Posted 12/08/06
Russ Goessl is a senior member of the UW-Platteville cross country and track and field teams who came to UWP from Owen-Withee High School. Goessl helped the Pioneers to third-place finishes in both the WIAC and NCAA Division III cross country regional meets last month. He placed 28th to earn all-Midwest Region honors.
The men's cross country team earned the number three spot at regionals to mark one of the best seasons in Pioneer history. What was that like?
"When we finished the race and ran across the line we looked around and realized how well we had run. We didn't know if we got second or third but it was a pure adrenaline rush. I had never seen Coach (Tom) Antzcak that excited."
The NCAA Division III national championship race in Ohio seemed to have a bit of a set back. What was it like running though all that mud and water?
"It was the toughest race I've ever ran, terrain-wise. There was six inches of mud the entire way. We had a four-wheeler for a lead vehicle that was spinning out the entire way of the course. The best perspective I got was from people watching the beginning of the race. They were watching everybody take off and they could see sod flying above the heads of all the other runners."
How would you describe this past season for you and the team?
"For me, at the beginning of the season I wasn't getting everything to click, but finally at regionals I was able to put all the pieces together and put together the type of race that I should have been running all year. For the team, we had our first four runners set, we just needed someone to step up to that fifth spot and close the gap, and once things started to click for me I was able to do that."
This was your last year running cross country, what will you miss the most and the least?
"I will miss the team the most. Even the days that I hated the workouts, I still loved it. I can't think of many things I'm glad to be done with."
Interview by SID student assistant Heather Schaufenbil