The ASU cross country team heads to Seattle, Wash. for Sautrday’s Pac-10 Championships, the beginning of the post-season stretch.
ASU heads into the ultra-competitive meet, hosted by Washington, with a high sense of urgency following a disappointing showing at the NCAA Pre-Nationals several weeks ago.
“I think they certainly know the end is near,” ASU coach Louie Quintana said. “We’ve put ourselves in a situation where we’ve really got to come through at the end. I mean, it’s a pressure situation, there’s no doubt about that.”
The competition at Jefferson Park Golf Course will be stacked. The Sun Devil women must contend against five teams, No. 2 Oregon, No. 6 UA, No. 9 Stanford, No. 20 Washington and No. 22 California, in the nation’s top 25.
The men’s top competitors will be No. 1 Stanford, whose top runner, junior Chris Derrick, is looking to repeat at the individual Pac-10 Champion, No. 3 Oregon and No. 22 UCLA.
“On the women’s side, right now I think it’s the best conference in the country,” Quintana said, adding that he believes the men are capable of a top three finish and the women a top five.
ASU has not performed up to its own high standards at big meets this season, and the Sun Devils realize that they must find themselves, and quickly, before they head to the northwest.
“We’re still feeling positive, and we know we can do what we need to do,” redshirt senior Cherise McNair said. “We have a lot of confidence in ourselves because of the workouts and because we’re tough runners. No one has a negative attitude.”
There was a more serious air to practice this week than usual as ASU harriers continue to emphasize their need to trust in their training and just go compete.
“This week is definitely a defining week in our season,” redshirt junior Dylan Hatcher said. “I think the tone is a little more humble, a little more focused.”
The ASU runners are well aware of what they need to do in order to correct the problems that have hindered them this year. As the Sun Devils toe the line for the women’s 6k race, followed by the men’s 8k race, they must come out from the start racing with a team-first mentality.
“We’ve been having a hard time trying to figure out how we can get through races as a team, instead of working individually,” McNair said.
Hatcher also feels that ASU must be more aggressive on the course this weekend in order to ensure success.
“What’ve we been doing all season is making sure we don’t run bad,” Hatcher said. “The important thing from this point on is to forget about everything and just run well.”
Though she might not be racing to win, veteran and team captain Camille Olson, who has spent most of the year battling back from injuries, will be in uniform for the Sun Devils.
“That’s going to be a big emotional lift for our group,” Quintana said. “She brings a real sense of toughness and attitude to the group. She’s just gritty.”
Grit is exactly what ASU needs as training days wane and crunch time approaches.
“We’re really sticking to the plan,” Quintana said. “The biggest thing is to execute in practice. Its really important right now that we take advantage of our workout days.”
ASU has put its bad races in the past, Quintana said, and is completely focused on the task at hand, which is showing up ready to run in Seattle.
“We control our own destiny at this point,” Quintana said. “We just have to go out and beat teams now.”
Reach the reporter at kyle.j.newman@asu.edu
