Army West Point Athletics
Men's Cross Country to Open Season at Maine Duals
September 04, 2015 | Men's Cross Country
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Second-year director of cross country Mike Smith takes the Army West Point men's cross country team to Orono, Maine, to open the season at the University of Maine Duals on Saturday. The meet will begin with the women racing at 11 a.m. followed by the men at 11:45.
Smith enters his first full season at the helm of the cross country program after beginning his tenure halfway through the season in 2014.
"Getting to be a part of the preseason really helps you gauge what's possible and train appropriately," said Smith. "When I came in midway last year, it was difficult to disrupt the rhythm that they already had so I didn't. Now, I get to establish that rhythm so I'm more in tune with each team than I was a year ago. I have a much better idea of what buttons to push to help them get prepared for their competitions."
Being in an unknown environment intrigued Smith when he decided to start the 2015 campaign in Maine. Not only will it challenge the Cadets racing against unfamiliar runners, but it will also test the team's mental toughness and competitive spirit.
"My expectation with this meet is that we learn what our personnel can do in a competitive environment," said Smith. "This will be our baseline. What I'm going to get out of the meet is where we are and what our starting point is. We'll get a good gauge of the type of training that took place with our runners when they weren't under our care in the summer when they were doing their details off on their own. That will all come out in competition. You can't hide from your preparation."
The Black Knights return 11 of the 23 runners on the men's side, including senior Tom Girardot who has assumed the role of team captain. Junior Matt Bearden joins Girardot as a key returner for Smith as the two upper-classmen were in last year's top five for Army. Like any new coach, however, Smith has a very young team with 12 underclassmen on the roster.
"I'm looking forward to our leadership leading us in this event," said Smith. "Our men's and women's teams are very similar; we're led by seniors that are seasoned veterans, but we are also relying on young runners that are unproven. Tom Girardot is our captain, and has been training at a high level, as well as Matt Bearden. I would look for those two to be up front for us, and I would hope for some of the younger guys that are coming along to be close to them. We're expecting some men to be in our top five that weren't even in our top 12 a year ago."
The Black Knights have shown what they can do in practice, but it still remains to be seen whether or not that will translate into success on the course. This first meet will give Smith and his staff a good indication of what to expect for the upcoming season and how to best train his athletes.
"It's very difficult to simulate competition intensity in practice," said Smith. "For us, going to Maine gives us an opportunity to put our team in a competitive environment and really assess their competitive will and fire. We want to see how they look when they compete to see what kind of competitors we have."
For up-to-date information about the men's cross country team follow @ArmyWP_TrackXC on twitter.
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Smith enters his first full season at the helm of the cross country program after beginning his tenure halfway through the season in 2014.
"Getting to be a part of the preseason really helps you gauge what's possible and train appropriately," said Smith. "When I came in midway last year, it was difficult to disrupt the rhythm that they already had so I didn't. Now, I get to establish that rhythm so I'm more in tune with each team than I was a year ago. I have a much better idea of what buttons to push to help them get prepared for their competitions."
Being in an unknown environment intrigued Smith when he decided to start the 2015 campaign in Maine. Not only will it challenge the Cadets racing against unfamiliar runners, but it will also test the team's mental toughness and competitive spirit.
"My expectation with this meet is that we learn what our personnel can do in a competitive environment," said Smith. "This will be our baseline. What I'm going to get out of the meet is where we are and what our starting point is. We'll get a good gauge of the type of training that took place with our runners when they weren't under our care in the summer when they were doing their details off on their own. That will all come out in competition. You can't hide from your preparation."
The Black Knights return 11 of the 23 runners on the men's side, including senior Tom Girardot who has assumed the role of team captain. Junior Matt Bearden joins Girardot as a key returner for Smith as the two upper-classmen were in last year's top five for Army. Like any new coach, however, Smith has a very young team with 12 underclassmen on the roster.
"I'm looking forward to our leadership leading us in this event," said Smith. "Our men's and women's teams are very similar; we're led by seniors that are seasoned veterans, but we are also relying on young runners that are unproven. Tom Girardot is our captain, and has been training at a high level, as well as Matt Bearden. I would look for those two to be up front for us, and I would hope for some of the younger guys that are coming along to be close to them. We're expecting some men to be in our top five that weren't even in our top 12 a year ago."
The Black Knights have shown what they can do in practice, but it still remains to be seen whether or not that will translate into success on the course. This first meet will give Smith and his staff a good indication of what to expect for the upcoming season and how to best train his athletes.
"It's very difficult to simulate competition intensity in practice," said Smith. "For us, going to Maine gives us an opportunity to put our team in a competitive environment and really assess their competitive will and fire. We want to see how they look when they compete to see what kind of competitors we have."
For up-to-date information about the men's cross country team follow @ArmyWP_TrackXC on twitter.
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
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