Temple University Athletics
USATF Championships Mark End For Temple Greats
1.21.20 | Men's Cross Country
On Saturday, January 18th, seniors Kevin Lapsansky and Zach Seiger took to the cross country course one last time at the USATF Cross Country Championships in San Diego, California.
Having the opportunity to wear the Cherry and White and race against the professionals is something few have had the opportunity to do.Â
Over the course of the 10,000 meter race, Lapsansky clocked in at 33:28, earning himself a 26th place finish. Seiger finished in a time of 34:13 to end in 39th place. Both athletes were able to improve upon their finish from 2019. "In the field this weekend the guys competed against plenty of NCAA All-Americans and Olympic Trials qualifiers" added Head Coach James Snyder.
The USATF Cross Country Championship is not only an incredibly competitive race but an all-around great experience for the athletes involved. "The weekend there was a good little send-off. The weather was nice and to be in such a competitive field is always exciting. I've never been to California and we got to see a couple of things after the race which was amazing" said Seiger.
While the 2019 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional will serve as the true ending of cross country in the minds of Lapsansky and Seiger, the USATF event was a great way to have one last stab at it. "I think the true ending for me will always be the regional meet where we all hung it out there but this weekend is a great way to appreciate getting muddy one last time," said Seiger.
These athletes will go down as two Temple greats. Seiger and Lapsansky both earned All-Region and All-Conference honors at multiple points during their time here. These are feats that have been obtained by very few to have run for the Owls. In addition, both of them have notched 5,000 meter times that sit in the top 10 in Temple history.Â
While the statistics recorded by the duo are outstanding, it is four years of consistency that will set Seiger and Lapsansky ahead of the pack. From the day these two stepped on campus, they were leaders inside and outside of the sport. They came into this program at a tough time and played an integral role in building this program to what it is today.
With their college cross country careers over, it is difficult to not look back at the highs. "Top memory from Temple cross country will be looking up at the video board at the Penn State National Open and seeing that we had beaten both Penn and Penn State, it was something we had talked about for a long time and it felt so good to make it happen" said Seiger. Similarly, Lapsanksy pointed to the same moment.
The end does not come without wistful feelings. "It's a pretty surreal feeling being done with cross country, this is a sport I've been involved with since I was 12 and has been a huge part of who I am for the last 10 years" said Seiger.Â
While this does not mark the end of running, cross country is a sport that very few are able to continue at the post-collegiate level. "I'll most likely never race on the grass again because most races are on the roads which will feel weird for a little while since I've been running cross country for the past nine years" said Lapsansky.
Lapsansky and Seiger will both graduate in May before taking the next steps of life as a young professional. Lapsansky is looking to stay in the Philadelphia area for a career and will look to run in the Broad Street Run and his first marathon. Seiger is considering getting into collegiate coaching and marathon training after some possible time away from the sport.
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Having the opportunity to wear the Cherry and White and race against the professionals is something few have had the opportunity to do.Â
Over the course of the 10,000 meter race, Lapsansky clocked in at 33:28, earning himself a 26th place finish. Seiger finished in a time of 34:13 to end in 39th place. Both athletes were able to improve upon their finish from 2019. "In the field this weekend the guys competed against plenty of NCAA All-Americans and Olympic Trials qualifiers" added Head Coach James Snyder.
The USATF Cross Country Championship is not only an incredibly competitive race but an all-around great experience for the athletes involved. "The weekend there was a good little send-off. The weather was nice and to be in such a competitive field is always exciting. I've never been to California and we got to see a couple of things after the race which was amazing" said Seiger.
While the 2019 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional will serve as the true ending of cross country in the minds of Lapsansky and Seiger, the USATF event was a great way to have one last stab at it. "I think the true ending for me will always be the regional meet where we all hung it out there but this weekend is a great way to appreciate getting muddy one last time," said Seiger.
These athletes will go down as two Temple greats. Seiger and Lapsansky both earned All-Region and All-Conference honors at multiple points during their time here. These are feats that have been obtained by very few to have run for the Owls. In addition, both of them have notched 5,000 meter times that sit in the top 10 in Temple history.Â
While the statistics recorded by the duo are outstanding, it is four years of consistency that will set Seiger and Lapsansky ahead of the pack. From the day these two stepped on campus, they were leaders inside and outside of the sport. They came into this program at a tough time and played an integral role in building this program to what it is today.
With their college cross country careers over, it is difficult to not look back at the highs. "Top memory from Temple cross country will be looking up at the video board at the Penn State National Open and seeing that we had beaten both Penn and Penn State, it was something we had talked about for a long time and it felt so good to make it happen" said Seiger. Similarly, Lapsanksy pointed to the same moment.
The end does not come without wistful feelings. "It's a pretty surreal feeling being done with cross country, this is a sport I've been involved with since I was 12 and has been a huge part of who I am for the last 10 years" said Seiger.Â
While this does not mark the end of running, cross country is a sport that very few are able to continue at the post-collegiate level. "I'll most likely never race on the grass again because most races are on the roads which will feel weird for a little while since I've been running cross country for the past nine years" said Lapsansky.
Lapsansky and Seiger will both graduate in May before taking the next steps of life as a young professional. Lapsansky is looking to stay in the Philadelphia area for a career and will look to run in the Broad Street Run and his first marathon. Seiger is considering getting into collegiate coaching and marathon training after some possible time away from the sport.
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
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