The Longhorns have had a good run this season, and if all goes according to plan this weekend, the team won’t be retiring their running spikes anytime soon. The team hopes to extend its season as it travels to Waco on Saturday to compete in the postseason 6K NCAA South Central Regional.
The meet will determine whether or not the Longhorns compete in the 2009 NCAA Nationals, a feat which the team has not accomplished since 2003.
“It’s been our goal all season to make it to the NCAA Championships,” said head coach Stephen Sisson. ”That chance is finally here and now.”
This sense of immediacy has only been heightened as the team looks to bounce back from its eighth-place showing at the Big 12 Championships two weeks ago, a finish which Sisson describes as “deeply disappointing.”
Despite this stumble, the team has recorded one of the most impressive seasons in recent memory, tallying three first-place finishes. But these accolades will seem like little more than a consolation prize if the team produces a poor showing Saturday.
“At the end of the day, our team will be judged on how they do at this meet,” Sisson said. “This season won’t be a successful campaign if we don’t make it to nationals.”
Such high expectations will be difficult to meet, considering the selective nature of the postseason. Only the top two teams from each of the country’s nine regions qualify, as well as 13 at-large bids. But, Sisson feels it is unlikely that such a bid will come from the South Central region. Even in light of these trying odds, the team likes its chances.
“I believe we’re ready. All we have to do is eliminate the emotional aspect of it and go out there and execute like we’ve been taught,” said senior Betzy Jimenez, who led the Longhorns at the Big 12 Championships with her top-20 finish.
In addition to its preparation, the team feels confident because it’s running on familiar territory. The Waco course will be much more straightforward than the hilly terrain and rain difficulties Texas had to overcome at the Big 12 meet.
Although the course shouldn’t present any unexpected troubles, the Longhorns will have a different type of hurdle to clear. Senior Lauren Salisbury, one of the team’s top runners, will be nursing an injury as she competes Saturday. Though Sisson still expects Salisbury to perform well, this setback means the other runners will have to pick up the pace.
This task will fall to seniors Asia Myrland and Allison Mendez, the aforementioned Jimenez, sophomores Mia Behm and Ginny Simon and freshman Melissa Mahoney.
Although only the top five finishers will count toward the team’s score, the Longhorns are depending on a solid performance from all seven runners in the event.
Once the gun is fired and the first strides are taken Saturday, an off day will translate into an early off-season for the Longhorns. And, after all the work they’ve put in, the team is looking to enjoy this race of a season as long as they can.
“We’re excited. I feel like we’re in a really good place,” Sisson said. For the Longhorns, nothing could be better than earning a spot at the NCAA Nationals. Now, it’s just time to earn it.
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