Flo50 Boys Team Rankings Countdown

I have been coaching XC and Track ever since I was in graduate school at Eastern Illinois University, but in terms of coaching high school, I have been coaching for 12 years. I have been at Downers Grove North for 11 years. I was very fortunate to take over for long time Head Boys Cross Country Coach Will Kupsich in 2011.

For the most part summer training has been very solid. We really focus on working up our volume and slowly adding intensity to allow our guys time to adapt appropriately. We really focus on building that aerobic base with tempo runs, long hill repeats, long runs etc., while still maintaining our core philosophy that everything in our training needs to be present at all times, but different items are given more emphasis during different times of the year.

Well, that will be really hard to say. We are very fortunate that our top group of guys is pretty interchangeable and there are a number of guys that will figure into the top five this year. I actually would not be too surprised if our top five was the same from meet to meet.

We very much believe in the idea that everyone on the team matters and they all play a role in the success of our team. So, we are looking for a number of guys to step up and be leaders. This year we have the largest team that I have ever had (74) and there are a number opportunities for guys to step up and leader the younger/new runners (29). Overall our seniors really have stepped up as a group to lead and shown

We have five guys returning from last years team but we have a few other guys who have made some really nice progressions this track season that figure to be in the mix this year. To name a few of the upperclassman: Miles Christensen, Jack Roberts, and Brendan Lockerby are all that deserve mention here.

I think if we stay true to our values and continue to keep in mind of what our purpose(s) is/are for each day that we will be successful. Additionally, we have a really good mix of experience and first timers that will provide us with a very exciting dynamic as we move throughout the season.

Illinois (and in particular our conference) is once again going to be very tough. I think there are 3 nationally ranked teams in our state this year, but maybe more. So that will make things very tough at State and at NXR.

Our teams' culture is probably the most important part of why our team is successful. Everyone on the team understands that they play role in our successes throughout the year, it is not just the top 7 guys toeing the line but the whole team is supporting those efforts each and every day.

We are very process goal oriented, so if we say true to the goals that we set this summer, such as, creating a team environment that inspires passion in other teammates, help maximizing teammates potential by giving an honest effort and to enjoy each and everyday we are together on this journey. Then I think that we will have a very successful outcome at conference, state, NXR, and NXN.