National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

This is the 14th Fall 2013 edition of our NSAF weekly feature on nationalscholastic.org: the Emerging Elites of the Week.  The New Balance Nationals Indoor and Outdoor meets have become known for the ever-expanding and improving competition in the divisions of the same name.  Similarly, the NSAF seeks to give weekly recognition to track and field and cross-country athletes reaching new and exciting competitive levels with their recent performances.

Female – Anna French, Wayzata HS Class of 2015, Plymouth MN
8th, 17:43.4, NXN Finals, 5k, Portland Meadows, Portland OR

If you follow the national prep cross-country scene and had noticed the rise of Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) as a national power, you probably noted their 7th-place finish at NXN Finals in 2012 and then how they really started to look like a title contender after an overwhelming major meet win at the Roy Griak this October.  Those races showcased the typical virtues of the team, having a strong front-runner and a deep, thick pack. 

That front-runner has been junior Anna French, who has been pretty steadily pacing the team since her 7th-grade season in 2009 when the team didn’t even make the state meet.  With many others, she’s led Wayzata’s rise and her performances have included 19th at NXN last fall and 2nd in the aforementioned Griak meet – her best major invite finish to date.

But after a sectional victory, things went mysteriously south for French.  While the team as a whole marched through Class AA state and NXN Heartland with barely a challenge, she was finishing mid-pack among her mates (state) or not running at all (NXN HL), due to illness.

Coming into Portland, Wayzata’s pack made them a great contender to improve from their 2012 7th-place finish and perhaps make the podium.  But for them to truly reach their potential, they needed Anna French to be her old self and get a low stick.  Thankfully, French knew from nearly the start that she was going to have a good day and, after she crossed 8th (scoring 4th) and watched her teammates follow, it would soon be apparent how just great a day it would be for the new champs.  Until now, Anna hasn’t told her own story.

A few thoughts from Anna: 

On how her health issues started to develop and whether she intended to run with her team’s pack at state:  I didn’t know I was sick going into state.  I could tell in the runs leading up to it that I felt a little “off,” but I wasn’t too concerned.  I figured being close to the meet, I was more in tune with myself and noticing small things more easily.  But I knew something was wrong after about 200 meters.  No matter how hard I fought, I could not go any faster.  It felt like I was running through mud.
It was certainly not planned for me to run with the pack.  I was ahead of my teammates until they caught me with about 400 meters left. The entire race was frustrating.  I kept telling myself that despite the fact that it not going as planned, I needed to keep fighting.  I told myself that I had trained hard all summer for state and that I owed it to myself and to my teammates to push through it.  We were going for the state meet record (which we ended up missing by a few points) and my teammates were my biggest source of motivation during the race.

On watching NXN Heartland from the sidelines:  I became really sick the week after state.  I could barely eat anything because my stomach hurt so badly.  I was confined to my bed most days.  But by the day before NXN HL, I was optimistic about my chances of race.  I had begun to feel better, was able to run and was able to eat a real meal for the first time in a few days. 
By the end of the course run-through, however, I was curled up in a ball on the ground, clutching my stomach.  If it had been up to me, I probably would have still tried to race, but thankfully, my coaches saw that this would be a bad idea and decided for me.
Not racing made me even more frustrated because I had wanted to redeem myself and to push the state meet in the past, but I knew my teammates were strong and capable of getting the job done (shout-out to Jaycie “AC” Thomsen, she raced in my place and did awesome)!  It was very hard watching, because I so badly wanted to be with them.  I tried jogging a mile that day and felt miserable afterwards, which convinced me that sitting out had been the right decision.

On testing herself at Foot Locker MW, after three weeks of trying to get better:  We had planned to run Foot Locker all along, but after state and NXN HL, I was unsure about what I would do.  I took a few more days off after NXN HL and started running easy, hoping to get healthy again and be there at NXN.
But then I got sick twice more (for 1-2 days each time, different from the first time).  This is not typical for me; I rarely get sick.  I struggled with the uncertainty of how I was doing physically and how I would do at NXN.  I began doubting myself and started to not enjoy my training runs as much.
I knew at that point that FL would be my best option for me to prepare for NXN, and, when I started feeling better, I kept the possibility of qualifying open.  My main goals for the race, however, were to remember how to race and to gain confidence.  I slowly started feeling better in my runs and reminded myself that I was just as fit as I was in the early season.  I was very excited to get another chance to race and finish my season strong.
But when I started, the tightness and tiredness crept up on me, just like at state.  At least I was able to rule out nerves as the cause of my state meet problems, since I had very little nerves going into FL.  The worst part was knowing that whatever was bothering me at the beginning of November was still there a month later.  The FL race allowed me to assess where I was and to use that information to prepare for NXN.

