Tiger coaches to hone cross country teams with national-caliber schedule

With the expectations for both the women’s and men’s cross country teams on the rise this fall, Clemson Director of Track & Field Lawrence Johnson collaborated with cross country and distance coach Brad Herbster to design a national-level schedule that would not only challenge the program, but reflect its growth.

“Instead of smaller meets, Coach Johnson and I wanted to have larger meets for the kids so that they could go get experience at a national-level field, and try to pick up points to qualify for nationals,” said Herbster, whose women's team will enter the season ranked sixth in the Southeast Region. “Two years ago, the schedule wasn’t as challenging. This time it’s a schedule that shows where our team is now. Some of the new guys might be in over there heads a little bit in some of these races, but they’ll get their feet wet, and it’ll be good experience for them.”

Johnson said that the tougher schedule, one that includes high-profile meets at both Notre Dame and Wisconsin, will help prepare the teams for the ACC Championships, which Clemson will host this year.

“As the teams continue to get better, and we grow, we want to be battle-tested by some of the best schools in the country, so that when we line-up at the ACC Championship, we can truly be ready for the challenge that’s in front of us,” said Johnson. “The ACC puts more teams into the National Championship meet that any other conference in the U.S., and we‘re excited about hosting the ACCs here at Musser Farms. Coach Herbster has done a fantastic job of getting that course ready.”

The season begins with the Eye Opener Meet in Spartanburg, SC, on September 2.

“The first meet - the Eye Opener - is a low-key meet,” said Herbster. “Every team across the country has a low-key meet, and that’s ours. We don’t run a lot of people, and we use it more as an exhibition, almost.

“Then we’ll come home for the pre-ACC meet (the Clemson Invitational, Sept. 16) and besides us, you’ll see teams like Florida State, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech. Everybody runs differently. Florida State’s men will probably not run anybody at all, or they’ll run off the back of the pack. Georgia Tech will go out really hard, so everybody will have a different strategy, but the purpose of that meet, more than anything, is to see the course, to race the course, to get out there and say, ‘hey, this is what it’s going to be like for ACCs.’”

After that, the progression of difficulty ramps up as the Tigers travel to South Bend, IN, for the Notre Dame Invitational (Sept. 30), followed by a trip to Madison, WI, and the Wisconsin Invitational (Oct. 15).

“Notre Dame is really the first meet where we take the brakes off and go, ‘okay, here’s what we’ve got to do at a national class meet.’” said Herbster. “Which is to get out there and race, and race hard, and beat teams who beat us the year before at other meets. Coach Johnson really wanted us to have the opportunity to get up there and race against some of the best teams in the country.

“The next meet we go to is Wisconsin. It’s just as big as Notre Dame, and it’s got to be one of THE best meets in the country. There are only 25 teams there, so they limit the field and you have to be invited. So we’re excited to be among those who were, and 75 percent of that field will be at NCAAs.”

Next up, the ACC Championships (Oct. 29), which the Tigers are looking forward to hosting, and beyond that the NCAA Southeast Regionals (Louisville, KY, Nov. 12), and the NCAA Championships (Terre Haute, IN, Nov. 21).

“With the ACC being at home, I think that will really benefit us, because we’ll know the course well, and should run well in front of our hometown crowd,” said Herbster. “Then we go to Louisville, and it’s the same course as last year, so, hopefully, the kids kind of know it now. Then we hope to take a team out to NCAAs in Terre Haut.”

Though the Tigers will have some talented newcomers on both teams, sophomore Ty McCormack will lead the men, while the women will be paced by seniors Kim Ruck and Alyssa Kulik.

“All three have had great summers, and I think they’re really poised to do some exciting things to help the team, and themselves as individuals,” said Johnson. “I think they’ll really surprise some people, and at the end of the day I think they’ll put Clemson on the map as a serious contender in cross country. This cross country season, for me, has been the first one that I’ve really been truly excited about.”