State Championships

On Saturday, the De Smet Cross Country Spartans' season finally reached the finish line after months of hard work. The Varsity team of Kevin Abernathy, Jacob Seiler, Matt O'Connor, John Madey, Nick Martini, Brian Scherping, and John Waller finished the season ranked as the 12th best team in Class 4.

Senior Jacob Seiler was running in his 2nd State meet. There was a big deal made about the changed to the course, and he seemed to like the changed.

"The changes made for a faster race, especially the first mile. They cut out a hill and some tight turns. They also made the end more exciting by stretching the finish. Overall I liked the changes"

Senior John Madey talked about how State was a great ending to a hard fought season.

"We completed a great race at the perfect place. The season couldn't have been completed in any other way. We showed that we deserved to be at State. I couldn't be more proud of our program for fighting until the end."

Juniors Nick Martini will use their first State experience as motivation to continue to work hard to make sure they make it back next season.

"State was just incredible. Seeing all those teams and more fans than I have seen cheering was awesome. Hanging out with my friends and just doing all of our goofy stuff together was pretty cool too. All in all it was a great experience and I can't wait for next season." Martini

"Running at State was so much fun. It was quite a reward for all the hard work that I put into the season especially getting to see Kevin win the All State honor. It was also motivation for me to continue to work hard this track season and to return next year for cross country." Waller

Senior Kevin Abernathy finished 16th overall, and received All State honors.

"Being All-State means a lot. An awful lot. It was the super long range goal for my Cross Country career and goes all the way back to second half of my sophomore season. To have actually reached this goal is really special. So much of it was not Saturday, but the whole journey leading up to it. This journey was incredible, and I absolutely loved it. It’s amazing to think about how far I’ve come, and just so awesome to have reached my ultimate goal of being All-State. It’s pretty cool to be up there with all the best guys in the state and to have my plaque on the locker room wall next to guys like Connor. I wouldn’t have wanted to do and couldn't’t have done this without the help of the coaches and all the guys on the team, past & present. Thanks to them for everything; it’s as much theirs as it is mine."

Senior Brian Scherping's goal was to run in State this year. This was his first year of running cross country after three years of soccer. That's pretty impressive. Brian proved to be a huge part of the team, not just because he was the 6th man at State, but because of the humor and fun he brought to the team.

"Being that it was my first year running cross country and I had the opportunity to run at State, that made it pretty awesome. I can say that the guys I ran with that Saturday were the people that made that experience the way it was. Without them I don't think that day would have been the same. So I don't think State meant to me as much as being there with my friends and Coaches!! I want to thank those who were with me because they were the reason State was so awesome!"

Obviously the end of the season is bitter sweet. On the bright side, most of us are lucky that track basically starts in a week, and we get to do this all over again. On the down side, the Seniors won't get to experience a high school cross country season again.

"I am going to miss all the Seniors, especially Jacob and Kevin because they have been there since I was a freshman and they are great friends." Matt O'Connor

Thank you to all the runners and parents who came to Jeff City for the race and supported us all season!

More Than a 5k

As coach told us before and after the race on Saturday, it’s not just about the State Meet but about the whole process—the journey that was 2010 DeSmet XC. The final part of the journey was the State Meet in Jefferson City. But, this was more than a 5k. It was an experience.

Our trip started Friday morning after homeroom. We meet in the Emerson Lobby for a team picture and a blessing from Fr. Sydney. Next on the itinerary was the State tradition of breakfast at First Watch. It was a great, hearty breakfast. First Watch is a big point of the season for us as we are given our hard earned salary. There was a lot of variety in our meals: pancakes, French toast, and eggs. We had multiple orders of the famous Traditional Plus 1 and even a Plus 2.

Then we piled in the van for the couple hour drive to Jeff City. Like we have been doing all year on the day before the meet, we played Super Smash Bros. But this time it was on the computer. Jacob won the 6 man tournament. Just hanging out and chatting made the ride a lot of fun like always. When we arrived at the hotel, we got paired up with our roommates before going to Subway for lunch. After lunch, the Variety guys got together to read a letter from Liz. It was really awesome. Thanks Liz!!

