Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Men's Cross Country Preview: Q&A With Coach Waldron
9/4/2015 8:31:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Renny Waldron, the men's cross country head coach talks about the 2015 season, which starts this weekend at the Richmond Invitational.
Q: What are some of the goals heading into the season?
Waldron: As a team, we always want to do our best when it matters, which is at the post-season meets, starting with Atlantic-10 Championship meet on October 31st. We believe we can contend for the championship this year, and we also believe that we have several student-athletes who can contend for the individual championship as well.
Academically, we had a 3.62 GPA this past year as a team, and the guys would like to improve upon that—which may be a lofty goal, as it is already a very impressive GPA and was 6th highest in the country!
Q: What has the team being doing this preseason to get ready for the year?
Waldron: Everyone put in a good summer of training and did all the things they were supposed to do; there is great team chemistry here and they do a great job helping each other out and motivating each other. Our highest mileage guys are hovering just above 100 miles/week right now. After pre-season, we feel that we're exactly where we need to be for this time of the year.
Q: How will your schedule prepare the team for the Atlantic 10 Championship?
Waldron: Right off the bat, we will face some good teams. In our season opener, we face strong conference foes in Richmond, VCU and George Mason (who is the preseason A-10 #1). We will face national-level competition in our regular season meets at Vanderbilt, Louisville and Wake Forest.
Q: How will you build off your successful inaugural conference championship appearance?
Waldron: We think we're running at a different level now; last year we had some talented guys, but it took a little bit of time for them to realize they belong at the top of Atlantic-10. There is a lot more confidence this year; last year it was me telling them they could compete with the best and them believing that I believed it, but perhaps not quite believing in themselves 100% until they actually ran well. This year, we have some top returners; Walker Mogen won the 5k outdoors, Daniel Samet is the top returner in the 10k, Patrick Rollo won the 800. These guys now know they belong at the top of the Atlantic-10 because they have proven that they can do so. They have a lot of faith in the system and believe in the training, themselves and their teammates.
Q: How will experience and leadership of the seniors (and/or upperclassmen) impact this season?
Waldron: We have fantastic leadership on this team, starting with our captain, junior Walker Mogen, who completely embodies what we look for in our student-athletes. He has really built up his athletic resume over the past year, culminating in a conference championship in the 5000, and he also is a great teammate and captain, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention that he is also an excellent student. Our senior contingent of Daniel Samet, Ryan Phillips, Patrick Rollo and Aaron Forburger do a great job in helping our younger guys out, whether it be talking to them about their transition to dorm life, their academics, athletics, or little things like the best food options at commons. It is a very positive atmosphere, and one that is conducive to being successful in all facets of student-athlete life here at Davidson.
Q: Talk a little bit about your incoming class and the impact they will have?
Waldron: We are really excited about the incoming cross country and track and field class. We were able to add some much-needed depth across all areas of track and field; sprints, jumps, hurdles, throws and distance runners. On the cross country front, we have three newcomers in transfer Will Brewster and freshman Dylan Carmack and Will Jones. Brewster, who is a transfer from Illinois, will be front –runner right off the bat and contend for the individual A-10 championship alongside some of his teammates. Carmack and Jones will be looking to try to crack the top seven. They are all hard-workers and excellent students and will fit in really well with the returning team.
Q: What are some of the goals heading into the season?
Waldron: As a team, we always want to do our best when it matters, which is at the post-season meets, starting with Atlantic-10 Championship meet on October 31st. We believe we can contend for the championship this year, and we also believe that we have several student-athletes who can contend for the individual championship as well.
Academically, we had a 3.62 GPA this past year as a team, and the guys would like to improve upon that—which may be a lofty goal, as it is already a very impressive GPA and was 6th highest in the country!
Q: What has the team being doing this preseason to get ready for the year?
Waldron: Everyone put in a good summer of training and did all the things they were supposed to do; there is great team chemistry here and they do a great job helping each other out and motivating each other. Our highest mileage guys are hovering just above 100 miles/week right now. After pre-season, we feel that we're exactly where we need to be for this time of the year.
Q: How will your schedule prepare the team for the Atlantic 10 Championship?
Waldron: Right off the bat, we will face some good teams. In our season opener, we face strong conference foes in Richmond, VCU and George Mason (who is the preseason A-10 #1). We will face national-level competition in our regular season meets at Vanderbilt, Louisville and Wake Forest.
Q: How will you build off your successful inaugural conference championship appearance?
Waldron: We think we're running at a different level now; last year we had some talented guys, but it took a little bit of time for them to realize they belong at the top of Atlantic-10. There is a lot more confidence this year; last year it was me telling them they could compete with the best and them believing that I believed it, but perhaps not quite believing in themselves 100% until they actually ran well. This year, we have some top returners; Walker Mogen won the 5k outdoors, Daniel Samet is the top returner in the 10k, Patrick Rollo won the 800. These guys now know they belong at the top of the Atlantic-10 because they have proven that they can do so. They have a lot of faith in the system and believe in the training, themselves and their teammates.
Q: How will experience and leadership of the seniors (and/or upperclassmen) impact this season?
Waldron: We have fantastic leadership on this team, starting with our captain, junior Walker Mogen, who completely embodies what we look for in our student-athletes. He has really built up his athletic resume over the past year, culminating in a conference championship in the 5000, and he also is a great teammate and captain, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention that he is also an excellent student. Our senior contingent of Daniel Samet, Ryan Phillips, Patrick Rollo and Aaron Forburger do a great job in helping our younger guys out, whether it be talking to them about their transition to dorm life, their academics, athletics, or little things like the best food options at commons. It is a very positive atmosphere, and one that is conducive to being successful in all facets of student-athlete life here at Davidson.
Q: Talk a little bit about your incoming class and the impact they will have?
Waldron: We are really excited about the incoming cross country and track and field class. We were able to add some much-needed depth across all areas of track and field; sprints, jumps, hurdles, throws and distance runners. On the cross country front, we have three newcomers in transfer Will Brewster and freshman Dylan Carmack and Will Jones. Brewster, who is a transfer from Illinois, will be front –runner right off the bat and contend for the individual A-10 championship alongside some of his teammates. Carmack and Jones will be looking to try to crack the top seven. They are all hard-workers and excellent students and will fit in really well with the returning team.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
Dist.
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
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