Brault, Gillespie Ready to Run
November 21, 2010 10:11 AM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Sophomores Sarah-Anne Brault and Kaitlyn Gillespie never envisioned themselves in a national championship – at least in running, that is.
Brault grew up specializing in swimming and triathlons while Gillespie enjoyed playing soccer. Now members of the West Virginia University cross country team, the two will represent the University as individuals at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., on Monday, Nov. 22. The race is slated to begin at 12:08 p.m. EST.
Not only is the duo surprised they’ve come this far in running, but also astonished that they’re competing at an NCAA Division I level. Brault, a Winnipeg, Manitoba native and Gillespie, a transfer from NAIA-level Cedarville University in Ohio, have come a long way to be given the opportunity to race at the nation’s elite running event.
“I didn’t even race a lot in high school,” Brault mentioned. “It’s a different world in Canada. They don’t have many running scholarships to give out and most athletes have to pay just to play. There are good athletes in Canada, but certainly not as steep.”
A two-time Manitoba Female Athlete of the Year, Brault did enough to get noticed by WVU coach Sean Cleary, who frequents his native Canada for potential runners. She also owns the 5,000-meter junior female provincial record, is a four-time cross country provincial champion and a three-year member of the Canadian junior national triathlon team, among other accolades.
As a member of the WVU cross country program, Brault came in second place at the Notre Dame Invitational and has three other top-25 performances this season, including a recent16th-place finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals to earn all-region honors.
Gillespie has been a welcome addition to the Mountaineer program after an outstanding season at Cedarville. Just a year ago, she was named a NCCAA and NAIA All-American after placing sixth at the NAIA Championships. Before that, she led the Cuyahoga Falls (Ohio) Christian Academy to a state championship in 2008 and was also the state champion in the 1600m and 3200m in track that season.
In her first season as a Mountaineer, she has led the team with two first-place finishes at the BIG EAST Preview and Notre Dame Invitational, and has three other top-20 performances. Her 10th-place marks at the BIG EAST Championships and NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional provided her all-conference and all-region honors, respectively.
Coach Cleary is cognizant of the effect that the two have had on the team.
“Katie and Sarah have led this team from day one this season,” he said. “Knowing that we had two front runners amongst the leaders throughout the season allowed for our pack to relax and do their job of moving through the field. The consistency that they have enjoyed in training this fall should allow for a very competitive race on Monday.”
He is also glad they will be around for another couple of years.
“While we are disappointed at narrowly missing the finals as a team, we are very excited to have Katie and Sarah getting this opportunity. Our future looks very bright as they will both be with us for a long time. This is the beginning of a great story.”
While Brault competed at last year’s event, Gillespie has yet to experience the atmosphere that comes with an NCAA Championship race.
“It’s awesome,” Brault said. “Everyone watching is so excited and all the girls running are nervous. For some girls, this race means everything - their entire season. You can’t really prepare for the atmosphere. It’s fun to see everyone running around to view different areas of the course.”
In order to be eligible to participate in the championships, teams and individuals qualified in their respective NCAA regional competitions.
Thirty-one teams were selected to participate in each championship. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the nine regions for a total of 18 teams. Thirteen additional teams were selected at-large.
Thirty-eight individuals were selected to participate in each championship through an automatic qualifier and at-large selection process. All individual qualifiers finished in the top 25 in their region.
Indiana State University will host the Championships at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course located at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center in Terre Haute, Ind.
Both WVU runners are glad to have the opportunity to compete.
“I’m very excited,” Brault said. “It’s a huge meet and there will be a lot of talented runners there. It will be exciting to have another go at it. I just want to have a solid race and see that I went there and had a good race and controlled my emotions.”
Gillespie said that effort, not placement, is what counts in a race against the country’s best runners.
“I’m not concerned so much about where I place – I just want to go and do my best,” she said. “My goal is to run my best. Top 10 is a bit far-fetched, but I would like to be All-American, which is top-40, and I think that is an attainable goal. I’m just excited that I’ve made it this far and that I get to go with Sarah. It’s going to be really fun. I’ve always wanted to race at a level like this. I hope to do my best.”
