Colorado University Athletics
CU Women Take Aim At Saturday's Shootout
September 29, 2015 | Cross Country, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Two years ago, Colorado true freshman Erin Clark competed in her first big collegiate cross country meet — the Rocky Mountain Shootout — as an unattached runner, meaning her finish did not count in CU's team scoring.
Clark finished a surprising third in the Shootout — and that was the last time she ran unattached. From that point on, she was a scoring member of CU's varsity squad, and she responded by posting three consecutive top-30 finishes, including a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Mountain Region championships.
As a sophomore, expectations for Clark had obviously grown, and she responded again by putting together an outstanding year. She opened with a victory at the Shootout, the first of five consecutive races in which she was CU's top finisher. That streak included a fourth-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships, a second at the NCAA regional meet and 31st at the NCAA Championships — good enough for All-American designation.
So what's on tap for Clark this season? Clark says she's not the type to set individual goals, but no one will be surprised if she runs to a second straight Shootout title Saturday at the Buffalo Ranch course on CU's South Campus.
“I've just never been one to set real big goals for myself,” Clark said earlier this week. “I'd like to finish All-American again like last year, but that's the only big thing I'm setting out in front of myself for now. I just want to finish as high as I can and see how each race goes.”
Saturday's event — the only time Buff runners compete locally this year — begins with the women's race at 9 a.m., followed by the men's race at 9:45 a.m. Parking and admission are free.
Clark said she looks forward to the Shootout for a variety of reasons — one of them being a great home crowd.
“It's exciting to be up front with your teammates and hear people screaming 'Go Buffs' around every corner,” Clark said. “I've had family come out for it each year. We get a good crowd and a lot of other student athletes come out for it, and that adds to the excitement.”
Clark is expected to once again be the CU women's top runner this year on a team that was ranked No. 2 in the nation in the most recent coaches' poll. After back-to-back seventh-place finishes, the women would no doubt like to move up to a podium finish this year.
Certainly, their coach hasn't been shy about saying it's possible. At his preseason press conference, CU coach Mark Wetmore said, ““This will be a team that can definitely challenge for the podium. Combined with the men and women, they might be the best two teams we've had here.”
Clark and her teammates aren't worried about the expectations or the pressure. While Clark was the top finisher for the Buffs in every race last year, there's plenty of depth on this year's team. Senior Madeline Alm was 51st in the NCAA meet a year ago; junior Carrie Verdon is back after a redshirt season; and sophomore Kaitlyn Benner and redshirt freshman Valerie Constien are coming off a 1-2 finish at the USA Junior Cross Country Championships.
“We haven't talked real specifically, but I think there's a pretty wide consensus that we have really high goals,” Clark said. “I think everyone is setting the bar pretty high and making sure everyone is working hard to achieve as much as we can.”
Clark knows she runs for a program steeped in tradition. The CU women have won two NCAA championships since 2000, have eight other top-10 finishes in that span, and have produced a host of All-Americans.
And, if the women need any extra incentive, they need only look across the way to the two-time defending national champion men's team.
“It's exciting to be a part of a program where great things are happening, and it's motivating to be around people that are winning championships,” Clark said. “I think it's cool to know that Mark and Heather (Burroughs, associate head coach) coached those athletes and made them what they are. It makes you see that this program, what we're doing, really works, and it can work for me.”
