Eastern Michigan Athletics
Goodridge Recaps Incredible Men's Cross Country Weekend
11/2/2016 3:02:00 PM | Men's XC
The longtime EMU head coach gave his thoughts on sweeping the MAC Championships
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The No. 25 Eastern Michigan University men's cross country team had a weekend for the record books, as the Eagles had an exceptional day at the Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships, Oct. 29, winning their seventh straight title behind a record-breaking performance.
Eastern had, arguably, the best championship performance in both program and conference history, sweeping the podium and winning the meet with a MAC record 15 points. Head Coach John Goodridge, who has been leading the team for the past 16 seasons, continued building on his incredible success in Ypsilanti, winning his 12th MAC title while also securing MAC Coach of the Year honors for the 11th time.
Goodridge took some time out of his schedule to briefly touch upon the weekend's meet and the Green and White's success.
Q: For the first time in the 70-year history of the Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships, your team swept the top-five places, scoring a perfect 15 points. What is the significance of this accomplishment to you?
JG: There have been many outstanding MAC athletes, teams, and coaches who have preceded us, so it's a great honor and sense of accomplishment to be the first team to have ever done this. It's a very proud moment for the athletes, coach, and alumni.
Q: Did you think an outcome like this was possible before the race?
JG: Yes I did, but more importantly, the team thought it was possible. Initially, before the season began, the team set a goal of setting a new record for lowest winning point score, but very early in the season after some conference meet results and evaluating our fitness, the added goal of a top-five sweep seemed reasonable to us.
Q: What was your evaluation of the championship course?
JG: It was a very nice course that was really designed well for athletes, coaches, and spectators. It might have surprised some by its degree of difficulty. It had quite a few respectable inclines and turns. Our guys really mastered it well and ran in sync, whether it was uphill, downhill, or rounding turns.
Q: Was there a specific team strategy for the race, and if so, what was it?
JG: After viewing the course the day before, I had outlined to the guys some guidelines for their individual success and team success as it applied to our goal. After re-running some of the course during our warmup, our team captain, Hlynur Andresson, identified to me a spot on the course where he thought we could first put pressure on the field, and I agreed. The course narrowed very quickly from the start line with an uphill start. After I saw our top-six crest the hill in front, I had a good feeling, and then when I saw their ability to gap the field (except one athlete for a short while) so easily the first time they applied pressure, I felt really good and had great confidence that they were going to do it. They did a great job once they broke free of running in a very relaxed pack of five, collectively as one finishing about one second apart.
Q: EMU has now won the most MAC cross country championships in conference history, and you are the winningest EMU and MAC cross country coach in history. Additionally, you have now coached 12 MAC championship teams, winning 11 of the past 12 with seven consecutive, and now a perfect score of 15 points for the first time in MAC history. What's next?
JG: Hopefully eight in a row.
Goodridge and the Eagles will look to build on their success at the conference championships and carry it over to the upcoming NCAA Great Lakes Regional, Friday, Nov. 11, in Madison, Wis.
Eastern had, arguably, the best championship performance in both program and conference history, sweeping the podium and winning the meet with a MAC record 15 points. Head Coach John Goodridge, who has been leading the team for the past 16 seasons, continued building on his incredible success in Ypsilanti, winning his 12th MAC title while also securing MAC Coach of the Year honors for the 11th time.
Goodridge took some time out of his schedule to briefly touch upon the weekend's meet and the Green and White's success.
Q: For the first time in the 70-year history of the Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships, your team swept the top-five places, scoring a perfect 15 points. What is the significance of this accomplishment to you?
JG: There have been many outstanding MAC athletes, teams, and coaches who have preceded us, so it's a great honor and sense of accomplishment to be the first team to have ever done this. It's a very proud moment for the athletes, coach, and alumni.
Q: Did you think an outcome like this was possible before the race?
JG: Yes I did, but more importantly, the team thought it was possible. Initially, before the season began, the team set a goal of setting a new record for lowest winning point score, but very early in the season after some conference meet results and evaluating our fitness, the added goal of a top-five sweep seemed reasonable to us.
Q: What was your evaluation of the championship course?
JG: It was a very nice course that was really designed well for athletes, coaches, and spectators. It might have surprised some by its degree of difficulty. It had quite a few respectable inclines and turns. Our guys really mastered it well and ran in sync, whether it was uphill, downhill, or rounding turns.
Q: Was there a specific team strategy for the race, and if so, what was it?
JG: After viewing the course the day before, I had outlined to the guys some guidelines for their individual success and team success as it applied to our goal. After re-running some of the course during our warmup, our team captain, Hlynur Andresson, identified to me a spot on the course where he thought we could first put pressure on the field, and I agreed. The course narrowed very quickly from the start line with an uphill start. After I saw our top-six crest the hill in front, I had a good feeling, and then when I saw their ability to gap the field (except one athlete for a short while) so easily the first time they applied pressure, I felt really good and had great confidence that they were going to do it. They did a great job once they broke free of running in a very relaxed pack of five, collectively as one finishing about one second apart.
Q: EMU has now won the most MAC cross country championships in conference history, and you are the winningest EMU and MAC cross country coach in history. Additionally, you have now coached 12 MAC championship teams, winning 11 of the past 12 with seven consecutive, and now a perfect score of 15 points for the first time in MAC history. What's next?
JG: Hopefully eight in a row.
Goodridge and the Eagles will look to build on their success at the conference championships and carry it over to the upcoming NCAA Great Lakes Regional, Friday, Nov. 11, in Madison, Wis.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's XC
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