A live webcast of the championships will be broadcast from noon to 1:30 p.m. EST on Monday at www.NCAA.com.
Brault grew up specializing in swimming and triathlons while Gillespie enjoyed playing soccer. Now members of the West Virginia University cross country team, the two will represent the University as individuals at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., on Monday, Nov. 22. The race is slated to begin at 12:08 p.m. EST.
Not only is the duo surprised they’ve come this far in running, but also astonished that they’re competing at an NCAA Division I level. Brault, a Winnipeg, Manitoba native and Gillespie, a transfer from NAIA-level Cedarville University in Ohio, have come a long way to be given the opportunity to race at the nation’s elite running event.
“I didn’t even race a lot in high school,” Brault mentioned. “It’s a different world in Canada. They don’t have many running scholarships to give out and most athletes have to pay just to play. There are good athletes in Canada, but certainly not as steep.”
A two-time Manitoba Female Athlete of the Year, Brault did enough to get noticed by WVU coach Sean Cleary, who frequents his native Canada for potential runners. She also owns the 5,000-meter junior female provincial record, is a four-time cross country provincial champion and a three-year member of the Canadian junior national triathlon team, among other accolades.
As a member of the WVU cross country program, Brault came in second place at the Notre Dame Invitational and has three other top-25 performances this season, including a recent16th-place finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals to earn all-region honors.
Gillespie has been a welcome addition to the Mountaineer program after an outstanding season at Cedarville. Just a year ago, she was named a NCCAA and NAIA All-American after placing sixth at the NAIA Championships. Before that, she led the Cuyahoga Falls (Ohio) Christian Academy to a state championship in 2008 and was also the state champion in the 1600m and 3200m in track that season.
In her first season as a Mountaineer, she has led the team with two first-place finishes at the BIG EAST Preview and Notre Dame Invitational, and has three other top-20 performances. Her 10th-place marks at the BIG EAST Championships and NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional provided her all-conference and all-region honors, respectively.
Coach Cleary is cognizant of the effect that the two have had on the team.
“Katie and Sarah have led this team from day one this season,” he said. “Knowing that we had two front runners amongst the leaders throughout the season allowed for our pack to relax and do their job of moving through the field. The consistency that they have enjoyed in training this fall should allow for a very competitive race on Monday.”
He is also glad they will be around for another couple of years.
“While we are disappointed at narrowly missing the finals as a team, we are very excited to have Katie and Sarah getting this opportunity. Our future looks very bright as they will both be with us for a long time. This is the beginning of a great story.”
While Brault competed at last year’s event, Gillespie has yet to experience the atmosphere that comes with an NCAA Championship race.
“It’s awesome,” Brault said. “Everyone watching is so excited and all the girls running are nervous. For some girls, this race means everything - their entire season. You can’t really prepare for the atmosphere. It’s fun to see everyone running around to view different areas of the course.”
In order to be eligible to participate in the championships, teams and individuals qualified in their respective NCAA regional competitions.
Thirty-one teams were selected to participate in each championship. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the nine regions for a total of 18 teams. Thirteen additional teams were selected at-large.
Thirty-eight individuals were selected to participate in each championship through an automatic qualifier and at-large selection process. All individual qualifiers finished in the top 25 in their region.
Indiana State University will host the Championships at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course located at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center in Terre Haute, Ind.
Both WVU runners are glad to have the opportunity to compete.
“I’m very excited,” Brault said. “It’s a huge meet and there will be a lot of talented runners there. It will be exciting to have another go at it. I just want to have a solid race and see that I went there and had a good race and controlled my emotions.”
Gillespie said that effort, not placement, is what counts in a race against the country’s best runners.
“I’m not concerned so much about where I place – I just want to go and do my best,” she said. “My goal is to run my best. Top 10 is a bit far-fetched, but I would like to be All-American, which is top-40, and I think that is an attainable goal. I’m just excited that I’ve made it this far and that I get to go with Sarah. It’s going to be really fun. I’ve always wanted to race at a level like this. I hope to do my best.”
A live webcast of the championships will be broadcast from noon to 1:30 p.m. EST on Monday at www.NCAA.com.
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