A Sea Of Red

I'll add more to this later, but I figured I'd remind everyone that the men's 10K national championship race will begin at 12:48 p.m. on Nov. 22 and will be video streamed live on NCAA.com. Sam and Evans will be Liberty's only representatives, but figure to make seriousl noise once again this year.

Am I out of mind to suggest the possibility of two Top-5 finishes? We all expect greatness from Sam and Evans is positioning himself well to make some noise of his own.

A little... Evans is very good, but Sam is so good. Maybe Top 10 if Evans runs the race of his life?

Two in the top ten would be an unbelieveable day for LU. It is nuts to think that we are even having this discussion. I think a lot of this depends on if the top 10 guys are willing to be stupid enough to try to go with Sam. If they do, Evans should just hang back and step over the carnage that is left on the last 2 miles of the course.

If our numbers 4-5 guys hadn't been out sick at regionals, we would have had a team in Indiana on Monday. They must be bummed beyond belief.

Is anyone else having video issues?

You do realize the meet is not til Monday, don't you?

Video Stream

It constantly is loading for me ...

olldflame wrote:You do realize the meet is not til Monday, don't you?

We have a winner!

Now I do;)

WOW - I should of know that - it normally is, but for some reason I thought it was today.

Thanks!

It's always the day after we get our playoff dreams officially crushed.

Yep, today is Division III meet. Now back to focusing on the zillion other games today.

Terre Haute paper ranks LU's individual victories in 2007 and 2009 as the #1 and #5 moments in NCAA XC history.

Liberty senior Josh McDougal and Rupp, a junior who has since gone on to run for the U.S. Olympic team, had a battle to remember. The duo also had to contend with another future U.S. Olympian, Lopez Lomong, whom they left behind prior to engaging in a runner’s duel to remember.

Earlier this week, Liberty coach Brant Tolsma recalled the key points of the race.

“Josh had about 10 or 15 meters on Galen,” Tolsma said. “Galen caught him and tried to pass him right as they hit that long, home stretch.

“It was one of the most epic battles. They were just beating each other up for 500 meters. Then you could see Josh just pick up his tempo, arms flailing everywhere. It was 30 meters from the finish before I think Galen knew he was going to lose.”

McDougal collapsed after crossing the finish line, taking a title away from Rupp, who still helped the Ducks accomplish their goal of a national championship.

“Coming back up on him was a big boost mentally,” Rupp said. “Right when I caught him, I tried to pick it upand bury him there. He did a great job of hanging on.”

Tolsma enjoys looking at it as a Cinderella story for the small school.

“We kind of spoiled the perfect day for Oregon, which means for Nike as well. Even [Nike co-founder] Phil Knight was at the race. To win that team title was huge for them, but they would have loved to have both,” Tolsma said.

Rupp proved his mettle in 2008, leading the Ducks to a second straight team title and securing the individual title in his final collegiate cross country race.

Rupp had the chance to defeat a Liberty runner, Kenyan-born Sam Chelanga.

Chelanga set the pace with a 4-minute, 24-second opening mile, but Rupp gradually pulled him in.

Rupp eventually pulled ahead with about 10 meters to go, learning from the race the year before.

“I caught back up to Josh heading into that straightaway. The first instinct when you see that finish line is to start sprinting, you know ‘go to the line,’ but I was patient [this year],” Rupp said. “When I made my move, I made sure it was decisive and I would be able to hold it all the way through.”

Oregon coach Vin Lananna, exclaimed that “Oregon distance is back,” following the second straight win.

The McDougal-Rupp battle was “epic,” Tolsma said.

ISU’s John McNichols, who helped bring the LaVern Gibson Course to reality in Terre Haute, said recently it may have been one of the great moments in American distance running.

“That McDougal-Rupp duel down the straightaway — well the whole race — with the whole crowd backed away so they could watch the thing,” McNichols said. “It was one of the more dramatic moments in racing history for our country.”

5. Sam Chelanga gives Liberty a second individual championship

In 2009, Chelanga gave tiny Liberty University — a private Christian university in Lynchburg, Va. — a second individual cross country champion in the span of three years, and Chelanga appears to be the favorite to join Bairu as repeat NCAA champions in Terre Haute.

Chelanga ran a 10K-course record of 28:41.30. Second-place David McNeill of Northern Arizona finished in 29:06.5, and Chris Derrick of Stanford was third in 29:14.8.

http://tribstar.com/sports/x970730409/O ... erre-Haute

The race is TODAY at 12:48 (That's P.M., just in case you guys were confused again)

Direct link: http://www.ncaa.com/allaccess/index.html?media=212485

I think I might have figured out a way to follow along on here this year from my school. Shhhh. Don't tell anyone.

Well, here's hoping that tiny Liberty University has 3 champions in 4 years. Go Sam!! and Evans too!

Yeah, I noticed the tiny thing too. People don't have a clue.

Oregon has 16,000 undergrad students. We have what.........11,000? but when you add DL we are bigger than they are. (Not better funded though).

According to the announcers its a very windy day...itll be interesting to see how that affects race strategy

http://www.ncaa.com/allaccess/?media=212485

They are still chatting up the womens race right now before the men line up for their race.

I'm tuned in. Go Flames!

I'll be watching

Meb pushing his autobiography didn't mention Sam ...

It's almost time. Go Sam and Go Evans.

I invited JoshCox to come join us again this year. He's friends with Meb & Sam.

his insight was great last year.

And they are off ...

My stomach is in knots...

This wind is going to cause issues. anytime you change variables - that's better for everyone else...