Saturday, November 22
La Verne Gibson Course; Terre Haute, Ind.
TBD
University of San Francisco
vs
NCAA Championships
Jose Madera will compete in the NCAA Cross Country National Championships on Saturday.
Photo by: David Bush
Madera prepares for nationals
11/19/2014 12:00:00 PM | Cross Country
Live Stream of Race
For the second consecutive year, USF's men's cross country team will be represented in the NCAA National Championships.
Fifth-year senior Jose Madera, who will run his final cross country race as a Don Saturday in Terre Haute, Ind., is making his first trip to nationals after finishing 12th and earning All-Region honors at the NCAA Cross Country West Regional last week.
"Jose is very excited to compete in his first NCAA Cross Country Final, but at the same time he is very focused on competing at his best," says head coach Helen Lehman-Winters. "This week is all about recovering and just staying sharp for Saturday. The work is done."
Nationals is only the latest achievement in what has already been a stellar season for Madera. After redshirting the 2013 season, Madera returned to the course for the West Coast Conference Preview, where he finished fourth. That performance, along with a third-place finish at the Stanford Invitational, earned the Anaheim native WCC player of the month for September.
Even though he hasn't competed at nationals before, Lehman-Winters is confident he'll remain poised in the biggest race of the season.
"Sometimes when athletes accomplish something for the first time, they are so excited about their accomplishment that they are not able to bring the same level of focus and effort back the next week for the final," Lehman-Winters says. "Jose is approaching this weekend just like any other race, but at the same time he knows it is his last opportunity to run a cross country race in a San Francisco uniform and he wants to capitalize on all his hard work over the past five years."
Last week, at regionals, Madera proved he's comfortable in running in a large field, like he'll experience at nationals. He ran toward the front of the lead pack throughout the race, and even led the race at the 8,000-meter mark.
"The field is large and dense," Lehman-Winters says. "Qualifying for the NCAA Championships is actually more difficult as an individual than it is for a team, especially in the West Region where the competition is so tough. Jose has already faced some of the top athletes in the country at both our conference and region meet so he is well prepared."
Even more unpredictable than the outcome at nationals every year is the weather in Terre Haute. Snow might still be on the ground Saturday as storms and freezing temperatures have blanketed the region in recent days. However, temperatures are expected to jump into the mid-40s with a good chance of rain during the race.
How might the weather affect the race conditions?
"You never really know what you are going to get when you go to Terre Haute," Lehman-Winters says. "There have been years when we have expected it to be cold and miserable and the weather has not even been an issue. Then there was last year where it was wet, muddy and bitter cold. Either way, the weather is the same for everyone — we always expect the worst and then there are no surprises. If anything, wet weather will be an equalizer in the field."
Madera makes the trip to Terre Haute at year after teammate Eric Causey earned an at-large bid to nationals. In October at Pre-Nationals, Madera finished fifth will running on the same course where nationals will be held.
In a field of the best runners in the country, what are Lehman-Winters' expectations for Madera on Saturday?
"The goal for this weekend is just go out and get the most out of his fitness," she says. "If he does this, is super tough on the back end, he is capable of running himself into All-American honors."
For the second consecutive year, USF's men's cross country team will be represented in the NCAA National Championships.
Fifth-year senior Jose Madera, who will run his final cross country race as a Don Saturday in Terre Haute, Ind., is making his first trip to nationals after finishing 12th and earning All-Region honors at the NCAA Cross Country West Regional last week.
"Jose is very excited to compete in his first NCAA Cross Country Final, but at the same time he is very focused on competing at his best," says head coach Helen Lehman-Winters. "This week is all about recovering and just staying sharp for Saturday. The work is done."
Nationals is only the latest achievement in what has already been a stellar season for Madera. After redshirting the 2013 season, Madera returned to the course for the West Coast Conference Preview, where he finished fourth. That performance, along with a third-place finish at the Stanford Invitational, earned the Anaheim native WCC player of the month for September.
Even though he hasn't competed at nationals before, Lehman-Winters is confident he'll remain poised in the biggest race of the season.
"Sometimes when athletes accomplish something for the first time, they are so excited about their accomplishment that they are not able to bring the same level of focus and effort back the next week for the final," Lehman-Winters says. "Jose is approaching this weekend just like any other race, but at the same time he knows it is his last opportunity to run a cross country race in a San Francisco uniform and he wants to capitalize on all his hard work over the past five years."
Last week, at regionals, Madera proved he's comfortable in running in a large field, like he'll experience at nationals. He ran toward the front of the lead pack throughout the race, and even led the race at the 8,000-meter mark.
"The field is large and dense," Lehman-Winters says. "Qualifying for the NCAA Championships is actually more difficult as an individual than it is for a team, especially in the West Region where the competition is so tough. Jose has already faced some of the top athletes in the country at both our conference and region meet so he is well prepared."
Even more unpredictable than the outcome at nationals every year is the weather in Terre Haute. Snow might still be on the ground Saturday as storms and freezing temperatures have blanketed the region in recent days. However, temperatures are expected to jump into the mid-40s with a good chance of rain during the race.
How might the weather affect the race conditions?
"You never really know what you are going to get when you go to Terre Haute," Lehman-Winters says. "There have been years when we have expected it to be cold and miserable and the weather has not even been an issue. Then there was last year where it was wet, muddy and bitter cold. Either way, the weather is the same for everyone — we always expect the worst and then there are no surprises. If anything, wet weather will be an equalizer in the field."
Madera makes the trip to Terre Haute at year after teammate Eric Causey earned an at-large bid to nationals. In October at Pre-Nationals, Madera finished fifth will running on the same course where nationals will be held.
In a field of the best runners in the country, what are Lehman-Winters' expectations for Madera on Saturday?
"The goal for this weekend is just go out and get the most out of his fitness," she says. "If he does this, is super tough on the back end, he is capable of running himself into All-American honors."
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/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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