Faces of the Race
Men's Championship Results - FinishTiming Results Here
Women's Championship Results - FinishTiming Results Here
Team brings unusual mascot to championship
by Sarah Beckman, Hanover College '09
As the Williams College (Mass.) men's cross country team travels to Hanover for the NCAA III Championships, they have a couple of unusual mascots in tow.
One of their mascots is Williams College's official mascot — the purple cow. Although a purple cow may not be a fierce or intimidating mascot, the Ephs wear it with pride. According to assistant coach, Mitchell Carter, the purple cow is the mascot for all of the sports teams at Williams.
Inspired by a satire publication on campus entitled "The Purple Cow," Williams' students selected the mascot in 1907. "Around the time when mascots became a big deal, the purple cow was adopted for us," said Carter.
Even though Williams' mascot is the purple cow, the men's team has their own unofficial "official" mascot. The large, stuffed bear, named T. Bear, will make an appearance this weekend at the national championships. Thirty years ago, their coach, Peter Farwell, won T. Bear and according to Carter, when this new mascot began appearing at races, the team started to win consistently. "We won two or three in a row, and eventually, T. Bear started being tossed up in the air before every race."
That is, unless a rival New England team hasn't stolen him first. "All our rivals in New England attempt to steal T. Bear," said Carter. "Eventually the Massachusetts Institute of Technology decided he was good luck and played a prank by stealing T. Bear at a meet near Boston. They snatched him in 1981, tossed him in the air before the meet, and sewed a 'T' on him."
Since then, T. Bear has become quite a traveler; rival schools continue to steal him and the Williams' team rescues him back. "Over the years, he's been stolen in some pretty clever ways, including some pulled fire alarms and ransom notes," said Carter. Some schools have taken T. Bear to parties and on spring break to show he has more fun with them, he added.
T. Bear has a Williams' student I.D., and according to Carter, "graduated in 1999 and went onstage with a runner and shook the president's hand during graduation."
The Ephs will toss T. Bear in the air this weekend at Hanover and the runners hope he will bring them good luck. Hopefully he'll make the trip back to New England with the Purple Cows.
Hanover's Sarah Beckman is from Petersburg, Ky. An English major, she is a member of Chi Omega sorority.
Coaches make cross country a family affair
by Courtney Hess, Hanover College '09
At the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, cross country is a family affair. For more than 25 years, the husband and wife team of John Zupanc and Deb Vercauteren has headed their men's and women's cross-country teams. Together they have founded a winning tradition.
Including both of this year's teams, Zupanc and Vercauteren have taken 41 men's and women's teams to the national cross country championships. Each hold claim to four NCAA Division III national championships.
Zupanc and Vercauteren, who met while attending graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have been married for 27 years.
Their close relationship, they believe, sets an example for their teams and creates a family dynamic among the athletes. "The teams get along very well – I think it promotes a family feel," said Zupanc. Added Vercauteren, "They see how John and I interact – I think it has an overall effect on how we'd like them to treat each other."
Despite the close interaction, they each maintain their own territory. "I stay out of Deb's business running her team and she stays out of mine," said Zupanc. However, they are not above asking each other for advice or encouragement.
Having two coaches in a household can also test a relationship. Between their responsibilities for cross country, as well as track and field, they spend about nine months in-season. "I think when we're out of season, we do generally have some time and it's nice to be by ourselves – both together and individually," said Zupanc.
They have also shared the experience of adjusting to a new style of coaching student-athletes over the years. Zupanc points to the evolution of communication as playing a key role. Now students have access to resources such as YouTube allow them to gain insight in to the experiences and training routines of other student-athletes.
For Vercauteren, she has found that she has had to alter her coaching style slightly. "Ten to 15 years ago, you could probably be more blunt, tell it like it is. Now you need to give them more encouragement."
Both are eyeing a strong finish for their teams this season. Zupanc's men's team comes into the meet ranked ninth in the nation while Vercauteren's women rank fifteenth. Both hope for their teams to come away with a top ten finish.
Championship Race Program Supplement (PDF)
Hanover senior Courtney Hess is a political science major from Carmel, Ind. She served as an intern with AllAfrica.com, a leading source of African news, in their offices in Washington, D.C., and Monrovia, Liberia. She intends to pursue a master's degree in conflict resolution and peace studies.
