Sandburg Eagles Fly To Portland!
Having wrapped up a very magical 2014 Cross Country season at the Nike NXN national meet in Portland, I asked the seven Sandburg runners to answer a few questions regarding their experience.
As the only senior in the top 7, Greg Burzinski recognized that he had the opportunity to accomplish something that had never been done in Sandburg Boys Cross Country history - win a State Meet trophy. Stepping up his game in the post-season, Greg ran 14:56 at the State Meet, finishing as the number 2 Sandburg runner in 33rd place. Running 15:46, he also finished in 33rd at the Nike Regionals. Finishing off his senior season as the first Eagle runner at Nike Nationals, Greg ran 16:20 - good for 76th place.
Here's what Greg had to say about the trip to Portland:
One thing I'll always remember is the team introduction before everyone lined up for the start. Getting ready with 6 guys that have been working since junior high to reach the peak of high school competition - it doesn't hit you until that moment.
I feel like I raced alright. I struggled with the mud right off the start and almost got a face full of mud, but I battled back after the first 1k and started to make some progress. It didn't go as well as I would've liked it to, and I'm sure some of our other guys feel the same way, but I'm glad I got to race in Portland with these guys and have them get a feel for what a national competition looks like.
The course was gorgeous, and Nike did a great job trying to make it as clean as possible. They spent hours pumping water out, but nature got the best of them and the course turned into a mudfest anyways. From what I hear, even in this state it's leagues ahead of the old course, so it's got that going for it. I liked the break away from the typical pancake flat Illinois courses.
The one thing that I noticed about the other teams is that they have no hesitation whatsoever. When the field is that deep, nobody is going to have a come-from-behind win. The top teams had their heavy hitters up front, 2-3 chasing him down in the second pack, 4-5 right behind them, and 6-7 cleaning up what was left.
The greatest moment of the trip was when T. Brennan danced with Alexa Efraimson, one of Nike's professional runners. Before we boarded the plane to Oregon, Tom said he had two goals, and one of them must be accomplished: be an All-American or dance with Alexa. He might not be an All-American, but at least he has that to his name. Just as good, he said.