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Yoders go 1-2 at Fort Hayd cross-country alumni run
8/31/2008
By CONOR NICHOLL
cnicholl@dailynews.net
Aaron Yoder has always had plenty of talent. In the past, though, Yoder said "at times I kind of have done my own thing." This fall, Yoder, a senior, changed his attitude and accepted the philosophy of Fort Hays State University cross country coach Jason McCullough.
"One of the reasons why I am running a lot better is that I have really bought into coach's system," Yoder said. "Everything is clicking and I believe fully in the coach.
"Everything he is doing I know is going to set us up for what we want to accomplish.That has been the biggest thing," he added.
The difference has yielded a fine preseason and increased expectations for Yoder. Early this fall, he broke the school record at the annual time trial.
On Saturday morning, he set a personal record and won the four-mile KFC Alumni run at the Fort Hays course in 20 minutes, 48.62 seconds. Senior Dan Yoder, the team's co-MVP in 2006 and '07 and Aaron's brother, finished second in 21:00.38.
"The season started out on a good note," Aaron Yoder said.
The duo is considered among the runners that could win the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association championship later this fall.
"He has improved quite a bit," McCullough said of Aaron Yoder.
"He is training smarter now and he is definitely one of the top runners in the conference."
On the women's side, senior Jackie Jamison, a Quinter native, led a talented women's team and won the two-mile race in 11:43.45.
Senior Nikki Knowles finished second in 11:50.08.
All four of the top women runners ran negative splits from the first to second mile -- a positive for McCullough.
Jamison and Knowles return from a women's team that finished 24th in NCAA Div. II last year and will try to become the first Fort Hays women's team to qualify for nationals since 1997.
"I thought it went well," McCullough, the fourth-year coach, said of the run. "We sat out several of our top runners, but we still had plenty of people to pick up the slack and run well. I was very pleased with the efforts that everyone put out."
None of the runners that didn't compete Saturday are expected to miss significant time this fall.
Junior Jay Lindal, the conference champion in the 3,000 meters, didn't run because of a foot problem. Lindal, called by McCullough as "the team's most aggressive runner," is expected to be in the top four with the Yoder brothers and senior Elias Diaz.
"We are just holding him out for precautionary reasons," McCullough said. "His foot feels fine. We just want to make sure he is healthy and our main concern is conference and regionals. We are not really too concerned with him."
On the women's side, two returning all-MIAA selections didn't run. Junior Ali Mishler, a team-best 17th at the conference meet, missed Saturday's run because of a wedding.
Senior Ashlee Orr, whom McCullough says "definitely should be one of the top three or four runners in the conference," should return soon.
"Her foot has been sore so we just wanted to sit her out and wait until a week or two before we actually ran her again," McCullough said.
Aaron Yoder is fully healthy now. Before the 2007 season, Yoder had knee surgery and didn't run much during the summer. He trained with the team in the fall and, along with Lindal and Diaz, took a redshirt.
Yoder entered several meets as an unattached runner and won two meets, the Colby Trojan Invitational and the Tabor College Invitational. He also led the Tigers at the Missouri Southern Stampede and the FHSU Tiger Invitational.
This fall, Aaron is back on the roster and expected to be one of the leaders on a team that could win the Tigers' first MIAA championship in any sport.
"The knee has been working great and I can hardly see my scars anymore, but it is just like I have a whole new knee and it has really healed great," Yoder said.
McCullough said Aaron, Dan, who took fourth at conference in 2007, Diaz (third place on Saturday) and Lindal could all finish in the top 10 at the conference meet.
"Our top four is definitely the best in the MIAA," Aaron said.
Senior Matt Goetz also is considered all-conference caliber, while freshman Tanner Christensen has been impressive. Christensen was fourth among Tiger runners at the time trial and fifth on Saturday.
"I think we for sure can match up with any team in the conference," Dan said. "The key is staying healthy, that is always pretty tough to do."
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| BB | 03/17 | Missouri S&T | W 2-1 (10) |
| SB | 03/17 | Bethany | W 6-1 |
| SB | 03/17 | Bethany | W 8-1 |
| BB | 03/16 | Misosuri S&T | L 13-4 |
| MB | 03/14 | Central Missouri | L 80-73 |
| BB | 3/13 | NW Missouri | W 13-10 |
| BB | 03/13 | NW Missouri | W 4-3 |
| MB | 03/13 | Central Oklahoma | W 80-64 |
| SB | 03/08 | Fort Lewis | W 5-4 |
| BB | 03/07 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 13-7 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 16-4 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | W 3-0 |
| MB | 03/05 | Emporia State | L 65-61 |
| BB | 03/05 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 10-3 |
| WB | 03/04 | No. 15 Emporia | L 72-66 |
| WB | 02/28 | No. 12 Emporia State | L 87-80 |
| MB | 02/28 | Emporia State | W 94-47 |
| SB | 02/28 | Quincy | L 6-0 |
| SB | 02/27 | Mo Southern | W 9-3 |
| SB | 02/27 | Missouri S&T | L 8-3 |