On finally rediscovering her old self again at NXN Finals:  Based on Foot Locker MW, I figured the most likely outcome for me at NXN was to finish with my teammates and I was prepared to deal with the same issues.  I knew that I was going to race my heart out and never give up, but I did not know was what my body would allow me to do. 
The best way to sum up my approach to NXN was accepting the likelihood of whatever was wrong with me was still there and preparing to deal with it, but also, in the words of my coach, Jacob Hallen, “being open to the possibility” (we never actually defined what that possibility was).  I had planned on telling myself during the first part of the race that I was back to normal (I had done this at FL as well).
When I actually did race, I did not need to tell myself anything.  I really felt normal.  I knew before the first turn that it was my day.  Racing in the lead pack was so fun.  I loved every second of it.  I felt great, and I could tell I was overcoming whatever was bothering me for the past month.  I thought of my teammates, how we were all working towards this goal of winning it.

On finding out after the race that the team had won:  I cannot even begin to describe how exciting it was.  To see all of the people I cared about so happy and to be a part of it all was incredible.  We went into the race thinking we had a shot at winning it, but we were certainly not the favorites.
Since then, we have had a few local TV stations interview us.  I was shocked by the number of people at our school who knew what had happened.  I think one of the best things about this team is how close we are to each other, and how much we have fun competing and training together.  These girls are my best friends and we are always there for each other.
Our cheer before races is simply the word “together.”  We are not afraid to have fun and enjoy the experience (hence the glitter, ribbons, and pre-race dancing).  Accomplishing our goal that we had worked for all summer, and being able to celebrate and enjoy it together, was amazing.

On the importance of Griak in the scheme of the season:  I think it was an important part.  We usually train through it, but this year we set out to win it.  Comparing ourselves to ranked teams and getting the chance to get used to the 5k (usually we race 4k- hopefully that will change soon) was crucial to our success at NXN.

On getting started in distance running:  I have been running since I was 8.  I started going on runs as speed skating training and my parents were both runners.  I would train for Junior Olympics or a local 5k by doing three runs a week: a long run, hill workout, and tempo run.

On the progress of the Wayzata program over her 5-year career:  Wow, it has been quite the journey. If someone would have said five years ago that we would be national champions, I would not have believed them.  When I was in 7th-grade, the goal was to make it to state.  We did not qualify.
The next year (2010), Annika, McKenna, and Alayna were all on the team with me and we qualified for the first time in 12 years, placing 7th at state.  Mary joined the group the next year (2011) and we placed third, then last year, we won state – the first time for Wayzata girls XC.  We were thrilled; it was such a huge accomplishment, especially since we were ranked #2 going in.
Now, after being together for four years, we have achieved our ultimate goal.  We trained hard and pushed each other, but we have also had fun together, gone on adventures together, and were able to laugh with each other. 
Coach Emmans has been crucial to all of our success.  He is careful not to train athletes too hard in middle school, helping us improve each year.  In addition, he makes sure that everyone is, as he says, “being in the moment.”
Also, my teammates are incredibly supportive, especially in the past month. Annika believed in me way more than I did.  I spoke with Mary on the phone for over an hour on the way home from my FL race.  Alayna came up to me after state and was very sympathetic; she had a similar experience with her state Nordic meet, but came back to win nationals.

On what’s ahead:  Right now my head is in the Nordic season, (Alayna, Michaela, and Annika are also on the Nordic team), but I am still looking ahead to running.  My first goal is to win state in cross country next year.  I have some unfinished business!  In track, I would like to see my times improve, but it is always hard for me to come back as strong in track after competing and focusing so much on Nordic (we won state last year and I placed 11th).
For the team, we would like to try to repeat at NXN, but we acknowledge that it will be very difficult since we lose four seniors.  We went into NXN knowing this year would be when we would have the greatest chance at winning.  Being in the top three again would be fantastic, but you never know.  We won NXN by believing in ourselves, so we would be crazy not to try again.

Male – Levi Thomet, Kodiak HS Class of 2015, Kodiak AK
6th, 15:44.1, Foot Locker West, 5k, Mt. SAC, Walnut CA

He’s not quite yet at the level that his role model achieved, but if he keeps improving at his current pace, Kodiak, AK jr Levi Thomet will soon surpass the standards set by Trevor Dunbar.

