, Liberty was the unanimous pick for No. 1," Jacobs said. "With who they had coming back, they looked like a very strong team on paper. ... The season results have shown that we're the next-strongest team."

Jacobs said McDougal's presence - as well as that of younger brother, Jordan McDougal and junior Jarvis Jalen - give Liberty the advantage at the top of the lineup.

However, once Jacobs comparedtimes from the NCAA Pre-National meet on Oct. 14, Jacobs discovered his top five runners finished ahead of Liberty's fourth-place finisher. That grouping, along with the possibility that runners from other schools could take points away from Liberty's lower-ranked runners, combine to give the CCU men their best shot.

The CCU women will enter the race with the individual favorite, Julia Viellehner.

The freshman has been named the Big South runner of the week three times this season after setting course records in her first two meets for Coastal.

Viellehner, a highly touted recruit, has already accomplished more than Connie expected.

"To come out as a freshman and be the top freshman at the blue race with all the studs out there, that's pretty special," Connie said.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/my ... 871020.htm

[WinthropEagleFan]

Congrats to LU's women...a pair of Coastal runners finished in the top two spots, but LU put 5 runners into the top 10 I think and took the women's title. I believe the LU men won too, but I left the meet before the results were posted. LU took the top three spots as Josh ran w/ his brother and one other LU runner the whole way. I believe Josh got the win, but they all crossed the line at about the same time.

[Sly Fox]

Our top three are as strong as just about anyone. Its how the guys in 4th & 5th finish that decide our fates. Thanks for the updates, WEF. It sounds like Josh put it in cruise control this week to help pace Jordan and Jarvis.

[WinthropEagleFan]

Here are the team final results:

Women:
http://csusports.athleticsite.com/images/BSCWXC.htm
1. Liberty
2. Coastal Carolina
3. High Point
4. UNC Asheville
5. Winthrop
6. Birmingham-Southern
7. Radford
8. VMI
9. Charleston Southern

Men:
http://csusports.athleticsite.com/images/BSCMXC.htm
1. Liberty
2. Coastal Carolina
3. High Point
4. VMI
5. Radford
6. Winthrop
7. Birmingham-Southern
8. UNC Asheville
9. Charleton Southern

[01LUGrad]

Sheesh. I thought I would be slick and post the results before everyone got on for the football game. What? Do you guys ever leave this site?

[01LUGrad]

Trackshark.com interview with Josh McDougal

http://www.trackshark.com/blogs/TimGold ... ougal.html

(I know this is long, but it is really worth reading!)

Josh McDougal of Liberty is one of the best runners in the country. The only cross country race he has lost in the last two years is the NCAA meet. He hopes to change that this year and keep his undefeated streak alive.



Your high school training was widely talked about. Can you give us some insight into your high school training and what you have done differently since coming to college?

I was a standard 90 mile a week guy on singles in high school. I cracked 100miles a week a few times, and would run some lower stuff near the end of seasons. But, 90 something was my bread and butter training. My freshman year I didn’t change a whole lot. Coach was pretty happy where I was at and didn't want to mess anything up coming in. He tried to make the transition really smooth for me. I might have hit 107 for a high in XC as a freshman. I started to step up the mileage in the spring, but then severely sprained my ankle (almost broke it). So, that took out most of my base phase in track and I had to play catch up the rest of the season. It wasn’t until the summer after my freshman year that I really stepped up the mileage.



What kind of training have you been doing lately?

I’m in the 90s at the moment. Over the summer I built up my mileage a lot. I got a later start this year and didn’t do any crazy workouts in July this year. I want to be extra careful to peak at the right time this year. I hit a high of 132 this year, and most of my weeks where in the 120-125 range. Early is the season we did a bunch of threshold runs, but nothing too fast. Since Pre-Nats I’ve been slowly cutting back on my mileage, and starting to do some faster intervals. My legs are finally starting to come around, and respond when I want them to.



A lot of people on the message boards said because of your high school mileage being so high you would burn out by the time you were in college. Then the same people ripped your decision to go to Liberty. Do you have any kind words for those people now?

I'm honestly used to it. I used to be a top runner in the Jr. Olympic ranks. Even at a young age, so I have always had to deal with people telling me that I was training too hard and that I would never amount to anything. First, they said I'd never be a top high school runner. Then after I became one they said I'd never be a top collegiate runner, but I’ve gone out and solidified myself as a better collegiate athlete than I was in high school. The fact of the matter is that it was my hard work that has gotten me this far, and it is going to take a lot more hard work to keep improving; which is fine with me. I'm not afraid to work hard like so many other people seem to be. In fact I really feel like I have yet to test my upper limits as far as mileage goes. I have been able to handle the mileage and work-outs I have with relative ease. I have really been blessed to be as durable as I have. I really hope to run some fast marathons a few years down the road.

As far as my college choice goes, a lot of people just didn’t understand why I would choose such a small and unheard of school. My family and I took a good deal of heat from a lot of people who thought that I was throwing my talent away. I guess looking back on things it just goes to show you what people on the message boards really know. I believed that Liberty was really where the Lord wanted me to go. It was the perfect fit for me in everyway, and I was not going to let the way people felt about things change my decision. My family supported me as well as my truest friends, and that’s all I really needed. The main reason in choosing Liberty was this; I try to glorify the Lord through my running, I try and keep that as my primary motivation. It is far too easy to run for your own selfish glory, or to run for the approval of others. Liberty is the only place I could have gone where my motivations, my desires, and my goals would be the same as those held by my coaches and my teammates. I felt that this was the most critical aspect in my college choice. I must say everything has worked out great. It is just incredible the amount of unity our team has. Our coaches and athletes just fit so well together because we are all striving towards a common goal. It has made all the difference in not only my running, but in my life in general as well. I have never for a second regretted my decision.



