Track is a sport of great mental toughness and high endurance. Cross-country is the ultimate test and requires superior mental focus and muscle strength that is perhaps unseen in any other sport.
After the long haul this fall and a number of races under their belts, the men's and women's cross country teams are geared up for the Mid-American Conference Championships on Saturday, Nov. 2 in Oxford, Ohio at Miami University.
For the men, last year's conference champion, Eastern Michigan, is favored to repeat as champion, while Central Michigan and Miami (OH) are expected to battle it out for second and third places respectively in the 12-team field.
Last year Buffalo finished a school-best fifth place in the MAC and will look to improve on that this year with maybe their strongest team yet. Western Michigan and Kent State are expected to challenge them for the fourth, fifth and sixth spots.
Last year the women's squad finished in 11th place out of 13 teams, with Toledo prevailing as the winner. This year the team, anchored by senior Melissa Burrows, will try to move up in placing.
"We have a very strong chance at improving our placing from last year. We have a lot of strong freshmen," said Burrows. "We have also added a lot of depth, and that's what really matters in a cross country race."
Both teams are coming off their best results of the season at the NCAA Pre-Nationals meet hosted by Indiana State University on Oct. 19. The men finished an impressive seventh out of 24 teams, while the women finished ninth in a field of 29.
"It is up to the team to go out and race," said Head Cross Country Coach Vicki Mitchell, who coaches both the men's and women's team. "We are mentally very prepared and physically very fit."
The men's team is lead by the trio of Jeremie Slick, Todd Ludden, and Rick Stewart, all of whom are seniors. They are all comparable to each other in performance and in many capacities serve as leaders on a relatively young squad.
"Jeremie, Rick and myself are the three seniors on this team and we'll lay it all on the line," said Ludden. "I don't see us having bad races. I think we have a relatively good shot at taking fourth place in the conference, and maybe even challenging Miami for third."
After the big three it will be up to number four, junior Joel Beatty, and number five, freshman Brian Smith, to do their parts and keep Buffalo competitive.
The women's team is very young indeed as Burrows represents one of two seniors and is joined by five freshmen, a sophomore and a junior. Sophomore Jenny Koeppel finished second for UB behind Burrows at the NCAA Pre-Nationals and 75th overall.
"As a team we have grown in confidence since the beginning of the season. Experience is everything and when half the team is freshman it can make it tough," added Burrows. "The girls have really adjusted well and pulled it together and I'm proud of them."
Buffalo knows the course well. Earlier in the fall the Bulls competed in the Miami Fall Classic, on the same course that will be used for the championship. The weather should not be an issue either, given that UB practices every day in the frigid climate of Western New York.
"This course is tricky and features a lot of turns. After the first 200 meters there is a tough 90-degree turnaround and another one on the last 200 meters before the finish line," said Mitchell. "The weather is not a factor for us, because we practice in a wind tunnel and are therefore used to all types of conditions."
The results for the men's team this season have been mediocre. There have been some very good individual performances, but from a team standpoint the good individual results are not coming together at the same meet.
"I base confidence on a season's accolades and I would say our team confidence is about average now," added Ludden. "In track you don't have to be confident coming in. You just need to go 100 percent and feel confident off the starting line."
The MAC championships present an opportunity for a team to excel and earn more accolades as far as the university in concerned. However, individuals strive to make names for themselves at the NCAA Regional, which will take place two weeks after the conference championship. Runners have an opportunity there to qualify for the NCAA championships, which features the best runners from around the country.
"Race day is 90 percent mental. We will try to push beyond limits that we have not reached before," added Mitchell. "In the final 400 meters nobody on my team will be out-kicked."
