Bradley Open Meet Summary: Friday, September 11, 2009
Ok, finally on schedule for the first time all season - this should be a perfect lead in to Indiana Intercollegiate on Friday at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country course. I think you all will really enjoy this interview with Sophomore Craig Padget, his answers really provide us with some great insight.
My View
Let me start by congratulating the "under class men" on a job well done, most of them were running in their first college meet in the Sycamore uniform and they represented the university very well. I also would be remiss if I didn't congratulate Craig Padget earning his very first MVC Cross Country Athlete of the Week honor for his stellar performance at Bradley last Friday with a time of of 24:35 finishing second. De Paul’s Matthew Graham won the race with a time of 24:24, if I remember correctly it is Graham who beat Scott Keeney in a road race early this summer and we all know the caliber of runner that Scott is.
I think when many of us saw the results we kind of did a double take. Not that we didn't know that Padget could run (because obviously he flat out get's it) but to throw down that kind of performance this early in the season is a serious statement! Padget is really a neat kid and he loves to compete for the Sycamores, you can just sense that about him when you talk to him.
All 7 of the Men's runners finished in the top 10 in what was a relatively weak Field of runners, at least not the class of runners they will face the rest of the season. But it was a great building block for younger guys who have not raced at the college level yet. Sophomore Dustin Betz really turned in a solid performance to place third overall with a time of 24:52 and freshman Al Escalera (The Escalador) in his first race as a Sycamore finished fourth overall. Track standout Jeremiah Vaughan rounded out the top 5 and anytime Vaughan is your 4th runner you have done very well.
Just two meets in to this young season and the Sycamores have established themselves as a team worth watching in the Great Lakes Regional. They will be facing some very stiff competition on Friday vs. the likes of Butler, Purdue and Indiana. This should give us a pretty good idea just how good the Sycamores can be this season. Former Indiana State Sycamore Jordan Fife thinks that IU and the Sycamores will have an all out battle to decide who is "king" in this state, "For the first time I think that us and IU will have everyone in the top 10" meaning that no other school will have a runner finish in the top 10 for division 1 athletes. So if you can get out of work a little early on Friday, come on out and show some support for the Sycamores!
Post Race Interview
sycamorerunner.com: Congrats on a great performance today, but was it hard to have to sit out last week, while the rest of the guys were competing at the Evansville Mid American Opener?
Padget: Honestly it was’t really too bad, I knew that the guys going would represent our university well and they did. I also knew that the younger guys would get their chance to show what they could do minus the big dogs running so I think it worked out well and next weekend we’ll be able to show everyone what we got.
sycamorerunner.com: Yeah I think their is a lot of anticipation around next Friday's in state showdown. Bradley being your first meet of the season were you really anxious to get out their and compete? How do you stay relaxed and focused on what you have to do?
Padget: Going into Bradley I wasn’t really as nervous as usual because I felt like I had been training much smarter than in years past and I had a great supporting crew to keep me focused so I did’t slack off too much.
sycamorerunner.com: Yeah it's quite obvious you had one hell of a summer training. You obviously ran outstanding today, what was your strategy coming into the race and did you stick with that strategy throughout the race?
Padget: Going into the race my strategy was to do the exact opposite of what I had done my entire freshmen year and that was to relax. I told myself I was going to go out slow and work my way up throughout the race and I knew if I really worked for it I could catch the leaders. I came up a little short but I still have a lot of time to work on finishing a bit stronger.
sycamorerunner.com: You know I really like that strategy, I always used to tell myself to stay relaxed whether I was running the 800 or the 400 hurdles when I had good races I always told myself to stay relaxed throughout the race. This has kind of become a standard question, but just how good is this team?
Padget: Well this years team has been getting a lot of hype by it’s runners and people involved saying that this year could be the year and honestly, they deserve every bit of that recognition. The team is simply outstanding with hardworking athletes, great underclassman, a group of some of the greatest senior leaders in school history, and in my opinion one of the greatest coaching staffs the country has to offer. Once you factor in all of this greatness how could not believe this team is destined for anything less than greatness.
sycamorerunner.com: Yeah their is nothing wrong with positive energy, if you all keep the overall goal in mind I think you will have a great opportunity to do big things! Are you excited to get "everyone" out on the home course Friday for intercollegiate?