Everyone put on their Milk Table shirts and we headed to Oak Hills for our course preview practice. It was the first time the shirts were out in force and they looked good. Not only were we the best dressed team there but people were asking what the shirts meant. The preview went really well. We ran the first 400 on pace to get a feel for what it would be like tomorrow and then jogged the rest of the course. We checked out the changes in the course and learned where the coaches would be for the race. Like always, we finished up with chocolate milk.After some down time, we headed to Madison’s for dinner. There we saw some other teams such as Marquette and Nerix. It was once again a great team dinner of bread, salad, and spaghetti or mostaccioli. A relaxing evening of just hanging out in the hotel followed.

Saturday
We ate a good breakfast at the hotel before going to the course for the State Meet. A special thank you to everyone who came to support us at the meet and the whole season: parents, friends, teammates, alums. And for all the snacks afterwards.

We waited for kabes to get his medal and then were on our way back to DeSmet. Even without Madey, it was still a fun ride back. We reminisced about the season and talked about track. We even rocked out to Coach Russo’s iPod.

This post doesn’t fully express whole awesome the trip was, but take my world it was. A totally great experience. There really aren’t many things better than hanging out with your best friends for almost two days and getting to race on the biggest stage at the same time. This trip was final part of the 2010 Cross Country journey. It was journey that I’m super thankful for and will never forget.

Quote of the Trip: “From a distance I thought you all were a bunch of tan guys without shirts on.”- Coach Russo when he walked over to us stretching on the course on Friday because we all had on our burnt orange Milk Table shirts.

Joke of the Trip: “Who wants a fishy??”- Scherping as he was making Sweedish fish “swim” in the air on the bus ride back.

Here It Is

Oak Hill
The summer miles have been run. The tempos at Conway have been completed. The redemption at Parkway Central was succesful. Now, it is time for State. The Varsity squad representing De Smet is Seniors Kevin Abernathy, Jacob Seiler, John Madey, and Brian Scherping with Juniors Nick Martini, Matt O'Connor, and John Waller. They are getting a great opportunity on Saturday.

"It means a lot. It’s going to be so different actually running I’m so used to just going there and not doing anything but this is going to be better. I’m looking forward to this experience and I will probably never forget it" Matt O'Connor

"Running at state is a huge deal for me. I was an alternate my sophomore year, and I thought to myself, “This is such an awesome experience, and I want to be back here.” But because I was injured last year, I came back expecting to go to state. I wanted to feel the excitement and hype surrounding the state meet. I worked hard over the summer and season to make it this far. I never wanted anything less than state. This was my goal from the beginning, because this is where I wanted to end my career." John Madey

"It means a lot to me personally to compete at the State meet in Jefferson City. I remember watching both of my brothers race there when I was younger before my running career had even started so it is definitely something I have come to value greatly. Being part of a team that goes to state is also something very special, as T-Bone said not everyone gets to go to state. The fact that we had to fight for our chance to be there for the 16th year in a row will make the experience that much more sweet. If there is a way to end my cross country career this is the way to do it! Enjoy the challenge boys." Jacob Seiler

"I find it a huge honor to represent my school in the state championship. Just getting to run with the best runners in the state on one of the hardest courses is extremely exciting. Just attending the meet the last two years was extremely entertaining, especially watching Connor finish 4th two years ago. There is so much tradition on that course and I know that I will never forget getting to run in the state meet. I want to make sure that we run a great race so that the seniors can leave on a good note and hopefully I’ll get another chance to run in the meet next year." John Waller

"To know that I’m going to be running in state is simply mind blowing. It reflects how I, and the rest of the Varsity team, have improved over the season. The only reason we have gotten this far is because we have been training to our fullest potential. As a freshman I would have never thought that I would make it this far, but now that it’s a reality I now realize that all of our hard work has paid off." Nick Martini

"Everything. State means everything to me. We’ve worked hard, and it’s going to be awesome. The varsity met a month ago, and we said: ‘The season ends in Jeff City crossing the finish line at State.’ We’ve made that goal a reality. Now, it’s time to go have some fun, do what we’ve done all season, and finish it up right. I’ve been waiting a long time for this meet, and I can’t wait to get out there and run with everything I have. Having my teammates on the line with me on Saturday means a lot. I am just very thankful for the journey and the opportunity. It’s finally here. Let’s Go!" Kevin Abernathy

Special thanks to Mama Madey for making us dinner tonight, and all the other parents who have cooked for us the last month.

