In the Spotlight: Nick Renberg
10/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Oct. 29, 2015
Senior/junior Nick Renberg of the fifth-ranked University of Michigan Men's cross country team has taken a significant step forward in his third season donning the Maize and Blue. He was the fastest Wolverine competing at the 8K Spartan Invitational (Sept. 18), taking 11th, and set what was a new 8K PR not long after at the Greater Louisville Classic (Oct. 3). More recently, Renberg earned a wire-to-wire victory in the open 8K race at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational (Oct. 17), shaving another 20-plus seconds off his collegiate-best time. With just days separating him and his teammates from the Big Ten race in Chicago, Illinois, Renberg sat down with MGoBlue.com to discuss his personal growth in recent years, his open-race victory in Wisconsin and how it affected his confidence, and where the team is emotionally heading into this weekend.
On his open-race victory at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational (Oct. 17) and how that affected his confidence ... "I think the race was a good reflection of my training this fall, and it felt great to finally run like I know I can. It definitely helps heading into this weekend coming off of a good performance. It really solidified what I've been doing in practice. I think it made the decision for the Big Ten squad a little bit easier for coach. I wouldn't say I peaked in that race either, it was just all the factors of that day and how things set up pretty well for me. When I went out in that first mile, no one went with me really, so at that point I had to ask myself, 'Do I play to being fit, or do I come back to the group?' and I decided to roll with it and see what I had in the tank. The result speaks for itself. I was smiling a little bit too much during the race because it felt really good to be in that position."
On the emotions surrounding this weekend, knowing that winning a Big Ten championship has been the team's primary goal since the start of camp ... "There is a little bit of anxiety, sure, but with a quiet confidence as well. We have nine guys that can step up and contribute on that day. Every single one of these guys has been capable of stepping up in our top five this season, so we have confidence that even if I go out there and run too hard, there are other guys that can give us a chance to open up a little bit more, be a little more aggressive and take control of the race at Big Tens."
On returning to his top form this season, and how Coach Kevin Sullivan has impacted that ... "Going into this season I felt that Coach Sullivan helped me mature more as a runner. Adding in the strength work and cross-training in addition to the running has helped my overall fitness. Sully does a great job of instilling and promoting confidence in his athletes, and I think this has made huge impact on my training and racing. Nick Willis has mentioned to us many times that running should not be an end-all, be-all for you. It's important to have other parts of your life that you take pride in, outside the track. I found that again in school, and Coach Sullivan has helped me gain more confidence in my workouts."
On this team off the course, as a fun group of guys that pushes each other ... "It makes it really enjoyable to train with these guys. The whole point is to not be competing against your teammates, and it doesn't feel like that here. Everyone wants to see you do your best every day, and that is really where our depth came from. A lot of the guys live together, so being able to see each other outside of practice really helps. Yeah, we are a tight knit group that knows how to have fun, and also push each other during practice. I think our depth this season is a reflection of this."
• Previous Spotlight: Ben Flanagan
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
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