Michigan State University Athletics
Emily MacLeod Named Great Lakes Region Athlete of the Year
11/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 19, 2009
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Junior Emily MacLeod (Loveland, Ohio) of the Michigan State cross country team has been named the 2009 Great Lakes Region Athlete of the Year as announced by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Thursday, Nov. 19. MacLeod, who became the fourth Spartan all-time to win an NCAA Regional event, won the NCAA Great Lakes Regional by over nine seconds with a time of 20:42.70 on Saturday. In doing so, MacLeod becomes the second-consecutive Spartan to earn the Great Lakes Region Athlete of the Year honors.
"It is such an honor for me to be named the Great Lakes Athlete of the Year," said MacLeod. "I am so happy to be recognized with such a great honor. At the beginning of the season, this was something my coaches and I put into my race plan so it has been something I was working towards."
On the season, MacLeod has posted two first-place finishes including her 2009 Spartan Invitational win in September. Overall, she has posted top-11 finishes in all five of her meets this fall.
The women, as a result of their strong performance, will make their 11th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance after receiving one of 13 at-large bids.
The Spartans will be back in action on Monday, Nov. 23, when they travel to the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. Races are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. and will be shown live on VERSUS.
MacLeod sat down with MSUSpartans.com before the team departs for the NCAA Championships to discuss the season and the upcoming race.
You were just named the second-consecutive Spartan, and second all-time, to be named Great Lakes Athlete of the Year, how much of an honor does it mean to you to be recognized with such a high accolade, and to be named in the same sentence as Nicole Bush?
It is such an honor for me to be named the Great Lakes Athlete of the year, and I was so happy when I heard about it. At the beginning of the season, this was something my coaches and I put into my race plan so it was something I have been working towards. Nicole and I are really good friends and we lived together while she was at MSU, so I have learned so much from her and she is always there to give me encouragement during the races.
You became the fourth Spartan in history to finish first at the NCAA Regional's, what was your mindset as you prepared for the race?
I prepared for the regional just like I prepared for all of the other races this season. You have to be confident in yourself, and like Coach Drenth always says, once you get into the van on the way to the race, you have to be in your competitive mindset and know what your goals are for the race. I try to think good thoughts and go over the course in me head a few times before the race actually starts. As a team, I thought we prepared very well for regionals and it showed with the results.
Coach Drenth said that he didn't even watch the end of the race once he saw that you had proper posture coming over the final hill, because he knew you had already won it. What kind of compliment is that to you in that he knew you had won the race still with several kicks remaining?
It feels pretty good to know that he had that much confidence in me before I even finished the race. Coach Drenth is one of the best coaches I have ever had so to hear something like that from him makes me feel good.
When looking at the depth of the team, there are several sophomores and freshmen, which means little championship experience amongst the team. How has the upper-class instilled the winning Spartan tradition to the younger members of the team?
This year was very different because we lost three upper classman that were constantly running their best and showing everyone else what to expect. As an under classman, they taught me what was going on and that is what I have been trying to do this year. The under classman this year came in having a pretty good idea of what was going on from the beginning, so that has made my job as an upperclassman pretty easy.
Not only did you have a stellar race, but the men as a team had probably their best race of the season. How do the guys help to push the women, and vice versa?
We found out they got second place right before our race started and we all got really excited. We could tell they were finishing strong and I think we all had goose bumps waiting to hear the results. We had to clam down and remember to focus on our race since we had no run yet, and everyone wanted to do well so we could join them at the NCAA's.
As you prepare for the NCAA Championships, what will the mindset of the team as they travel to Terre Haute?
Coach always knows the best way to prepare us, and that usually consists of doing two workouts and mentally preparing all week. We already know the course, so that makes it easier and we won't have to go over it as much as a team. Everyone usually goes in to talk to the coaches individually about your running plan, and we look at past results to see where we want to fit in to it. This race is a little different because there are so many people and everyone had to earn their way here, so you know they are good.
Former Spartan Nicole Bush still trains with Coach Drenth, what kind of advice has she given you throughout the season?
Nicole is always a big help, and she is always there to give me support. I made eye contact with her many times during my race at regional's and she would always whisper words of encouragement to me and somehow found a way to always be in a place where I could see her. She is one of best friends also, and she always has words of wisdom for me.
What will you need to do to continue the success you have built-up early in the season in the last meet of the year?
We really just have to stay mentally prepared and confident. We try to look at the NCAA's as just another race and not add anymore pressure to the race. As a team we have come a long way already, and performing well at Nationals would be the best way to finish off the season. This season has always shown some of the younger girls about what to expect at this level and that will help us next season as well.
What does it mean to be a part of a team that has continued the winning tradition at MSU, earning the team's 11th-straight NCAA Championships appearance?
MSU distance running has always been a big deal and a successful program so to be part of that and to keep the tradition going is something to be proud of. I love everything about the cross country program here. I was so much happier when I found out our team was going to Nationals together than just me going alone. The team is the purpose of everything and going by myself would have not been any fun. Knowing that your teammates are there with you, and going through the same thing you are, helps you to mentally know you can keep going and finish the race strong.
Ideally, how would you like to end this impressive junior season of yours, and what do you need to do to achieve that goal?
I would definitely like to be an All-American, and that has been one of my goals for a long time. I want to place as close to the top as possible and just run the best race I know I can. I want to finish this season off strong so we can go into the indoor season strong, and carry that onto next year too.
How does racing in the Great Lakes, which is arguably one of the better regions in the nation, help prepare the team for the NCAAs?
I think that has somewhat helped me to prepare for the NCAA's, and I definitely think our region has some great runner in it, and is very competitive. I've looked at results from other regions and they all seem pretty competitive, but having six Big Ten teams in that region definitely makes it very competitive.
This will mark your third appearance in the NCAAs, how has each experience better prepared you for the next?
I have grown a lot from each experience and I owe that to the older girls that have guided me through each appearance. I know more of what to expect and I think every year I have improved. Last year I place 90th, and that was the same for Lisa Senakiewich the year before she was an All-American. That works as a reference for me and pushes me harder everyday. The experience I have had, along with the rest of the team, has helped all of us grow both individually and as a team.
What is the best advice that either Coach Drenth, or Coach McGreevy, has given to the team this season?
The night before me run we always get a pre-meet speech from the coaches. It's not really a pump-up speech, because you don't want to get too excited the night before a race, but they talk out the course with us, the things we need to recognize on the course and the best ways to approach it. The talks are always motivational and I think this year his advice finally clicked in my head, and has really helped get to where I am now.
On paper, cross country appears to be an individual sport, when in reality it is quite the contrary. How do your teammates push one another to better themselves each race. Personally, how have they helped you?
The team aspect of cross country is very important and it's really the soul reason for cross country at this level. We train together day in and day out, and see each other probably all seven days of the week. When we all engage together that's when you can really see some of the best times from us, and it is so much fun that I can't describe it. As long as everyone does their best, and doesn't give up, we will be able to walk away and be proud. Training for this season started last summer, so since then we have known what our main goal is, and completing that goal happens on Monday.