Good luck boys. Running in State is something you will never forget. Have fun!

All Business

Today was all business for the varsity in more than one way.

First off, it was finally the long awaited and high anticipated Polo to Practice Day. All the guys looked very classy in their nice shirts tucked in and buttoned up (except for the king). Even the picture taken was classy, although a mandatory smile from Scherping made its way into the photo.

As for the run, the boys did a Spoede (I should note that the polo’s were worn the entire length of the practice). WE were accompanied by Rob and Coach Traughber. Rob held the pace for the boys, and we managed to get through the run in around 40 minutes. Along the way, Scherping won his first ever, and last GTTG of the season. Scherping ran a “victory lap”, running ahead of everyone with joy over the fact that it was his first career win. It was a remarkable victory, as all of us put in a guess at the temperature. Hopefully a long winter training program will help him gain many more wins in his GTTG career. There was a pretty competitive game of Spotter. Points were split between kabes, Seiler, and OC. Kabes took victory due to an early Escort-Esqueeze. You could also feel the excitement growing for the state meet throughout the run, which was something special I had never felt before in my running career.
—Bulldog

Best Dressed: Seiler- classy as always. He was a big proponent of Polo to Practice Day since the idea first came around. The idea was inspired by the movie Chariots of Fire. It’s set in the 1920 and everyone ran in what would today be considered dress clothes. Since we’re in the 21st century, Jacob took advantage of the new technologies and wore a drifit polo. He made the classic DeSmet XC polo look darn good.
—Best Dressed by kabes—

Coach, That Wasn't a 5k

Today the Varsity guys got to the a mile time trial. An interesting twist was there was no JV football games or freshman soccer games, so we got to use De Smet's track. The boys wore the matching shorts/hat combo for the big day. After an EE + 2 lap warm up, we did some real ins and outs, and took the line. Coach Rob took out the boys in the first 200 at about 33 seconds.

Kabes took the gold, with Brian Scherping setting a 20 second PR and coming in second. The pack was all under 4:50, with Josh Goetz just over the mark, and Seamus Hamilton running 38 seconds faster than August with a PR of 5:04. It was a great race by all.

After a 4x400 that the guys dominated, it was off for a 10 minute cool down. Remember to bring warm clothes for the rest of the week, it's cold.

Quote of the Day: "Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh-oh caught in a bad romance." Seamus Hamilton practicing for the talent show.

Joke of the Day: "Coach. You should shove me in this mailbox, so when the mailman comes by, I can jump out and yell Happy Halloween!" Scherping on the cool down to Rob

Remember! Coach Traughber will be on the Big River State Preview Show TONIGHT at 7. Click here to listen.

Title: Jacob Seiler after we finished the mile

The Seven Three Potters

On Saturday, we qualified for the State Meet and that meant two things for today’s practice. We finally got to left on the Katy Trail and we celebrated Halloween by wearing costumes. If you think those two things mean an awesome day, you are 100% correct.

We had 3 Potters, 2 Robs, Scooby-Doo, Davy Crocket, Uncle Josh, an unidentified runner, and Batman. We took pictures with some of our favorite things at Katy Trail: the Lewis & Clark statue, and the caboose. This might have been the best warm-up of the year because we also went on the beach and the pier.
After line skips so that T-Bone wouldn’t leave, we headed left on the Katy Trail for a 55 minute run. Oh the glory of Left: the park, the dogs, the deer, the high road, the low road, the levee, and the Junk Yard. Like he said he would be, Coach Williams was there at “a little place [he] likes to call 38°48'17.15"N and 90°27'58.81"W” with water for us. He was accompanied by his Jedi sidekick Harrison. We had a blast today. It was a Katytastic!

Great News: The Spartans have made the Big River Rankings! We took the 10th slot after our State qualifying performances at Districts and Sections. It sounds like the Plan has worked because they say that DeSmet is “peaking at the right time.” Also, Senior Kevin Abernathy has cracked the Top 15 individual rankings after just missing twice early this year. He earned the 11th spot with his District Championship and Sectional Runner-up finishes. In the words of Alex Potter to the Varsity guys: “You guys have worked so hard ad really deserve it. But at the same time don’t settle!”

