Kuijken, FSU Women Race Toward Postseason

Seminoles' top runner wins Pre-Nationals, team second

Oct. 16, 2007

By Brett Hess

Special for CSTV.com

	Brett Hess Brett Hess covers Cross Country for CSTV.com E-mail here!

        ---   Column Archive   --- TRACK/CROSS COUNTRY 11/19: Kipyego, Stanford Win As Expected 11/19: Blow For Blow To The Finish 11/16: Practically A Sure Thing 11/16: Championship Field Is A History Lesson In Motion 11/6: Irish Hope Shay Is An Inspiration 10/30: Louisville's Emergence Continues 10/23: No Margin For Error 10/16: Kuijken, FSU Race Toward Postseason 10/09: Liberty's McDougal Begins Run For Title 10/02: Rice Women Surprise At Notre Dame 9/25: Invitational Season In Full Swing 9/19: Still Pinching Herself 9/11: Kipyego, Barringer Are Favorites 9/4: Lomong and Rupp Lead Returnees 6/8: Texas Tech's Kipyego Closes In On History 6/7: Arizona's Arnold Sets Record in Decathlon 6/5: FSU Isn't Feeling The Pressure 6/5: Throwers Lead Sun Devils to Sacramento 5/29: Stars Shine at NCAA Regional Meets 5/26: Florida State Primed For East Regional Title 5/26: Top-Ranked LSU Women Trailing At Mideast Regional 5/22: Hastings Does It Her Way 5/15: Wisconsin, Omole Make History at Big Ten Meet 5/8: Notre Dame's Huddle Finishing Strong 5/1: Drake or Penn? Why Not Both? 4/24: Hokies Show Courage In Competing 4/17: Senioritis is Good for Diana Pickler 4/10: Little Longhorn With Big Heart 3/26: Patience Pays Off For Duke's Rowbury 3/20: Just Like The Movies 3/11: Solinsky Leads Wisconsin To First-Ever Track Title 3/11: Front-Running Sun Devils 3/11: Saluki Strong 3/9: The Dual Is On 3/9: Stevens Helps Pace Sun Devils To Early Lead 3/6: Outdoor Champ FSU Favored Indoors 3/5: Sun Devils Look to Take Next Step 2/20: As Belt Leaps Higher, So Does L'ville 2/6: Huskies Running Out In Front 11/19: Stanford's Aiming For Repeat 11/19: Wisconsin Favored To Defend Title

There is confidence and then there is cockiness. The Florida State women's cross country program and its top runner certainly has one or the other. Following are two quotes from a meet in September; see if you can tell the difference:

"I knew I'd spring away. It was just a matter of waiting until the right time. With a half mile to go, I took off." - FSU runner Susan Kuijken.

"We're going to be very good when we get Barbara Parker [back]. This will be a team that is going to achieve a lot late in the season," - FSU coach Karen Harvey.

Again, confidence or cockiness?

Perhaps reviewing these quotes after a little water has gone under the bridge, so to speak, will help put them in proper perspective.

After last Saturday's performance at the Pre-Nationals meet in Terre Haute, Ind., it's safe to say both quotes were an example of supreme confidence. Kuijken continued her incredible season by winning again, this time against an even deeper field. And Florida State placed second as a team. Only No. 1 Stanford (102 points) beat Florida State (123 points).

The victory by Kuijken keeps the All-American sophomore from the Netherlands undefeated on the season (three races). It also continues to reinforce her abilities as a cross country runner. Kuijken placed second last June in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA Championships.

It is that type of 1,500-meter speed that explains Kuijken's confidence over the last kilometer of a 6,000-kilometer race.

At Notre Dame, Kuijken sprinted away from the lead pack which included Angela Bizzarri (Illinois), Nicole Edwards (Michigan) and Brie Felnagle (North Carolina). She won by 11 seconds over that star-studded field.

But last Saturday, against the likes of Stanford's Teresa McWalters and Arianna Lambie, to win by five seconds is incredible.

Kuijken credits Harvey, in her first year at FSU, for her improvement as a cross country runner.

"The new coaching, I really like it," Kuijken said of Harvey after the Notre Dame meet. "We've only been training under coach for five weeks, but I feel much stronger. I have the speed, but now I'm much stronger."

Harvey, also speaking after the Notre Dame meet, was thankful for the credit, but quickly reminded the media that Kuijken did finish 27th at the NCAA cross country championships last fall. In other words, she's not coaching average talent.

"She's one of the best in the country," Harvey said. "She is going to do amazing things this year."

Harvey had some interesting observations of Kuijken.

"She is one confident lady. But it's not over-confidence and it's not that annoying type of confidence," she said. "It's just like she's saying, `this is who I am.'

"I knew coming out [at Notre Dame] that she'd run very well."

Those remarks by Harvey certainly portended even greater things to come and last Saturday's Pre-Nationals was evidence. Although Florida State finished third at Notre Dame, Harvey predicted better things once Parker was ready to run.

 It was at the Pre-Nationals that Parker, a two-time track All-American, ran her first cross country race of the fall. She placed 11th, giving the Seminoles two front-runners.

Harvey came to FSU from Illinois where she coached a program that finished fifth and eighth at the last two NCAA meets.

"I give a lot of credit to coach Bob [Braman]," Harvey said of the Seminoles' head of track and cross country. "He's great to work with. He's very supportive and very positive. It's a dream. I couldn't ask for any more."

Notebook: As mentioned above, the top-ranked Stanford women won the blue race at Pre-Nationals, solidifying its season-long hold on the top spot. The Cardinal were strong up front with McWalters (second) and Lambie (third) and deep as its five scoring runners finished in the top 43 and all seven finished in the top 52 runners in the 259-runner field.

In the white race, Princeton was the surprise winner behind Liz Costello's seventh-place finish. Jenny Barringer was the race winner with a course-record 19:49. She broke Kuijken's record (19:55) from earlier in the day.

Josh McDougal, featured last week on CSTV.com, won the men's white race at Pre-Nationals with an 8-kilometer time of 22:56. McDougal, of Liberty, beat Eastern Kentucky's Jacob Korir by four seconds.

Colorado's duo of Stephen Pifer and Brent Vaughn were third and fourth, respectively.

Despite the strong front-running by the Buffs, UTEP took the team title with 129 points. Colorado was runner-up, with 155.

Lopez Lomong won the blue race and led his Northern Arizona team to the title. Lomong set a course record with a 23:02 only to see it fall later in the day to McDougal.