What were you expecting going into the Wash U. meet?
Jon Bell: For me, this meet was a chance to get our feet wet. They have trained all summer, and we just wanted to get out there and compete a little bit. I wasn’t looking of their personal best times, I just wanted to see how they would react under pressur in a competitive situation; I wanted to see where our summer training put us.
How did the athletes train for the meet?
JB: The runners were on their own during the summer as far as conditioning. There has to be a lot of self-discipline to be good at cross-country because summer training is really important. We weren’t too concerned with how we finished as a team, but rather how we would react to a competitive situation. Needless to say, I found out quickly who did their training during the summer and who didn’t.
How did the women perform?
JB: I was very pleased with Mary Malone and Laura Coyer’s efforts. Many of the girls decreased time, and overall, we ran a lot faster than we have in previous years. Considering Wash U. finished fourth in the NCAA Division-III last year and that Missouri State could be a contender for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference meet, I’d say they did really well.
How did you feel about the men’s performance?
JB: At the time I had mixed emotions. I knew Brian [Holdmeyer] ran well and that other guys had personal best times, but I didn’t feel as if we ran up to our potential. I feel that we are a much better team than we showed. I sat the team down Monday morning to talk with them about it, but what it comes down to is that I didn’t prepare them well enough.
What could you have done differently?
JB: I could have placed more emphasis on team strategy. They did a good job reporting throughout the summer, but I still fell as if I could have communicated a little better of what I expected out of this meet and their summer training.
What do you expect for the coming meets?
JB: The one thing we’ve talked about is to be a little tougher on themselves in the middle of the race. It’s going to hurt, but the teams that can manage the pain and those feelings typically do very well. At Notre Dame, I expect them to run a little smarter and follow their plan throughout the race. As long as they stay within their capability, they’ll do all right.