Dunbar introduced a lot of prep cross-country and track fans to the 49th state during his Kodiak career, during which as a senior in 2008-09 he won Foot Locker West, was 2nd in the Finals, and in track ran 8:49.79 for 2M to win Nike Outdoor Nationals.  It’s hard to believe that in just a few years, someone else could come along to challenge those standards.

Or maybe not.  After all, Trevor’s father Marcus Dunbar is the coach at Kodiak HS.  Considering that he not only coached his son to that level but was an elite himself, maybe it shouldn’t be surprising that he could develop another star.

Levi got his start in middle school and, by his freshman year 4A state meet, scored a 6th-place finish.  He ran 9:34.40 for 3,200 the following spring, then won his first state title in XC last fall.  He would then finish 31st at Foot Locker West, and follow that up with fine soph season track times of 4:13.13 for a mile and 9:20.40 for 3,200.

This fall for Thomet has been an excellent combination of dominating the short season in Alaska, then coming to the Lower 48 in October to get 2nd to Oregon star Matthew Maton at the George Fox Classic (14:43.9 5k) and 3rd in the Individual Sweeps race behind two eventual California state champs at Mt. SAC (14:46 3M).  By the time FL West rolled around, Thomet returned to Mt. SAC and strode home 6th (15:44.1) in something of a mass finish amid the unusual rain, cold and mud.

A few thoughts from Levi:

On how the race developed at Foot Locker West:  For the start, the course was pretty wet and it was pretty muddy after everyone else had run on it.  It wasn’t raining super hard during our race, but it had before.  So it was pretty slippery.
When everyone took off in the beginning, it was all a really close pack almost all the way through the race ... up until we were going downward on Reservoir Hill (about 2 to 2.5 miles).  That’s when we started dropping the back 10 of our group of about 20 and it kind of edged into the top ten.  Then on the track, it was a definite top 10 all the way to the finish.
I wasn’t really looking for time, I was just looking for a top 10 finish, just to make it here (to the Finals), then focus more this week for place and time.  After last year not making it, I really wanted to make it this year.

On how beneficial it was to race at George Fox and Mt. SAC to prepare for the post-season:  They helped a lot.  I mean, I hadn’t done any races out of state up until George Fox and I got my PR and I was racing against Matt Maton, which was also really good because he was a lot faster than me and I hadn’t gone out of state much.  It definitely gave me a good PR and helped give me the outlook that I could possibly make nationals.
Mt. SAC was also a good race for me, I was really happy with 3rd-place for sure.  It was definitely more than I expected to get.  I was happy with the time and how it went ... The conditions, though, were definitely a lot different than this time at Mt. SAC!  It was sunny and dry the first time, then raining, colder and muddy the second time.

On how he got started in XC and track, and other sports he has tried:  When I was little, I used to just like running around all the time.  Then when I got into 6th grade, I tried out for cross country and I just kind of went from there with it.  I found out that I had something I could do in it, so I continued and then I’ve just been running all the way since then.
I just liked running, that was the main thing, and a bunch of my friends did it, too.  I just liked the idea of it, too.
I played soccer a little bit and I played hockey.  I still play hockey, but not recently since I’ve been focusing on Foot Locker and not getting hurt, but I’ll be starting it again after Finals.

On the influence of Trevor Dunbar and Coach Marcus Dunbar:  Trevor was really a huge role model, because he was really fast and my times have been kind of close to his throughout high school (so far).  Also, he was our assistant coach for awhile, so I got to talk with him a little bit and we got to be good friends.  And his dad is an awesome coach.  He’s always been encouraging me to go after Trevor’s records and Trevor’s always congratulated me, too.
Trevor comes back to Kodiak every year and he’s been the assistant coach this fall.  It’s nice to know I can ask them questions, too, because they’ve gone through the whole thing plenty of times, so they have the experience, too.

On convincing people that Kodiak doesn’t fit the Alaska stereotype:  Just from being down here, I’ve had people say to me, “Oh, it must be like minus-40 degrees up there,” and it’s like, “No, it’s just in the 30s, warmer than most of the places you guys have been.”  It’s not really cold in Kodiak compared to places like Fairbanks and up north, like Nome.

On his goals for Foot Locker Finals:  I’m looking for top 10, hopefully, that’s the base goal ... anywhere in the top 10, I’d be really happy with.