Centre's captain keeps stride while in stitches
by Abigail Fulton, Hanover College '09
Most runners lose time when they have to run with a stitch in their side, but senior Chase Wilson, captain of the Centre College (Ky.) men's cross country team, has won two championships with stitches in his toe.
Three weeks ago, Wilson was riding his bicycle when he lost his balance and tried to catch himself by planting his flip-flop clad foot on the ground, only to have it wind up pinned between the sidewalk and his bike pedal. The accident tore off half of the flesh from the top of his big toe, taking most of the nail away with it.
Although he spent Monday night in the emergency room with what resembled "a bloody stump," Wilson exercised on a stationary bike the next day to continue training for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship scheduled for that weekend (Nov. 1) in Memphis, Tenn.
Wilson's spirits, however, were low. "It was traumatic," he said. "For the next two days, I wasn't able to run for fear of opening up the wound."
His coach, Lisa Owens, who stood by him during his many setbacks this fall due to another injury and a long illness, encouraged him to persevere.
"She said, 'God's going to be faithful through all this.' It was a spiritual battle; I just had to trust that God would use me in his own way," Wilson said.
Acting on faith, Wilson wrapped his foot in gauze bandages and went back to training. In spite of the pain, Wilson took first place at the SCAC Championship with a course-record-breaking time of 25:35 in the eight-kilometer race, securing the championship for his team.
"When the going got tough, I just focused on all the work I'd done to prepare myself, and I felt confidence from that."
The following Saturday, he took out his own stitches and ran on his still-tender toe in the South/Southeast Regional in Seguin, Texas. He took first place again, winning a regional title and qualifying to compete in the NCAA III championship.
Given his previous setbacks, well-wishers may not want to tell him to "break a leg" at the national meet — but even that might not be enough to stop Wilson.
Hanover's Abigail Fulton is a senior English major from Whitestown, Ind. She hopes to pursue a career in publishing and loves ballroom dance.
Diagnosis gives Pacific runner a new lease on life and running
by Courtney Hess, Hanover College '09
For the vast majority of people running six kilometers seems like a daunting task, but for an experienced runner like Kelsey Owens, a member of the Pacific University (Ore.) cross-country team, it should have been routine.
Despite putting in long hours at practice and yearning to be a better runner, her times kept getting slower. "I felt weak, achy and lethargic," Owens, said. "My leg and back muscles were always sore. I could still do workouts and lead a normal life, but I did so with very little energy."
Owens, originally from Tacoma, Wash., began her collegiate career at Northern Arizona University, a Division I school, but transferred to Pacific in 2006 after a disappointing season. During her sophomore year, she continued to struggle, and even contemplated quitting.
Her passion, however, would not allow her to turn her back on running. "I could not shake the feeling that I had more to give to the sport."
Instead, she visited a doctor, who, after some blood work, diagnosed Owens with an iron deficiency, commonly referred to as anemia.
"I was so relieved," she exclaimed. "I realized that my lack of improvement as a runner was not because I was a bad athlete or (any) lack of talent. It gave me an enormous amount of hope for what I could accomplish when I got healthy."
After taking the 2007 track season off and beginning to treat her anemia with supplements, Owens returned to form for the fall cross-country season, shaving off minutes from her previous best times. The year culminated with a 34th-place finish at the Division III National Championships earning her All-American honors.
It's a performance she hopes to build upon this weekend at the 2008 Championships. "More than anything I want to run my own race. My goal is to be an All-American again by racing smart and relaxed, with confidence and a strong finish."
The challenges she has faced have taught her important life lessons as well. "It has given me perspective on what it really takes to pursue my dreams," she said. "There are struggles in all aspects of life; I see those struggles as tests for how much I am willing to give of myself to accomplish my goals. It has also taught me to never give up on myself."
Owens will continue to pursue her dreams once her college career has ended. After compete this spring for Pacific's track team, she will continue training in the hopes of competing in the 2012 Olympic Trials.
For now, Owens just considers it a blessing that she is able to compete in the sport she loves.
"I thank God for the gift of health, an amazing coach and supportive teammates," she said. "Running gets me up in the morning and keeps me accountable. But most of all it gives me a purpose."