In the Spotlight: August Pappas, Nick Posada
11/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Nov. 19, 2015
The Wolverine travel squad for this weekend features four seniors who will run their final races in a block M singlet on Saturday (Nov. 21). Among them are fifth-year seniors August Pappas and Nick Posada, who sat down 'In the Spotlight' in advance of this weekend's NCAA Championships. These Wolverines have a total of four NCAA Championship races under their belts, including last year's 11th-place finish, a program-best since 2004. Now, they are eager to cap off their careers in historic fashion and accomplish something no Wolverines team has done since their coach, Kevin Sullivan, was still on campus in the late 1990s, ending the season with a podium finish. Pappas and Posada stopped by with MGoBlue.com to discuss this weekend's championships, the team's progress and outlook and much more.
Q. What goes through your minds knowing you will be leaving it all out there this weekend, with this being the close of the 2015 season as well as your cross country eligibility?
August Pappas: We have tapered up a lot this week. Our Wednesday run was closer to what our normal pre-race workout would be, so we are tapering off a lot. In terms of our mentality, the way we approached Big Tens and Regionals was that those races were life-or-death. We hadn't won (the Big Ten) in forever, and there was pressure on us to be at the top, or else we would have failed. At nationals we aren't necessarily under pressure to bring home a win. We're under pressure to do better than our team has ever done before, but in that sense it is brings a little more light-hearted nature to training.
Instead of being under pressure to not screw up, there is a sense that we can do something special that's never been done before. For me, it's been a lot more fun for me this week than leading into Big Tens because we're excited to see what we can do instead of worried about whether or not we are going to mess up. For me, this is the most fun part of the season. I try not to think about this being my last race, because it will just get in the way of racing. When we get out there it's just about the bodies around us.
Nick Posada: The entire time we have been here we wanted to win Big Tens. Regionals is always something you want to win, but to make it to nationals is you goal, and the end result of nationals is the cherry on top of the season. We already accomplished our goal of winning Big Tens and going on to have a strong performance at regionals. Just like August said, it's a fun way to cap off the season. This whole week we have been training light and prepping for the season finale. It's interesting to have your last race, because cross is a long season but this is the place to finish it. Louisville is a great course -- it's pretty brutal and nationals is the toughest race you're going to run all year, so it's an appropriate end to the season: the hardest race against the best competition.
Q. What has previous NCAA Championships experience taught you about this weekend?
NP: You have to get out as hard as you can. This course narrows really quickly and takes a hard turn. Nationals (down the stretch) last year was the hardest K I have ever ran, and I was towards the back. This is not one of those races where guys are going to come from the back in droves later in the race; this is one where everybody is good, everybody is ready to go.
AP: It's definitely going to be about defending. We have to get out hard, establish ourselves early and fight for every spot. Last year was similar. I remember getting out hard, and then slowly guys were trying to move by us. It's about sinking your nails and teeth in and holding on for dear life in the second half of the race. I'm sure that's what it's going to be like this year. There is a huge premium on the start at this course; you can't mess it up or you're going to be in trouble. We are going to get out with purpose, and then fight for every spot as they try to move by us.
NP: It's a lot tighter course than Terra Haute (Indiana). There, you have wide-open spaces, like the Wisconsin course, but Louisville is in a park. It's four or five guys wide, so if you don't get out, you're in trouble because you aren't going to be able to pass guys. Like August said, you have to defend your position as best as you can.
AP: I think it works in our favor. We are a team that grinds, and this race is one where you have to get out hard like we said and then grind for about 80 percent of the race. We're ready for it.
Q. How has having a relaxed confidence all year helped heading into this weekend?
NP: At Big Tens, and really before then, Sully has been hammering home the idea that 'you come to the course like you're going to win the race'. There is a confidence that we had a good race at Louisville, and a good race at Wisconsin, so we knew we were a good team. He told us not to be nervous, and to relax right before the race. The whole week in we have fun, and then it's focus time. We have fun when we need to have fun and relax when we need to relax. This team has had a confidence that, since I have been here, is the most of any team I've been around. Every kid is running well and confident in themselves.
Q. What constitutes a successful weekend for U-M this Saturday?
AP: For me, it's top-five. We were 11th last year, and I think there are a lot of teams in the top four or five that have weaknesses that we can exploit. I don't think we would consider it a blow-up if we finish seventh or eighth, but considering that we haven't lost to a team since early October, our mindset is: if we aren't in that top five, we may have missed an opportunity. I think that speaks more to our confidence and the good momentum we have in training than eighth or ninth place being considered a failure. We're there to be a podium team and do something that hasn't been done since 1998.
• Previous Spotlight: Nick Renberg
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
