Sitting down with distance coach Shawn Winget
7/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
July 23, 2008
FORT WORTH, Texas - With the 2008 cross country season ready to begin in August, GoFrogs.com recently sat down with second-year distance coach Shawn Winget to get his thoughts on the upcoming season.
What do you expect from both the men and women's side this fall?
"My first expectation is for them to come back in better shape and healthier thenthey did last year."
How has Festus Kigen progressed during your time here at TCU?
"Festus worked extremely hard last season and improved in every meet. All he needs is a little bit more confidence to get to that next level. He had a very good track season and we will look for him to build off that for an even better season this fall. He now has the experience of going to the NCAA Cross Country Championships, so now he knows what he needs to do to get to the next level."
Now that you have a year under your belt, are the expectations anydifferent?
"Not really, my expectations are always to work hard and improve from one season to the next. We got a lot better as the season went on last fall. They now know more of what I expect from them."
How excited are you for this season to start?
"I am ready to get it going. We are much healthier then last year and the expectations the team has put on themselves is much higher."
Who do you think will step up this season?
"Ashley Millerick had a very good track season and is coming along very well. Tanja Ivandic now has a year under her belt and knows what to expect, while Dani Selner has supposedly been healthy all summer, so I look for better things from her this fall. On the men's side, Festus Kigen will look to have a higher finish at conference, regionals and at nationals, while Jeff Pels looks to have a good season after a very up-and-down freshman year."
What are your goals for the team this season?
"We want to keep improving, while also moving up a couple spots in conference. I would also like to see us put more kids on the all-conference squad."
With such a young squad returning on the women's side, what do you think a year of competition will do for someone like Tanja Ivandic?
"It will make a big difference for her because I could tell her everything I knew about competition last season, but for her to have that year of experience it means much more. She now knows what to expect in practice, races and in school. With a year under her belt, I look for her have a much better season."
With the loss of Matt Manly and Halie Bullin, who will provide the leadership on this years team?
"Matt and Halie are big losses in every way. They were good competitors, good teammates and even better people. We will have a few take up some the leadership responsibilities, but that will usually work itself out as the season progresses."
Players Mentioned
