Nov. 4, 2004
ORLANDO - For UCF's Jake Wilke and Astrid Claessens, the 2004 Atlantic Sun Cross Country Championships are the culmination of already impressive season. The duo, which have been the No. 1 runners for the Golden Knight men's and women's cross country teams this fall, will take on the conference's toughest competition as well as the rolling hills of Nashville's Vaughn's Creek course on Saturday morning.
Wilke is one of three freshmen on the Knights' squad, but he has been performing like a veteran since day one. "I told myself not to have any expectations," he said. "That way if anything happened I wouldn't be let down or I could just surprise myself. Coming in to practice the first two weeks, I didn't even know if I was going to be in the top of this pack."
But Wilke proved himself in his collegiate debut at the Gator Invitational in mid-September, finishing in the top 30. He followed that by winning the Clermont meet against A-Sun rivals Florida Atlantic and Jacksonville and then by earning eighth place at the Disney Classic, during which he set a regular season record in the 8K at 25:25.6.
His final warm-up for the Atlantic Sun meet came two weeks ago at the Chile Pepper Festival, where he ran his first 10K. "Last year, I did 5Ks in high school. This year we ran 8Ks, which was step up. The 10K was hard," he said. "We did a lot of miles before that race and some cross training in the pool." The preparation paid off as Wilke broke the school's freshman record for the 10K by over 30 seconds.
But he likes to set a high standard for himself. "Everyone out there runs. Everyone out there practices. I think that what keeps me motivated is knowing there is a new time I have to get."
Like Wilke, Claessens has been leading the women's team as the No. 1 runner all season. "I just wanted to come back and improve on what I've been doing in the past," the Lake Mary-native said. "I think I've done that so far, which is exciting for me."
After a Top 30 effort at the Gator Invitational to start the season, she picked up her first collegiate win at the FAU-UCF Dual Meet on Sept. 24. The junior captain also had a 19th place showing at the Disney Classic and finished 65th at the Chili Pepper Festival. Her performance at Disney - running the 5K in 18:46.6 - qualified as one of the program's top 10 efforts, while her time of 22:49.8 in the 6K at the Chili Pepper ranks fifth all-time at UCF. "I want to be a leader not only running wise but also motivate my teammates," she said.
While the Golden Knights are used to flat courses, the Vaughn's Creek course goes through hilly terrain. To prepare for the change, they have trained on the Clermont hills once a week. "I think that going to Clermont has helped prepare us for what we will face at conference," said Claessens. "We're ready to attack the hills and show what we're really about. Hopefully we'll peak this weekend and I think our training has really allowed us to do that."
Claessens is listed eighth among A-Sun runners thanks to her time at the Disney Classic, but she and her teammates will face tough competition in host Belmont, which has won the previous three titles, as well as FAU and Georgia State. The Knights finished fourth last year.
The men, meanwhile, had their second best showing ever at the A-Sun Championship as they took third in 2003. They have never won the team title and will rely on Wilke and twin brothers Brent and Ryan White. Belmont has also won the last three titles on the men's side, while GSU has also been tough.
Still, Wilke, who ranks sixth in the A-Sun, is aiming high. "I looked at the times last week and there is only a few seconds between [rankings] 10 to three. I think it is within my range because I there is nothing that tells me I can't go faster, that I can't push myself further. We're going into Conference USA next year, so I have to put it all out there," he said. "This weekend is what it's all about."