in Kaskaskia College Cross Country by coach mike on 16 Nov 2011
Thank you to the parents that made the trip to the Nationals. Its great to see the support you have for your children and the support you have for the team. The Huffs, the Wendlings, the Bachs, and the Kujawas. We have had a great following all season from our parents and other family and friends. What can I say about The Legend! He is by far the greatest supporter of the Kaskaskia Cross Country.
in Kaskaskia College Cross Country by coach mike on 15 Nov 2011
The Iowa Central Community College men’s cross country team is one click of a mouse from having a shot at a national championship.
The Tritons were ruled ineligible to compete in the Nov. 12 national meet in Hobbs, N.M., because of what eighth-year coach Dee Brown called “an extremely frustrating clerical error.”
Here’s what happened:
Brown, like all community college coaches, had to submit eligibility for every student-athlete on the team to the National Junior College Athletic Association before the Region XI meet a year ago. The information includes personal information, grade, credits attempted, GPA and so on.
Brown thought all of the athletes were eligible. He realized on the Monday before the national meet last fall that information for one athlete, who joined the team late, hadn’t been submitted.
“We had his all filled out,” Brown said Monday of the online form. “It didn’t get submitted. We didn’t push OK.
“This one guy just wanted to run, wanted to compete. He was the 30th man on the team. The only race he ran was a regional meet.”
It didn’t matter. The Tritons had competed with an ineligible runner.
Brown, who won national cross country titles on the women’s side in 2007 and 2008 and has finished second twice nationally with the men, immediately reported the error to the NJCAA. The NJCAA allowed Iowa Central to compete in the national meet, where the Tritons finished sixth.
The one caveat was that the Triton men would be banned from competing in the national meet this fall.
Brown had to watch last weekend as North Iowa Area Community College easily crushed the Region XI competition in Creston.
“It would have been a fun race,” Brown said of the lost matchup between the schools. “I think NIACC is a top-five team (nationally). I know we could have gone 1-2 on them. I would have thought our 3 through 7 guys would have been able to stay with them”
Brown believes he might have his best men’s team during his eight years in Fort Dodge. He has a very strong 1-2 combination in freshmen Stanley Kebenei and Jamal Boma. Abbabiya Simbassa and Kemal Jarso have added quality depth.
The Tritons finished fifth in the Division II race at the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, defeating a host of schools. They finished in the middle of the pack at Oklahoma State’s Cowboy Jamboree at the beginning of this month, defeating NCAA Division I teams TCU, North Texas and Oral Roberts. They won the Central Invitational in Pella over several NCAA Division III schools.
“I’m confident we could have been in the top three, if not better,” Brown said of nationals.
Brown admitted he could have ignored the mistake and the ruling NJCAA organization probably would have never known. But he is the current secretary for the NJCAA Track and Field Coaches Association and wanted to do the honest thing.
And he says his team now has to pay for the mistake.
“It was such a little fluke,” Brown said. “It bothers me because of a clerical, administrative error that these kids are getting penalized. Over half of the kids weren’t even here last year. They had nothing to do with that. It’s annoying. Fine the school or something. It wasn’t malicious.”
Brown will instead go to New Mexico in a week and a half with hopes of winning only a women’s national title. His women’s team dominated the region meet and is ranked third nationally.
“I’m very excited to see how they’ll do at nationals,” Brown said. “I don’t want to talk it up much yet, but I can’t see any reason why we can’t be No. 1.”
There is one positive for the Triton men. They will have a chance to win a national title at the five-person NJCAA Half Marathon Championships in Marietta, Ga., on Nov. 19.
“The men have to win the half marathon,” Brown said. “They’re really determined and focused to win it. They want to win national championship rings.
“That will only ease the sting.”
LATER THIS WEEK: The making of a championship program, how Brown has helped build a cross country and track and field power in Fort Dodge in eight short years.
To read more about running and triathlons, follow me on Twitter (@LanceBergeson)
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in Kaskaskia College Cross Country by coach mike on 07 Nov 2011
Had a good time at the IHSA state cross country meet. Mt. Zion from the Apollo conference won the 1A championship. O’Fallon was 2nd in the 3A race. Nice to see coaches and school you know do well. Had a good time with The Legend, and I saw a bunch of North Central stocking caps! Funny how you notice that stuff. We go there in time to see Mallory B run. Its so hard to see people when there are so many runners in the races and so many fans watching. I try to explain to people that have never been, what the state meet is like and its so hard to explain. What other type of athletic event can the spectator be as involved as a cross country meet. The running from side to side to cheer and yell for your team. The painted bodies, the big flags waving. And now y0u have the blue guys! Kids in those complete body suits, running around, doing flips and jumps and rolls. Complete craziness and yet all in fun. Then just to watch the race unfold and the battles going on during the race. A battle against each other and against your own body. I like to say there are no time outs or substitutions in cross country. Once the gun goes off its all about you and no one else. Most coaches from other sports would not understand and probably would be scared to try to even figure out what is going on. Had a good time and we drove almost 8 hours to watch 4 hours but it was worth it!
in Kaskaskia College Cross Country by coach mike on 04 Nov 2011
Going to the IHSA State Cross Country meet in the morning. Leaving at 5 am. Trying to get there in time to see Mallory Bergbower run. Weather should be good. Should be some good races.
in Kaskaskia College Cross Country by coach mike on 02 Nov 2011
You are only as good as you get when you work as hard as you can. So eat your spinach and take your vitamins! Go to class and get smart. We are at the end of selling raffle tickets and the girls have turned all theirs in and the boys have turned none of theirs in. Does that tell us anything? I heard Janelle has been packing for the Hobbs trip for three weeks know. Also heard Toni wants to bring her dog on the trip. Josh is wanting to bring squirrel meat. Mallory is baking cookies, I hope. You know we might have a chance to get the girls to academic all American status this year. I know that Keatyn, Mallory, Elizabeth and Trisha grades are outstanding. Lets go girls make those A’s! On the men side, Josh and Thomas are up there, not sure of the rest! Be smart. Make those good grades. If you need any help……………..ask Bruce! No Cory you can’t take your teddy bear on the trip, the Teddy Rex whatever one that talks! Its ok for some unname guy to take his Justin Bieber videos. Steven! Thomas Thomas Thomas Thomas Thomas Thomas Thomas……………………………..watch for the desert rattle side winder snake when you are racing next Saturday in NM. Deadly!
in Kaskaskia College Cross Country by coach mike on 01 Nov 2011
Well we are getting closer. The date is getting closer. The plan is to be ready, the plan is run our best race at the Nationals. So its important to stay focused. Our goal needs to be to finish in the top 30 as a team. We can do this. We need to keeping working. We have had a good season. Lets finish with a bang. I see improvement, Chelsea ran her fastest time ever. Mallory is ready to and is going to break the 21 minute barrier. Elizabeth is ready as well. Keatyn is the warrior. Toni looked strong. Trisha is going to have good race at Hobbs. Janelle is not going to pack all her shoes and under stuff for the trip and run her best. Josh is getting healthy again, big question will be the next 4…………..Thomas was strong at Regions, Cory is getting stronger………….Dustin likes to beat people……………Steven is just waiting for the moment to pounce! Could be real interestin on the men side. Who will emerge as number 2? Lets have some fun and finish this off strong. Can we win it? No we can’t. Can we be top ten? No we can’t. Can we be top twenty? No we can’t! Can we do our best, have some fun and have a great trip? That we can do!