Padget: Oh yes, the competition at Intercollegiate will be excellent this weekend and getting everyone out to support their very own sycamores will mean very much to us. To anyone that enjoys seeing a great show needs to come out to the meet Friday, because it will be nothing short of just that.
sycamorerunner.com: Yeah hopefully we can get some good local support, get some students out and what not - that would be great! What excites you most about running against in state rivals like IU and PU?
Padget: Well the chance to run against the schools that everyone considers the “Elite” of Indiana, in IU and Purdue, really gives us a chance to show what we got against the state’s best and give National caliber programs all they can handle year in and year out. Plus being from the Notre Dame area for my entire life I have built up an intense (personal) rivalry against Purdue.
sycamorerunner.com: Yes sir nothing like running against those in state runners that you have been racing since high school. Most of whom "thought" they were to good for Indiana State... Craig great race at Bradley and good luck the rest of the season, thanks for the interview!
Results
1. 657 Matthew Graham DePaul University SO 24:24
2. 779 Craig Padgett Indiana State Univ. SO 24:35
3. 772 Dustin Betz Indiana State Univ. SO 24:52
4. 658 Jakub Kolacz DePaul University SR 25:07
5. 775 Al Escalaro Indiana State Univ. FR 25:10
6. 785 Jeremiah Vaughan Indiana State Univ. SO 25:23
7. 782 Kyle Smiley Indiana State Univ. FR 25:43
8. 773 Thomas Crum Indiana State Univ. SR 25:44
9. 783 Derek Stinefield Indiana State Univ. FR 26:02
10. 665 Greg Udzielak DePaul University SR 26:09
11. 655 Frank Deaton DePaul University FR 26:12
12. 653 Brian Begalke DePaul University SO 26:24
13. 661 Cody Pehlps DePaul University FR 26:58
14. 654 Maxwell Clink DePaul University FR 27:14
15. 663 Luke Rygh DePaul University SR 27:23
16. 616 Billy Miller Bradley Univ. JR 27:27
17. 613 Zach Bowling Bradley Univ. JR 27:27
18. 656 Chris Gallardo DePaul University SO 27:45
19. 614 Chris Frank Bradley Univ. SO 27:52
20. 619 Nick Skromme Bradley Univ. FR 28:25
Ok, finally on schedule for the first time all season - this should be a perfect lead in to Indiana Intercollegiate on Friday at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country course. I think you all will really enjoy this interview with Sophomore Craig Padget, his answers really provide us with some great insight.
My View
Let me start by congratulating the "under class men" on a job well done, most of them were running in their first college meet in the Sycamore uniform and they represented the university very well. I also would be remiss if I didn't congratulate Craig Padget earning his very first MVC Cross Country Athlete of the Week honor for his stellar performance at Bradley last Friday with a time of of 24:35 finishing second. De Paul’s Matthew Graham won the race with a time of 24:24, if I remember correctly it is Graham who beat Scott Keeney in a road race early this summer and we all know the caliber of runner that Scott is.
I think when many of us saw the results we kind of did a double take. Not that we didn't know that Padget could run (because obviously he flat out get's it) but to throw down that kind of performance this early in the season is a serious statement! Padget is really a neat kid and he loves to compete for the Sycamores, you can just sense that about him when you talk to him.
All 7 of the Men's runners finished in the top 10 in what was a relatively weak Field of runners, at least not the class of runners they will face the rest of the season. But it was a great building block for younger guys who have not raced at the college level yet. Sophomore Dustin Betz really turned in a solid performance to place third overall with a time of 24:52 and freshman Al Escalera (The Escalador) in his first race as a Sycamore finished fourth overall. Track standout Jeremiah Vaughan rounded out the top 5 and anytime Vaughan is your 4th runner you have done very well.
Just two meets in to this young season and the Sycamores have established themselves as a team worth watching in the Great Lakes Regional. They will be facing some very stiff competition on Friday vs. the likes of Butler, Purdue and Indiana. This should give us a pretty good idea just how good the Sycamores can be this season. Former Indiana State Sycamore Jordan Fife thinks that IU and the Sycamores will have an all out battle to decide who is "king" in this state, "For the first time I think that us and IU will have everyone in the top 10" meaning that no other school will have a runner finish in the top 10 for division 1 athletes. So if you can get out of work a little early on Friday, come on out and show some support for the Sycamores!
