The Grit of the Boys on Broad

A history of qualifying for NCAA Nationals, pristine golf courses to train on, manicured college campuses and a history of distance running excellence are not the reasons that former recruits chose Temple. Those are the reasons their rivals went elsewhere. The runners that call North Philadelphia home saw something different. They saw the opportunity to build something special. They saw an underdog city from the top of the Rocky steps. Most importantly, they saw a program where hard work and grit could create greatness.

Coach James Snyder came to Temple in 2013 with the goal of bringing the Owls to an NCAA National Meet. Upon his arrival, the team was very far from this goal. In 2013, the team finished 21st out of 26 in the region. In order to get an automatic bid to Nationals, a team needs to be 1st or 2nd. With steady improvement under Snyder's leadership, in 2017 the team made the trip to Lehigh where they posted a top finish of 7th place at the Regional Meet.

Coming off a 7th place finish, the Owls entered the 2018 season with confidence in doing something they had never done. They spent that season working harder than they ever have. Like they do every November, the Owls journeyed to the NCAA Regional feeling optimistic. However, the Owls fell short. Even though the team finished 6th, one place better than 2017, they left the meet with regret. "It was an eerie feeling, we finished 6^th as a team which was the best we ever finished, but we were nowhere close to our goal," added Snyder.

Qualifying for the National Championship is more difficult in Cross Country than any other sport. Most NCAA D1 sports championships have 19% of teams or more qualify for the championships. For Cross Country, only 31/307 teams make the cut, just below 10%.

Senior Zach Sieger explained, "Last year we left Penn State after regionals soaking wet, covered in mud, and shaking from the freezing cold and none of that felt worse than seeing our name listed 6^th on the board when the 10000m was through." This team wanted more. This team was capable of more. The team held several meetings over the coming weeks and identified it was time for a full culture shift.

The Owls have approached the last year with that bitter taste in their mouth. Heading into the spring of 2019, the team is in an interesting position. Temple University does not have a Men's Track and Field program, however, the members of the Cross Country team have the opportunity to represent Temple on the track in a limited capacity. Every year the spring is geared towards qualifying for the Indoor IC4A Championships and the Penn Relays. That was not the case in 2019. The goal was the fall.

The team ultimately decided to "hunker down and train longer, harder and faster than we ever have, sacrificing our track performances to be elite on the grass in nine months. We all decided to set our individual egos aside and chase the ultimate goal" added Sieger. Graduate assistant coach Tyler Deck Shipley explained: "This is everyone from a guy who walked on like Sean Egan, to guys who are here from across the world, everyone is buying in at the same level and we are seeing the results for everyone."

This shift was not going to take place over a week, but play out over a year. Coming back into winter training in December of 2018, the boys were going to run more miles than they ever have, run faster than they ever have, lift harder than they ever have and most importantly, commit more than they ever have. The student-athletes explained that it is easier to work hard when you are working for something. Senior and team captain Kevin Lapsansky said: "Everything we did in the spring, summer, and so far this fall was to prepare for the challenge of making Nationals."

With the Mid-Atlantic Regional meet on the horizon, the Owls are feeling good about the spot they are in. While this goal has been on everyone's mind since they first stepped foot on campus, multiple student-athletes point to the team's victory over Penn State and Penn at the Penn State National Open as a moment that made this real. Graduate transfer David Westcott shared "Penn State was a huge race for us. Beating Penn and PSU was exciting." This was the first time that Temple had defeated these schools.

Sophomore Ethan Koza pinned a different moment. Every season the team completes a workout titled "Michigan Combo" that requires everything you have. A session that is highlighted on the calendar. "We crushed the paces, held on for dear life, and on the other side of the pain found that we had all come closer as a team" added Koza.

Graduate student Harry Powell said he has known for a while that this is real by adding "we have been in a strong position since day one with most of our team returning and two more grad students."

On Friday, November 15th, at Lehigh University, the Owls have the opportunity to earn exactly what they have been working for, a spot at Nationals. The task will not be easy, but the 100-mile weeks, the hills of Belmont Plateau, the pre-sunrise 10-mile tempos and years of hard work have prepared them for the challenge.

The team knows what they need to do this year. "On Friday all that needs to happen is for every single person in the Cherry and White to do their job and execute the way they have all year" Sieger explained.
This sentiment is echoed by the rest of the team. Junior captain Kristian Jensen said "we are the ones deciding how well the team performs. Not the other teams, not the coaches, just us and our work."

At Regionals, the Owls will toe the line against teams packed with High School All-Americans. It will not be the ranking of Temple's recruits that gives an advantage, but the "grit, guts and toughness" said Deck Shipley. This team is built up not of the top recruits in the country but of the right recruits. "It's about who we recruit and finding guys who believe in themselves, each other, and our training philosophy at Temple...and it works" Snyder said.

By mid-day Friday, we will know if the team secured one of the top two spots at the 2019 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional sending them to the National Championships. But one already known certainty is that the Owls have put in the years of hard work to prepare for this moment. In the end, no matter the result, they can take pride in their preparation and their dedication.

Temple University Athletics

The Grit of the Boys on Broad

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Sean Egan

Kristian Jensen

Ethan Koza

Kevin Lapsansky

Harry Powell

David Westcott

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