By Jon Fuccillo / The Portland Tribune, Nov 17, 2010
Trevor Dunbar won the NCAA West Regional cross-country race last Saturday, leading the 12th-ranked Portland Pilots to an at-large berth in the national championships Nov. 22 at Terre Haute, Ind.
Dunbar defeated Arizona's Stephen Sambu by .06 at Springfield Country Club, and UP placed fourth behind No. 3 Oregon (the winning team), No. 3 Stanford and No. 22 Cal.
Dunbar's time for the 10-kilometer course: 29 minutes, 57.89 seconds.
The sophomore from Kodiak, Alaska, who was 76th in the NCAAs last year as Portland placed 13th, stopped for a few minutes this week to talk about himself, the team and the national meet.
TRIBUNE: How do you help lead the team?
DUNBAR: I don't do much of that verbally. I set an example in my confident demeanor and attitude coming into the race and my performances, but I let the seniors, Robert Cosby and Scott Olberding, do most of the vocal and motivational stuff. They are very inspiring team leaders.
TRIBUNE: How are you approaching nationals? What is your plan of attack?
DUNBAR: I'm just going in with a quiet confidence. I know what I want to do, so I'll just go run a great race. It's that simple.
TRIBUNE: What is your understanding of how the team matches up and where you land in the pile?
DUNBAR: For the team, yes, you nailed it on the head. It is pretty individual, and a large part of it is outside of my control. If we can sneak into the top 10, I think the season would be a success.
TRIBUNE: What does running at this level mean to you, and how have you handled the concept of running for a national title in such a tough sport?
DUNBAR: The national title is still a ways away. I have made huge strides this year in my development, and going into nationals I'm probably one of the most improved guys from a year ago. I think guys like (reigning NCAA champion) Sam Chelanga (of Liberty), (2009 NCAA runner-up) David McNeill (of Northern Arizona) and (2009 third-place finisher) Chris Derrick (of Stanford) are on a different stratosphere, so this year I'm just running to stay up front in the pack. We will see how I keep improving, and then maybe then I will think about winning.
TRIBUNE: What is your strength as a runner?
DUNBAR: I think my strength is overall fitness. The endurance I've gained from more than a year of consistent, injury-free elite collegiate training has allowed for me to handle the pace as well as be able to close fast when I need to kick.
TRIBUNE: How much help have you received from your University of Portland coaching staff?
DUNBAR: Our coaching staff deserves a lot of credit. Especially Coach (Rob) Conner, who has re-shaped our mental approach to races and our physical ability to adapt to pace changes through our training. We have coach Jesse Johnson and Olympian/coach Jonathon Riley, who have both been huge helps during workouts with any running-related stuff. And, yeah, of course all of my teammates, who are great.