QUOTES FROM PARTICIPANTS AND COACHES

3.12.09 | 3.13.09 | 3.14.09

Texas A&M Head Coach Pat Henry

As a host for the meet I am really very excited to put on this track meet here. Of course this is the first year it is at this facility since this is a brand new facility. We have a facility that is different and I think this is going to be a fine championship.

Both of our teams have nine athletes per gender; we've had a good season and are relatively healthy. We haven't had any major problems. We are ready to run at home. If we were to do everything right, we think we can be competitive. Most of these coaches will probably tell you that this is a meet about excellence and people need to have their best day on the same day. Our goal is to do those things and to come in and compete at the level we have competed at to get here.

Tennessee Head Women's Coach J.J. Clark

I am happy to be here. We came here a few weeks ago and we are happy to be back in this great facility. The competition this week is going to be very, very good. If we come in here and perform to our ability we can finish well. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens at this championship.

Arkansas Head Men's Coach Chris Bucknam

First I'd like to congratulate Pat. What a phenomenal facility he has built. This will give us great versatility to move these meets around the country. We are excited to be here.

We have 13 qualifiers and just like Pat and J.J. said this is going to be a meet where will we will have to have our best days. It's all about individual performances and combining them together to give us a great team score. There are some great teams we have to compete against but we will give it our best and have some fun.

Oregon Associate Head Director of Track and Field Dan Steele

We are happy to be here. Oregon is not normally known for its indoor track so we are excited to just be in the conversation. This is a fabulous facility and we are looking forward to competing this weekend.

 

Thoughts on the facility - J.J. Clark

We were here a few weeks ago and it was a very, very dry run as far as how they would operate for the NCAA Meet. I think it was very well done. They were very particular from the spike sizes, to the timing, to the officials. It was very well run. It was very exciting to see that. The track is a fast track, and it's a good track.

Expectations for Sara Bowman this weekend and future - J.J. Clark

We will deal with the future when it comes. She hasn't really been tested this year. She is in the mile, DMR and is scheduled to run the 3k this weekend. When you have someone like Sara who is willing to do what you ask her to do, then you have to go to the well. I've never done this before, but we will have to see how it works out. If it can get done, then she is the one to get it done.

She is looking to graduate and when she does that will go pro.

Who are the teams to beat on the men's side - Chris Bucknam

The gentleman sitting to the right of me (Dan Steele) has a team that is full of a lot of star and fire power. That is going to be tough to beat.
There is no question in my eyes that Oregon is going to be the favorite.
Do I think we are going to be in the mix? Absolutely. We are going to give it our best shot. We are going to have to have our best meet of the year and do it across the board. That is what these championships are about. We are looking forward to going against some great teams. Texas A&M and Florida State are up there as well. We just have to be prepared to handle some adversity and not look at the scoreboard until the end of the meet. 

How much of an advantage is it to A&M to host the meet - Chris Bucknam

The pressure of being at home has some added pressure and we have had that before. It's a little uneasy. They are sleeping in their own beds tonight but they are hosting a big time event this weekend and there is some added pressure to that. My hat is off to the A&M team because they have a lot of work ahead of them in hosting this meet. I would imagine they are going to do a great job. It's not an easy position to be in.

Who are the women's teams to beat

J.J. Clark

I don't usually read things nor have interest in the polls or rankings.
Throughout the year, Texas A&M has been ranked No. 1 and we have been somewhere around there. Other teams like LSU, Florida State, Michigan have been in that top group as well. It can go either way. It's about coming here and getting the job done. You come to a meet like this to get a score. It's going to be a great meet and there are several teams who can do well. It's going to be a close meet.

Pat Henry

I agree with that. I think there are a number of schools who can win.
The things that are put on paper are on paper. It's about performing on a day . You can have some great people but you can't get it done on that day. It's about doing things right and on the right day. There are a number of schools, who, if their athletes can hit, they will be very competitive at this meet.

Thought on being at home - Pat Henry

When you host a meet like this you have to divert some of your attention away from your team; that's natural. We've got to be ready for this championship. This is a task for a coach to host a championship and do the things that you normally do coaching. It's been our challenge and that is one you have to accept and its one that we asked for. I don't think our athletes feel any more comfortable being here or at home. It's about performing on this day.

On Oregon's top men - Dan Steele

It's nice to have those top rankings but those are just marks. We spend a lot of time in this sport on marks, but the truth is this is a place finish sport and whether you can beat the guy next to you. We do have some stars on the team that are doing quite well and it's better to have them than to not have them. It's exciting. Track and field is exciting.
It's thrilling to be in this conversation during the indoor season.

On the OU DMR - Dan Steele

It's as important as any other event. They all count the same and are no different than the other events.

How important is it to be peaking at this time -

J.J. Clark

It's coaching. Everyone is different and you have to figure out how to get them there. Athletes respond to different things. It's very complex and a matter of different things.

Bucknam

Part of it is building to a crescendo and building to this meet. You start off easy and build to the championship weekend. This is just the last line of defense, so to speak, for the indoor season. At this time of year it is time to perform well. They know that and you just have to stand out of the way as coaches and let them perform.

Steele

It starts with recruiting. It is part of their DNA and something they have been building towards.

Henry

I think every element that these guys have talked about is part of being successful. This is the time of year when I would say every coach up here is still trying to make sure the athlete is at their best in June. This is one of those meets that you have the opportunity to compete at the level that you have trained and where you are at this point.