I had posted about a workout I had heard you ran when you were in Virginia with David Cheromei (10k in under 29 minutes) the week before Pre Nats. I didn't think you could recover in time to win Pre-Nats (which you proved me wrong). How did that work-out go? How were you feeling after it? And how did you win a race the next weekend?

Yeah, I saw that you posted about that workout, which was funny, because I told no one about that workout and hoped to keep it quiet. I was shocked when the day before Pre-Nats a few people started asking me about it.

Goldsack: I have good sources

Since we had a weekend off from racing Jarvis and I were looking for a relaxing way to spend our weekend. So, we went to Bristol VA to spend the weekend with a teammate of ours who lives there. She also happens to be friends with David Cheromei, and when he found out I was coming asked to do a tempo run with me. I wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary I just figured it would be a relaxing run. I didn't even bring my road flats or anything. I just woke up a half hour before the run didn't eat any breakfast, and drove over to the creeper trail, (which by the way is the best running trail I have ever run on) and met David and a few of his teammates. What happened next took me by surprise. We took out flying right from the start. There was absolutely no progression. I had no idea what was going on. I knew in the back of my mind that I shouldn't go out and hammer on my off week, but I'm not the type of guy who is going to back off from a challenge. I guess that’s both a blessing and a curse. David informs me of our 4:41 opening mile, which is on an out and back course which is ever so slightly uphill all the way out. I catch our two mile split which is just over 9:20. At this point my legs are actually starting to come to me, and I'm starting to find a rhythm. We reach the turn around in 14:38 and then start back. The next few miles I just ran stride for stride with David. I told myself that I wouldn’t push the pace, but I would just stay with the pace we were running. I really didn't know the layout of the run too well, so I was worried when David started to roll that last mile. We finished together in 28:57, which I was informed was a "new record." I guess David and Fernando (Cabada) ran a 29:15 once last year.

All in all not what I was looking for during an off weekend. For me it was a lot like a race, minus a really hard kick over the last few hundred meters. That said, it didn’t have the pressure of a race. It was just two guys out there testing each other a bit. I can certainly say that I came out of there with a lot of respect for David. He is a great guy let me assure you is a lot better that his 5th at Paul Short indicates. As for Pre-Nats, I really don't think it affected me. I recover quickly and though that was a tough workout I don't think it affected my performance the next weekend. At Pre-Nats I was a little tired during the middle stages of the race, but that was due to a opening mile that was a little to quick for me. I guess I got a little too excited and went out just a few seconds too fast. It was in the mid 4:20s I think, and much of that was run into a stiff headwind. All in all I must say I felt better coming into Pre-Bats than I did coming into Louisville.



“Josh McDougal is a Perfect Example of What is Wrong With High School Track”
by John Raucci. What do you think about that article?

Mr Raucci is a great family friend of ours, but most of the things written in that article really are not true. I guess when he talked to us he misunderstood some aspects of our training or something. For the record I never have been a minimalist. I will do some workouts in spikes and flats, but I train in training shoes, not flats. In highschool my main shoe was the Nike Zoom Elite. In college Freshman year, I used mostly Nike Peguses, and since our team was sponsored by asics last year I now train in DS Trainers. All lightweight shoes, but hardly minimalist. All have worked out pretty well for me.



What are your goals for the rest of the season in XC and track?

Well, the big goal for cross country is to win NCAA's. It will be tough, it always is. There are a bunch of great guys this year. Obviously Chris is the guy in the field to beat, he is the only one who has proven thusfar that he has what it takes to win a NCAA National title. He has done so three times. I have beat him once before and I hope I can make it twice this fall. Its hard to leave anyone out, but Chris is the only guy who in college has beaten me more than I have beaten him. Most of the other guys I come out on top more often when we race, though at nationals that doesnt nessisarily mean anything. There are at least 5 guys who have a good shot to win the whole thing, with at least another 5 who could have a shot. I would really like to put together a good track season this year. My first two years of college I have had great xc seasons, good indoor seasons, and then disasterous outdoor seasons. Some of that is my fault, some of that is just circumstances beyoned anyones control. Its been great working with Coach Jimmerson though, he really appreciates how hard it is to run by yourself for a fast time. So this year I'll probably be looking to get into a few fast races. Perhaps try and find where all the top guns are running their 10k this year and jump in with them. Other than that I might run World XC Trials (US XC Championships) again this year, nothing is for sure yet. I would also like to win whatever events that I run in at Nationals in track. I really have not thought too much about track yet, I still have alot to accomplish in cross country.



You seem to have no fear mixing it up with anyone. What do you think you need to do to be able to run with the top runners in the world?

I think with a few more years of hard training under my belt, hopefully running full-time I could focus 100% on my running and give myself the best shot possible to be one of the top guys out there. I definitely don't have any other post collegiate plans other than giving running my best shot.

[PeterParker]

Now they just need to really recruit some depth for the team...with the close proximity to Northern Virginia (loads of talent), Hampton Roads (decent amount of talent) and relatively accessible PA, NY & MA (home to alot of top runners over the years) there is plenty of talent to go around. Hopefully, having Jimmerson to go pound the recruitment trail with his background and the opportunity to train under his direct tutelage and train with an NCAA All-American will land more good recruits...they are in the midst of a golden opportunity (once in a lifetime for a smaller upstart school) to start a perrenial running power if they can play their cards right with consecutively strong recruiting classes over the next several years...they must be proactive in recruiting; can't just wait for good things to come to them...