Senior Joe Klecker has won the NCAA Mountain Region individual crown the last two seasons
Photo by: athleticsPix
Klecker Leaving His Mark With The Buffaloes
November 13, 2019 | Cross Country
BOULDER – There is no 'I' in team.
Just ask Colorado senior Joe Klecker. He won the individual Pac-12 Conference title on Nov. 1, but that was not his main goal which was to help CU win the Pac-12 Conference men's team title that had eluded the Buffs the last two seasons.
"The focus was more on the team dynamics, not necessarily run the best race for myself, but try and really run as a team and run as a pack to ensure that we could win the team title," he said.
Scoring one point was one of the easiest ways he could help the team and with his teammates all finishing in the top 13, the mission of bringing the trophy back to Boulder was accomplished.
"It felt good to bring it back after not winning it for two years and trying to re-establish the streak (six straight titles) we had when I got to CU," he said. "So that was one of my main focuses coming into this year was just re-establishing that streak so a lot of younger guys could keep it for years to come."
With the Pac-12 Championship in the rear-view mirror, Klecker and the rest of the third-ranked Buffaloes are looking ahead to the NCAA Mountain Region Championship, which is how teams advance to the NCAA Championship. The Minnetonka, Minn. native, has some good experience here as the two-time defending champion. When asked what the key to his success at this race is, there was not much of an answer.
"Maybe I just approached it more seriously than other people," he said. "Coach [Mark Wetmore] doesn't like us to race it super hard but over the last kilometer, I like to approach it like the last kilometer at NCAA's, how you want to feel, how you want it to play out. So maybe that is taking it a little more seriously than other guys in the race. A lot of guys are just trying to run it as easiest as they can just to get through."
Regionals is different than the conference race. At the Pac-12 Championship, the men race an 8-kilometer course. But for regionals (and nationals), an additional 2k is tacked on to make the course 10k, which can change the strategy of the race.
"I always tell people at twenty minutes in an 8k you are pretty much done and at 23 minutes in a 10k the actual racing is just getting started," Klecker said. "You just have to be a little more patient than you would be in the 8k and let things unfold a little more. But as far as actually getting into the race we don't do as much different as far as the approach, but maybe be a little more patient than you would be in an 8k."
Through his last two seasons, Klecker has led the Buffaloes in six of eight races. The leader in those other two races was teammate and fellow senior John Dressel. With the two of them, CU has a great 1-2 punch, but more importantly, that camaraderie has pushed Klecker to be the best he can on the course.
"When I'm having an off-day, he's going to push me and kind of the same when he's having an off day, I can push him," Klecker said. "Usually one of us is having a good day, so we're always sort of helping each other along. Especially last year at NCAA's. Maybe 800 meters to go, he passed me and I was feeling pretty bad, but seeing him pass me let me know that our team was running very well and I just wanted to do everything I could to stay in the race."
Klecker ended up finishing just in front of Dressel for eighth-place, while Dressel placed ninth. More importantly, the duo helped put the Buffaloes back on the podium with a fourth-place team finish, which is one of Klecker's favorite memories.
"My first two years (2016 and 2017) we had pretty bad races at nationals, not even close to the podium, which is a benchmark here," he said. "Getting back there last year was one of the best moments I've had."
Klecker, along with his teammates, has a chance to add to the storied legacy at Colorado later this month. Should they qualify for nationals, it will be the 28th time in as many years, which is the longest active streak in the NCAA Division I and with the way this team runs for each other, a place on the podium is not out of the question.
Just ask Colorado senior Joe Klecker. He won the individual Pac-12 Conference title on Nov. 1, but that was not his main goal which was to help CU win the Pac-12 Conference men's team title that had eluded the Buffs the last two seasons.
"The focus was more on the team dynamics, not necessarily run the best race for myself, but try and really run as a team and run as a pack to ensure that we could win the team title," he said.
Scoring one point was one of the easiest ways he could help the team and with his teammates all finishing in the top 13, the mission of bringing the trophy back to Boulder was accomplished.
"It felt good to bring it back after not winning it for two years and trying to re-establish the streak (six straight titles) we had when I got to CU," he said. "So that was one of my main focuses coming into this year was just re-establishing that streak so a lot of younger guys could keep it for years to come."
With the Pac-12 Championship in the rear-view mirror, Klecker and the rest of the third-ranked Buffaloes are looking ahead to the NCAA Mountain Region Championship, which is how teams advance to the NCAA Championship. The Minnetonka, Minn. native, has some good experience here as the two-time defending champion. When asked what the key to his success at this race is, there was not much of an answer.
"Maybe I just approached it more seriously than other people," he said. "Coach [Mark Wetmore] doesn't like us to race it super hard but over the last kilometer, I like to approach it like the last kilometer at NCAA's, how you want to feel, how you want it to play out. So maybe that is taking it a little more seriously than other guys in the race. A lot of guys are just trying to run it as easiest as they can just to get through."
Regionals is different than the conference race. At the Pac-12 Championship, the men race an 8-kilometer course. But for regionals (and nationals), an additional 2k is tacked on to make the course 10k, which can change the strategy of the race.
"I always tell people at twenty minutes in an 8k you are pretty much done and at 23 minutes in a 10k the actual racing is just getting started," Klecker said. "You just have to be a little more patient than you would be in the 8k and let things unfold a little more. But as far as actually getting into the race we don't do as much different as far as the approach, but maybe be a little more patient than you would be in an 8k."
Through his last two seasons, Klecker has led the Buffaloes in six of eight races. The leader in those other two races was teammate and fellow senior John Dressel. With the two of them, CU has a great 1-2 punch, but more importantly, that camaraderie has pushed Klecker to be the best he can on the course.
"When I'm having an off-day, he's going to push me and kind of the same when he's having an off day, I can push him," Klecker said. "Usually one of us is having a good day, so we're always sort of helping each other along. Especially last year at NCAA's. Maybe 800 meters to go, he passed me and I was feeling pretty bad, but seeing him pass me let me know that our team was running very well and I just wanted to do everything I could to stay in the race."
Klecker ended up finishing just in front of Dressel for eighth-place, while Dressel placed ninth. More importantly, the duo helped put the Buffaloes back on the podium with a fourth-place team finish, which is one of Klecker's favorite memories.
"My first two years (2016 and 2017) we had pretty bad races at nationals, not even close to the podium, which is a benchmark here," he said. "Getting back there last year was one of the best moments I've had."
Klecker, along with his teammates, has a chance to add to the storied legacy at Colorado later this month. Should they qualify for nationals, it will be the 28th time in as many years, which is the longest active streak in the NCAA Division I and with the way this team runs for each other, a place on the podium is not out of the question.
Players Mentioned
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