Old Gold and Black Reporter
Sophomore Nolan Swanson's 11th-place finish led a balanced attack as the Deacons placed third in Saturday's District 3 Championships at Furman University in Greenville, S.C.
The 19th-ranked Deacons thus qualified for the NCAA National Championship Meet for the sixth time in eight years. The championship will be held Monday at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
The team overcame horrendously cold and rainy conditions to place third in the meet. The recently soggy east coast weather produced knee-deep puddles in some areas of the Furman course. "The conditions were pretty wild," Head Coach John Goodridge said. "You could almost call it a lake."
Swanson overcame the water hazards in finishing 11th overall with a time of 32:10 for the 10K course.
However, Swanson enjoyed plenty of support. The Deacons' six remaining runners all finished within 45 seconds of one another, an outstanding team split that prevented other teams from breaking up the Deacon pack. Senior Steve Guerrini came up big for the Deacons, placing second on the team and 20th overall. Junior Jon Russell and sophomore Eric Dunn crossed the line 29th and 35th, respectively, and juniors Ben Boyd and Pat Fitzgerald and freshman Brett Strahan finished 40th, 41st and 42nd, all within one second of each other.
"It was probably the most balanced effort we've had," Goodridge said. "(It was) not necessarily the best effort or performance we're capable of, but we avoided any of our athletes having a bad day. That kind of a time spread is a beginning benchmark of our balance. The key is where your split is."
Goodridge was especially pleased with his squad's mental focus prior to and during the event, something the Deacons must duplicate if they are to place highly Monday. "I was impressed at the team's focus before the race through the distracting, discouraging weather conditions." Goodridge said. "It was a very smart, directed race. We got out into a good solid position and had some very consistent efforts from our athletes.
"I'm very proud of our group. Obviously it was a gut check time after a disappointing ACC meet and a frustrating October."