Cross Country: Three Seniors to Redshirt
September 30, 2010 12:56 AM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Always looking to increase his team’s chances of winning a national championship, West Virginia University cross country coach Sean Cleary today announced that three seniors will redshirt the 2010 season.
WVU runners Kaylyn Christopher, Jessica O’Connell and Kate Harrison will sit out the remainder of the 2010 season in order to prepare for a 2011 campaign in which Cleary believes the returning team will have a good shot at a national championship.
“This was a very tough decision,” Cleary says. “These three are the heart and soul of this group. We have goals that remain very high for 2010 and I am excited to see the girls capitalize on this opportunity. I honestly feel that we have protected our future and will be better in the long run for this decision. I have faith in our team for this fall. The journey is about to begin.”
Not only will the three runners be eligible to compete in cross country in 2011, but will also be back for indoor and outdoor track eligibility in 2011-12.
“If we did not redshirt them this fall, we would be without them next year waiting for them to compete in track,” Cleary says. “Our sport is very unique in that we ask our distance runners to compete from the first weekend in September through June without a break.
“I feel that this is in both the athletes’ best interest and the future of our program. I am very proud of the accomplishments that this group has garnered over the past three years. I trust the group that we are racing in 2010 to find a way to keep us in the national spotlight, and when we all come back together for the fall of 2011, we should be in a very good place.”
Citing the fact that five schools from the NCAA Mid-Atlantic region rank ahead of the Mountaineers, Cleary believes the decision will frame the program for better positioning in the future.
“This group has not been outside the top 10 nationally for nearly three years,” he says. “Sometimes you have to do what is best for the student-athletes in order to do what is best for the program. Our program's objective is to graduate national-class student athletes. Every program should have the goal to win an NCAA championship. Decisions that have been established this week are made with such goals in mind.”
Despite the change, both individual and team goals remain the same for the 2010 season.
“Individual goals never change,” Cleary says. “Each individual team member is expected to do what is required to be the very best prepared for every race. We have an emerging group of aspiring regional-level women. This is a perfect opportunity for them to make the conscious decision to impact this program.”
Although they will not compete in 2010, the trio will help the team in other ways.
“These three girls came into the school year with the expectation to lead this team into the NCAA Championship,” Cleary says. “They understand that they play an integral part in the development of this team's future whether on or off the course. Their leadership will come in the form of training and motivation.”
WVU runners Kaylyn Christopher, Jessica O’Connell and Kate Harrison will sit out the remainder of the 2010 season in order to prepare for a 2011 campaign in which Cleary believes the returning team will have a good shot at a national championship.
“This was a very tough decision,” Cleary says. “These three are the heart and soul of this group. We have goals that remain very high for 2010 and I am excited to see the girls capitalize on this opportunity. I honestly feel that we have protected our future and will be better in the long run for this decision. I have faith in our team for this fall. The journey is about to begin.”
Not only will the three runners be eligible to compete in cross country in 2011, but will also be back for indoor and outdoor track eligibility in 2011-12.
“If we did not redshirt them this fall, we would be without them next year waiting for them to compete in track,” Cleary says. “Our sport is very unique in that we ask our distance runners to compete from the first weekend in September through June without a break.
“I feel that this is in both the athletes’ best interest and the future of our program. I am very proud of the accomplishments that this group has garnered over the past three years. I trust the group that we are racing in 2010 to find a way to keep us in the national spotlight, and when we all come back together for the fall of 2011, we should be in a very good place.”
Citing the fact that five schools from the NCAA Mid-Atlantic region rank ahead of the Mountaineers, Cleary believes the decision will frame the program for better positioning in the future.
“This group has not been outside the top 10 nationally for nearly three years,” he says. “Sometimes you have to do what is best for the student-athletes in order to do what is best for the program. Our program's objective is to graduate national-class student athletes. Every program should have the goal to win an NCAA championship. Decisions that have been established this week are made with such goals in mind.”
Despite the change, both individual and team goals remain the same for the 2010 season.
“Individual goals never change,” Cleary says. “Each individual team member is expected to do what is required to be the very best prepared for every race. We have an emerging group of aspiring regional-level women. This is a perfect opportunity for them to make the conscious decision to impact this program.”
Although they will not compete in 2010, the trio will help the team in other ways.
“These three girls came into the school year with the expectation to lead this team into the NCAA Championship,” Cleary says. “They understand that they play an integral part in the development of this team's future whether on or off the course. Their leadership will come in the form of training and motivation.”
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