2008 Woodie Awards
Men's cross country prepares for Bakersfield
Michael Brown
Issue date: 9/25/08 Section: Sports
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First-year Head Coach George Mehale waved his arms emphatically and shouted to various runners, "don't give up, keep working!"
After finishing 19th out of 25 teams at the Orange Coast Classic on Sept. 20, the day's heat didn't deter the Vikes from getting in repetitions during practice.
"This heat is good motivation, we'll live through it," freshman Jaylon Martin said while joking with teammates.
Viking freshman Doug Curran, who finished the four-mile course in 22:08.46 to finish 68th, was the team's top performer during the Classic. Sophomore Roland Hall was second on the team, finishing 100th in the event with a time of 22:47.41.
"The Classic was a tough event for us because we were trying to get acclimated to running in five-mile events rather than four-miles," Hall said. "It was a change because we had to change our pace which was new to many of our first-year runners. We'll be OK during the next event, though, because of the difficulties we faced."
The Bakersfield event promises to be a litmus test for the young team as it pushes toward SoCal and the state championships later this season.
"I'm very, very excited about this Bakersfield event," Martin said. "I didn't compete in the last event, so this will be an opportunity for me to show them what I'm working with."
Mehale said he expects big things from Martin in the half-mile event.
Martin's teammate, Kevin Parker, chimed in and said, "Our goal during the next event is just to score higher proportionality both individually and as a team."
The Vikings competition won't be the only ones watching Martin and Parker's performance.
"When we compete at Bakersfield, I'll be happy if several of our younger guys step up and assert themselves. Athletes like Leroy Zion, Martin and Roland are all talented and have a chance to excel," Mehale said.
Other than Hall and Nick Yahontov, the Viking roster is comprised of freshmen. Their early struggles haven't put a damper on Mehale's outlook.
"The Orange Coast Classic was a struggle for us, but it was a good experience because we have a young team," Mehale said. "I didn't place much of an emphasis on where we finished because I want our team to see the big picture of where we need to go."
Part of that big picture Mehale hinted at is the South Coast Conference Championships scheduled for Oct. 31 at El Camino.
"I'm more concerned about how we fare during conference competition as opposed to regular season running," Mehale said. "We'll be better able to judge our overall performance, and a top-five finish in the SCC is our goal."
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