2006 NCAA Division 1 XC Championships

Teamwork rewarded

November 21, Terre Haute, Indiana - On the Monday before Thanksgiving, coach Jerry Schumacher's Wisconsin men executed a near-perfect race to win their first mens team title since 1988. The Badgers had placed second for each of the past three years, but persevered and learned from their previous disappointments.

Wisconsin was less interested in dominating the early going at the Indiana State University cross country course in Terre Haute than they had been in 2004. Rather, they planned to be in position to tear through the field at the end of the 10K race.

"We wanted to stay as relaxed as possible until 7K, then start eating people up and doing damage," explained junior Chris Solinksy. "I think we learned a little something last year about being more patient early in the race."

"Jerry and I decided, as tough as it was going to be, that I was going to run for the team," continued Sasketchewan native Simon Bairu after the race. The decision was tough because Bairu had a shot at being the first two-time winner since Arkansa's Godfrey Siamusiye in 1995 and 1996. Bairu didn't, however, want to risk blowing up and finishing poorly if his individual chase failed.

Instead, he hung on to the pack led by Liberty University' s Josh McDougal and Westly Keating of Texas Pan-American. After passing halfway of the 10K race around 14:55, Keating and McDougal pushed the pace until only Bairu and Iona' s Richard Kiplagat remained. Then, at 8K, Schumacher changed Bairu's instructions: the team race was settled, and Bairu could run to win. After holding back for so long, Bairu ran as if he had just put down his textbooks, dropping first McDougal, then with a second surge with 1K remaining, Kiplagat. Bairu cruised down the finishing stretch alone to complete the double in 29:16 (a 14:21 second half.)

Behind Bairu's closing tear, Solinsky swept through the former leaders, catching McDougal in the closing straight to finish third. Matt Withrow, ninth, gave the Badgers three in the top 10. Anthony Ford and Stuart Eagon, 14th and 17th, rounded out the scoring for Wisconsin at a trifling 37 points.

"They had the patience they needed to carry them the second half of the race. They ran that to perfection today," said Schumacher.

Negative splits were the order of the day for the womens 6K race as well. With no clear individual favorite, a massive snowball of runners arrived at the 3K mark in just under 10:00.

On the back side of the second loop, it was Stanford's Arianna Lambie who moved to break up the pack. Lambie's surge dropped everyone but Johanna Nilsson of Northern Arizona . Nilsson covered Lambie's move, then pulled away with just under a mile remaining to win in 19:34.

"I didn't know how strong she would be, so I kept looking back," said Nilsson. "When you have a good race, you never really feel tired. You get in a good flow and just run it. I like running races that way."

As Lambie fell back, Columbia' s Caroline Bierbaum moved up to second. Bierbaum, third in 2004, had hoped to be a contender for the win, but Nilsson's getaway was too swift to cover, and Bierbaum settled for a one-place improvement, finishing in 19:46.

Though Lambie faded to eighth (19:59), Stanford's young team put two more runners (Katy Trotter and Lindsay Flacks) in the top 20, scoring 146 to take the championship over Colorado (181) and Duke (185).


Men 10K:
1 Simon Bairu (Wisconsin)   29:15.9
2 Richard Kiplagat (Iona)    29:21.9
3 Chris Solinsky (Wisconsin)    29:27.8
4 Josh McDougal (Liberty)    29:32.6
5 Westly Keating (Texas-Pan American)    29:38.1
6 Josh Rohatinsky (Brigham Young)   29:40.2
7 Josphat Boit (Arkansas)    29:49.1
8 Kurt Benninger (Notre Dame)    29:50.2
9 Matt Withrow (Wisconsin)    29:50.7
10 Robert Cheseret (Arizona)    29:50.8

Teams 1. Wisconsin , 37 points; 2. Arkansas , 105; 3. Notre Dame, 178; 4. Iona , 205; 5. Colorado , 222

Women 6K:
1 Johanna Nilsson (Northern Arizona)    19:33.9
2 Caroline Bierbaum (Columbia)    19:46.0
3 Stephanie Madia (Notre Dame)    19:48.4
4 Victoria Mitchell (Butler)    19:50.4
5 Clara Horowitz (Duke)   19:50.7
6 Keira Carlstrom (American)    19:58.1
7 Christine Bolf (Colorado)    19:58.8
8 Arianna Lambie (Stanford)    19:59.1
9 Liza Pasciuto (Colorado)    20:01.2
10 Cack Ferrell (Princeton)    20:03.1

Teams 1. Stanford, 146 points; 2. Colorado , 181; 3. Duke, 185; 4. Arizona State , 191; 5. Illinois , 212

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