Photo by: Jeff Reinking | Louisville Athletics
Cross Country Participates in Fall Sports Media Day
August 10, 2021 | Cross Country
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville track and field/cross country head coach Dale Cowper, senior Ryan Johnston and redshirt senior Purity Sanga addressed the media at the annual Fall Sports Media Day on Tuesday to discuss their return to campus, the anticipation of the upcoming schedule and what to expect from newcomers as the season approaches.
The Cardinals return to practice next week as both teams are scheduled to open the season with a dual meet at Tennessee on Sept. 3.
Here are some takeaways from the press conference.
Head Coach Dale Cowper Complete Video
(Opening Statement)
"I appreciate everyone joining us today as we look at the fall season. We are excited to be able to come out and have what really projects to be an exciting cross country season. We will be back into a traditional format, which is obviously exciting for our students and staff. We have two of our best here with Ryan Johnston and Purity Sanga to talk about their anticipation as student athletes. From a coaching staff perspective, a big shift is going to be the addition of Eric Heins to our staff. Eric is going to be here and be a huge impact as we continue to roll through the fall. I think his addition will be a noticeable difference as we continue to move forward with our season. His professional background is obviously outstanding in the sport, but he is also a great well rounded assistant coach to have on staff, so I am really looking forward to seeing the program move forward as a whole as the seasons approaches."
(On the newcomers)
"This year will be entirely different from years past because this is my first time working with collegiate athletics where our newcomers have not been on campus before. It is going to be a different experience because we did not have official visits, or anything last year, so there will be an adjustment period for our newcomers. That is something that we are going to rely upon our upperclassmen to help a lot with. In terms of the advantage, adding 15 newcomers to the cross country group means that our depth is in a much greater position than we have seen in previous seasons. We are really going to be searching early on for those newcomers that can rise into the top 10 and play significant role as the season develops into late October and early November."
(Outlook on the season)
"I think that we will be in a great position to make significant progress from last fall. If you look at the men's side by the time we got to the postseason, we were worn down. We were missing a number of our front three by end of the season. That is the biggest correction that we have to make as a program this year. We need to be in a position where all of our top runners are healthy and ready to go when we get the ACC championships. I think that as we as we continue throughout the early season that will be our primary goal. Looking at the women's team, we have two athletes, Purity Sanga and Ivine Chemutai, that have competed in the National Championships as individuals. Those two will give us great leadership along with Emma Bryant as well. It will be an opportunity for us this fall to be able to come together with a great group of upperclassmen and newcomers"
Senior Ryan Johnston Complete Video
(On the difference in preparing for this season compared to last)
"Running-wise I don't think it will be much different in how we train and prepare, you always have to prepare for a season whether you think you are going to have one or not. I think the mental aspect is different. Coming into last year it was all one big question, but there is a renewed excitement coming into this year because we know that we going to be able to compete, whether that is a shortened schedule or not, we are just excited that we have the chance to compete."
Redshirt Senior Purity Sanga Complete Video
(Her outlook coming into the season)
"I'm really excited and cannot wait for the season. When we got the news that about last season's championships I continued to train and prepare myself for this upcoming season. I am very happy when I look at our schedule. I am hoping to qualify for the NCAA Championships this season, that's one of my biggest goals."
The Cardinals return to practice next week as both teams are scheduled to open the season with a dual meet at Tennessee on Sept. 3.
Here are some takeaways from the press conference.
Head Coach Dale Cowper Complete Video
(Opening Statement)
"I appreciate everyone joining us today as we look at the fall season. We are excited to be able to come out and have what really projects to be an exciting cross country season. We will be back into a traditional format, which is obviously exciting for our students and staff. We have two of our best here with Ryan Johnston and Purity Sanga to talk about their anticipation as student athletes. From a coaching staff perspective, a big shift is going to be the addition of Eric Heins to our staff. Eric is going to be here and be a huge impact as we continue to roll through the fall. I think his addition will be a noticeable difference as we continue to move forward with our season. His professional background is obviously outstanding in the sport, but he is also a great well rounded assistant coach to have on staff, so I am really looking forward to seeing the program move forward as a whole as the seasons approaches."
(On the newcomers)
"This year will be entirely different from years past because this is my first time working with collegiate athletics where our newcomers have not been on campus before. It is going to be a different experience because we did not have official visits, or anything last year, so there will be an adjustment period for our newcomers. That is something that we are going to rely upon our upperclassmen to help a lot with. In terms of the advantage, adding 15 newcomers to the cross country group means that our depth is in a much greater position than we have seen in previous seasons. We are really going to be searching early on for those newcomers that can rise into the top 10 and play significant role as the season develops into late October and early November."
(Outlook on the season)
"I think that we will be in a great position to make significant progress from last fall. If you look at the men's side by the time we got to the postseason, we were worn down. We were missing a number of our front three by end of the season. That is the biggest correction that we have to make as a program this year. We need to be in a position where all of our top runners are healthy and ready to go when we get the ACC championships. I think that as we as we continue throughout the early season that will be our primary goal. Looking at the women's team, we have two athletes, Purity Sanga and Ivine Chemutai, that have competed in the National Championships as individuals. Those two will give us great leadership along with Emma Bryant as well. It will be an opportunity for us this fall to be able to come together with a great group of upperclassmen and newcomers"
Senior Ryan Johnston Complete Video
(On the difference in preparing for this season compared to last)
"Running-wise I don't think it will be much different in how we train and prepare, you always have to prepare for a season whether you think you are going to have one or not. I think the mental aspect is different. Coming into last year it was all one big question, but there is a renewed excitement coming into this year because we know that we going to be able to compete, whether that is a shortened schedule or not, we are just excited that we have the chance to compete."
Redshirt Senior Purity Sanga Complete Video
(Her outlook coming into the season)
"I'm really excited and cannot wait for the season. When we got the news that about last season's championships I continued to train and prepare myself for this upcoming season. I am very happy when I look at our schedule. I am hoping to qualify for the NCAA Championships this season, that's one of my biggest goals."
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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