Post Race Interview
sycamorerunner.com: Congrats on a great performance today, but was it hard to have to sit out last week, while the rest of the guys were competing at the Evansville Mid American Opener?
Padget: Honestly it was’t really too bad, I knew that the guys going would represent our university well and they did. I also knew that the younger guys would get their chance to show what they could do minus the big dogs running so I think it worked out well and next weekend we’ll be able to show everyone what we got.
sycamorerunner.com: Yeah I think their is a lot of anticipation around next Friday's in state showdown. Bradley being your first meet of the season were you really anxious to get out their and compete? How do you stay relaxed and focused on what you have to do?
Padget: Going into Bradley I wasn’t really as nervous as usual because I felt like I had been training much smarter than in years past and I had a great supporting crew to keep me focused so I did’t slack off too much.
sycamorerunner.com: Yeah it's quite obvious you had one hell of a summer training. You obviously ran outstanding today, what was your strategy coming into the race and did you stick with that strategy throughout the race?
Padget: Going into the race my strategy was to do the exact opposite of what I had done my entire freshmen year and that was to relax. I told myself I was going to go out slow and work my way up throughout the race and I knew if I really worked for it I could catch the leaders. I came up a little short but I still have a lot of time to work on finishing a bit stronger.
sycamorerunner.com: You know I really like that strategy, I always used to tell myself to stay relaxed whether I was running the 800 or the 400 hurdles when I had good races I always told myself to stay relaxed throughout the race. This has kind of become a standard question, but just how good is this team?
Padget: Well this years team has been getting a lot of hype by it’s runners and people involved saying that this year could be the year and honestly, they deserve every bit of that recognition. The team is simply outstanding with hardworking athletes, great underclassman, a group of some of the greatest senior leaders in school history, and in my opinion one of the greatest coaching staffs the country has to offer. Once you factor in all of this greatness how could not believe this team is destined for anything less than greatness.
sycamorerunner.com: Yeah their is nothing wrong with positive energy, if you all keep the overall goal in mind I think you will have a great opportunity to do big things! Are you excited to get "everyone" out on the home course Friday for intercollegiate?
Padget: Oh yes, the competition at Intercollegiate will be excellent this weekend and getting everyone out to support their very own sycamores will mean very much to us. To anyone that enjoys seeing a great show needs to come out to the meet Friday, because it will be nothing short of just that.
sycamorerunner.com: Yeah hopefully we can get some good local support, get some students out and what not - that would be great! What excites you most about running against in state rivals like IU and PU?
Padget: Well the chance to run against the schools that everyone considers the “Elite” of Indiana, in IU and Purdue, really gives us a chance to show what we got against the state’s best and give National caliber programs all they can handle year in and year out. Plus being from the Notre Dame area for my entire life I have built up an intense (personal) rivalry against Purdue.
sycamorerunner.com: Yes sir nothing like running against those in state runners that you have been racing since high school. Most of whom "thought" they were to good for Indiana State... Craig great race at Bradley and good luck the rest of the season, thanks for the interview!
Results
1. 657 Matthew Graham DePaul University SO 24:24
2. 779 Craig Padgett Indiana State Univ. SO 24:35
3. 772 Dustin Betz Indiana State Univ. SO 24:52
4. 658 Jakub Kolacz DePaul University SR 25:07
5. 775 Al Escalaro Indiana State Univ. FR 25:10
6. 785 Jeremiah Vaughan Indiana State Univ. SO 25:23
7. 782 Kyle Smiley Indiana State Univ. FR 25:43
8. 773 Thomas Crum Indiana State Univ. SR 25:44
9. 783 Derek Stinefield Indiana State Univ. FR 26:02
10. 665 Greg Udzielak DePaul University SR 26:09
11. 655 Frank Deaton DePaul University FR 26:12
12. 653 Brian Begalke DePaul University SO 26:24
13. 661 Cody Pehlps DePaul University FR 26:58
14. 654 Maxwell Clink DePaul University FR 27:14
15. 663 Luke Rygh DePaul University SR 27:23
16. 616 Billy Miller Bradley Univ. JR 27:27
17. 613 Zach Bowling Bradley Univ. JR 27:27
18. 656 Chris Gallardo DePaul University SO 27:45
19. 614 Chris Frank Bradley Univ. SO 27:52
20. 619 Nick Skromme Bradley Univ. FR 28:25