Underclassmen carry women's cross country to third
For most sports teams, the loss of four top athletes would be a season-ending handicap. But not, apparently, for the women's cross country team. Six underclassmen and one senior were burdened with carrying a team whose coach had elected to redshirt four talented veterans earlier this season, and did so impressively and admirably. The Owls took third place at the Conference USA Championship meet on Saturday, finishing behind behind second-place University of Texas-El Paso and first-place Southern Methodist University.
Head Coach Jim Bevan, the man who decided to end the season of four of his top runners, was pleased with the performance of his young team.
"I thought our girls competed very well," Bevan said. "They had the best meet as a team of the year, and they finished as high as they could."
Freshman Heather Olson credits the team's potential and leadership of senior Claire Shorall for bringing the group together.
"We know we have potential and we know that all the freshmen who have come out this year can all contribute to the team," Olson said. "Claire's been instrumental as well. She's a great leader and she's been a strong presence on the team who's definitely showed us the ropes. ... Especially at some of the bigger meets we haven't been to yet, her experience has been invaluable."
Much of the team's success came from the legs of Olson, who was not only the top Rice finisher for the race but also the top American-born finisher, placing eighth overall in 18:28. Sophomore Halsey Fowler was close behind in 12th, finishing in 18:40. Both Olson and Fowler made second-team C-USA honors.
Freshman Johanna Ohm and sophomore Marie Thompson, finishing in 16th and 18th place, respectively, took third-team C-USA honors.
Rounding out the squad were sophomore Michaela Reynolds, finishing 28th, Shorall (29th) and sophomore Erin Watson (64th) .
The team's relative inexperience was not Rice's only challenge at the meet. The course took five inches of rain the night before, thus turning it into the muddiest of the season. According to Bevan, two helicopters were on the site attempting to dry the course before the meet. Despite the efforts of event organizers, the less-than-ideal conditions took a toll on the runners, Bevan said.
"Across the board, the times were a minute and twenty seconds slow, like having your feet glued to the ground," the coach said. "So the times are very meaningless. Luckily, we didn't lose any shoes when we ran under adverse conditions."
Olson said she actually enjoyed running on the muddy course.
"[The soaked course] made you appreciate the parts that were firmer so much more because you were able to move so much better on them," Olson said. "I enjoyed running it. It definitely slowed down the course, but it was also a pretty true cross country experience."
Despite the difficult conditions, strong finishes were a theme among team members. Olson ran the second-fastest final lap among competitors, and Bevan noted that Fowler passed several runners near the end, while Watson passed 10 competitors down the straightaway.
Bevan felt Watson ran well considering her inexperience. Before the conference meet, Watson had only competed in the local Houston Baptist Invitational meet and at the Sam Houston State University Cross Country Invitational.
"[Watson] was very nervous before, but she still finished strong in the last 1,000 meters," Bevan said.
The contribution of the entire team, from first to seventh runner, allowed the Owls to qualify for the South Central Regional meet Saturday, Nov. 14, in Waco, Texas. Rice is currently ranked fifth in the South Central Regional behind top-ranked SMU, the University of Arkansas, Baylor University and the University of Texas. The Owls must finish in the top two overall at the regional meet to qualify for nationals.
Measuring up to the team's performance in regionals and nationals last season will not be an easy task, however. Last season, then-junior Nicole Mericle won the regional meet, the first Owl to do so in school history, and Rice finished second overall. Rice went on to run at the national meet, placing 22nd overall.
However, Bevan sees qualifying for the national meet this year as something the team is in shape to accomplish, considering the program's history.
"Last year, we were seeded fourth and got second, and two years ago we were seeded second and got first, so historically we run well at the end of the season," Bevan said.
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