Quote of the Day: “JUSTICE!”- Jacob Seiler as Batman. We ended it saying it a lot. Justice this Justice that. So great.

Joke of the Day: “What is a pencil without a tip? Pointless.”- Rob. This was one of a number of good Halloween jokes that were said during the run.

Best Dressed: Matt OC as Papa Potter. Matt wore a wig fro visor and a Duke shirt to look like Alex. He also had his brand-new-birthday-gift running shorts that just so happened to be Duke colors. He finished it off by putting a Duke hoodie on after practice was over. Matt O’Connor was Alex Potter for just over an hour.

Title: It upsets me if you don’t get it. It’s a Harry Potter reference. There was a chapter in the 7th book called “The Seven Potters.”

Please Note: New Title to Commemorate qualifying for State. And new Main Picture.

Sunday Conversation

Today, I asked some questions to Connor Callahan (2009)

AP: What are you studying at Marquette?
CC: Physiological Sciences

AP: What is the best part of college?
CC: The best part is definitely all the new friends I made from my team and how there is so much more free time in the day.

AP: How difficult was the jump from high school to college running?
CC: Runningwise it was tough, I was pretty much thrown into the mix here from day one and it took a few races to get used to it. Academically it wasn't that bad as DeSmet actually does prepare you pretty well.

AP: What is your team like?
CC: My team is full of all kinds of people, from the cockiest people I've ever met to the most humble. I'd be lying if I said everyone on the team liked everyone else, as we have a pretty big roster. For the most part though we all get along and going on trips with the team as a whole is usually pretty fun.

AP: Where have you gotten to travel?
CC: I actually got back late last night from Syracuse, NY from the Big East XC Championships, there isn't much going on there though and flying there was a hassle. Last year Seattle and Spokane, WA, and San Francisco were some of the cooler places I got to go to. This upcoming spring, assuming I'm healthy, I'll be going back to San Francisco, and then LA and Philadelphia.

AP: What meets do you have coming up?
AP: After yesterday, we have the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Meet in Detroit in two weeks. If we are all on our A-game, there's a slight chance we could get into nationals, but it's a slim chance.

AP: What do you miss most about running at De Smet?
CC: The thing I miss the most about running at DeSmet is messing with T-bone everyday. I don't know he ever handled the combo of me and Jordan Nikolaisen or me and Zach Boyle.

AP: What did it mean to you to run at State?
CC: Running in the State meet was always a big deal to me, and I'm glad I got to run in 3 of them. Senior year the meet was a blast knowing that if it was the right day I had the chance to win it even though it didn't pan out the way. Placing well in the state meet is also one of the best ways to get noticed by college coaches.

AP: There has been plenty of talk about moving the state course. What do you think about the course and would you move it to springfield?
CC: I think the course should stay as is. The difficulty and uniqueness (if that's even a word) is what makes it so great. Springfield is just a flat course that really has nothing exciting or interesting to it (from what I've heard). Changing the course would ruin the history of the meet. If guys like Matt Tegenkamp can run 15:26 on it, then why can't everyone else give their best effort on it?

AP: What advice do you have about tackeling the course?
CC: The first mile is crazy and it goes out different every year. Just put yourself close to the position you'd like to finish in, and just take it from there. The second mile is the fastest mile of the course, and it can be a good time to mentally prepare yourself for the last mile that everyone has come to know and love.

AP: What does it say about T Bone for leading this team who had been beaten by almost every team in the sectional, to a third place finish when it counted?
CC: He knows what he's doing. There was never a meet in high school where I didn't feel ready. He knows that it matters to be on your A-game at the end of October and not at the beginning of September. I definitely attribute almost all of my success in high school to the way he coached me. I never felt burnt out at the end of a season because of the way we did things.

AP:What is the best way for guys that want to run in college to make that happen?
CC: Performing well at big meets like State is huge. It shows that you're not only physically strong, but mentally as well. Also, you need to recruit yourself as well, go online and fill out questionnaires, and email coaches of schools you're interested in. I was lucky enough that the schools I was interested in found me, but I also tried to recruit myself to a few stretch schools as well, and gave myself even more opportunities that way.