Sept. 15, 2006

PITTSBURGH - For several members of the men's cross country team, this season marks their last hurrah, and with a national berth on their minds, they're prepared for the competition ahead. We sat down with seniors Steve Gonzalez (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) and Mike Long (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville North) to reflect on the last three years and discuss the 2006 season.

At the beginning of last season, the men's team had established a goal of running as a pack. As the season progressed, you could see in the results this idea coming together for the team. In particular, you both finished within 13 places of each other at the Big East Championships. What does this say to you about accomplishing a goal, and how will that impact your season?
Steve: I believe in goal setting because when you set a goal it's out there and the team needs to come together to achieve it. When something's written down or said, people have something to focus on. I think that focusing on that goal really provided the team with something to shoot for throughout the year. Instead of worrying about place or time, it was more about running together as a pack and coming together as a team. That aspect of running really brought the team together instead of competing with one and other. It was more of a team effort, working towards a goal. Having a social support system like that, among your teammates was phenomenal. We set ourselves up last year for a great year this year because we really haven't lost anybody. We did have some injuries last year, and we have some people coming back very strong from injuries. I really believe, if this team stays healthy, we have a legitimate shot to make it to the NCAA meet come November.
Mike: That definitely was one of our goals last year, and it's important to any cross country team that's successful. I think it really did help us out by the end of year because it's one thing to have goals and set expectations, but it's another thing to really accomplish them both for yourself and for the team. To set a goal and accomplish it, especially a high one like that, was great for our confidence and great for the team spirit especially when we weren't at our full strength and we needed pretty much anything that could help propel us into our events and competitions. It was a huge boost to be able to run together. We really believed in each other and what we could do. Confidence is really important in this sport. You can be as talented as anyone, but if you don't believe you can accomplish it together, then it's almost like it doesn't exist.

Your training has changed drastically since your freshman year. How has this shift in your approach helped your performance in competitions?
Steve: The majority of the guys on the team came in under a different coach, and when Coach Trautmann came in, he took more of an individual approach. He really takes the time to tailor workouts to peoples' needs. There are people on the team who run totally different mileage from each other. I run higher mileage. I run 80, 90 or 100 miles a week versus someof the other teammates who will run 60 or 70 and not go above 75 miles a week. It's all about what it takes to make you run faster. Some people don't need a lot of mileage to maintain a high level of strength. I think the change in training was good for the team just because it's more of a tailored system now instead of a more ambitious "this is the way it is" type of system.
Mike: The training has changed dramatically since our freshman year. We had a new coach come in, Coach Trautmann, our sophomore year and that completely changed the mentality of our team in every way possible. It was probably the best thing that could have happened to us. It worked out really great. Our training before was more generalized for everyone, and that's not Coach Trautmann's style. He trains us all individually. If you're tired one day, you can take it easier. If you're feeling good one day, you can take off. He does it a lot by how people feel, and tailors it to the individual rather than the team as a whole. And at the end of the day a team is only as strong as the sum of its parts, and he's really taken on the attitude of work hard, but also be smart. We're all in the same game plan for the most part, but we need to make sure we're taking care of our bodies.

This past summer, your team traveled to Canada for a week of training and team togetherness. What inspired this experience and how did it bring the team together?
Steve: As far as the team coming together, it was great for our teammate Tim Konoval, who's from Canada, to come up with some great ideas. One of the things we thought we should do, especially since this year we got some freshmen on the team, was we need to really bond together and really go someplace and get to know each other before we come to school. Once you come to school, there are so many distractions. There are classes, and people have meetings they have to go to. There are just a lot of commitments. We wanted a serene setting where we could sit down and really get to know our freshmen, get some good training in, catch up with one and other and get on the same page before we started the season. We took this idea because our freshmen year, because we had so many kids that were new to the team, Coach Freeman took us off-site to Hidden Valley where we trained as a team for a week. And that really helped us come together and build team chemistry. We figured we haven't done that in awhile, and since it was so effective we should do something like that. We took it upon ourselves to do that, and it was great.
Mike: I think the Canada trip took our team to another level. We've been a close team. We all get along really well. The fact that we went on a trip together, not sponsored, but totally on our own just shows the dedication and drive of our team to come together when we don't have to. I think at the end of the day, champions are made in the off-season. We had a great off-season that I think took our team to another level that is going to prove beneficial later this season.

Most of you have been running together for several years now, and you have some talented newcomers as well. What can you say about the character of this team?
Steve: I always said when I went on recruiting trips that if I ever met a cross country team that was "normal," I probably shouldn't be there because a good cross country team is made up of a lot of different characters. We definitely have a lot of different personalities on this team. We have guys who are out there, guys who are focused on studying, guys who like to have a lot of fun and get everything they can out of every experience. Because we have a lot of good senior leadership, our character is that we're focused on what we need to do this year but we also have fun. We always laugh when we go to meets and see teams that look miserable because we enjoy what we're doing. Quite frankly, for all the time and hours this team puts in together and how much time it takes away from our lives, it wouldn't be worth it if we weren't having fun. I think everybody does this because we have fun. I think we're a very well-rounded team. I think the team has a great outlook for what we do. We're disciplined. We give a good name to the University of Pittsburgh, and I think that's one of the most important things at the end of the day.
Mike: Everyone has his own individual identity, but the team as a whole has its own sort of culture. It's very comfortable to live in. We train hard and we play hard. We put our work in, but we also know when to enjoy ourselves and have a good time. Our freshmen and transfer students have caught on. That's one of my goals and our goal as seniors, to try to instill a sense of community within the team and a sense of hard work while still attaining our goals. We're going to be done after this year, and I hope this attitude carries on because it appears to be successful. All the pieces are in place. I don't see how a team can't be successful with a system like ours, and I think we've proved that. I look forward to improving on it.

All of your coaches have stressed the talent and determination of this year's team. They're confident in your ability to make a statement on the national level. How does their support affect your training and expectations?
Mike: It further fuels what we're doing. We have to put the wheels in motion because ultimately, at the end of the day, we are expected to perform to get to that level. It's completely within our control. But I don't believe we can get to the level we need to without Coach Trautmann, Coach Webb and Coach Bair. They provide us with confidence, knowledge and motivation. They've been there before. They've been running many years and coaching much longer than we've been around. That's been nothing but beneficial to us because we are senior leaders, but we need to be led by our coaches as well. And they've set great examples. Their confidence in us builds confidence in each other. You're never going to find a team that's gone to nationals or done something amazing that hasn't had the support of their coaches and having their athletes and coaches on the same page. They're the corner stone to our success.
Steve: Our coaching staff getting behind us the way they have, is tremendous for the team's confidence. When we came in as freshmen, we were the doormat of the Big East and the regional championships. Pitt cross country was very low down in terms of performances. One of the things that we, as a group, came in saying was that we wanted to leave this place better than it was when we got here. Without the support of our coaches and having them instill a sense of belief in ourselves, we wouldn't be where we are today. You can be the most talented person in the world, but if you don't believe in yourself, you're not going to go anywhere. [They're asking us] do you believe in yourself? Do you trust the guys that are to the right and left of you when you get to the starting line? Do you believe when you say you can go to nationals, you can actually do it? These are all things that our coaches constantly remind us of. They're drilling it into us day in and day out. Believe in yourself. Have confidence. Be strong. You did the work. It's little taglines like that. You're going to find the guy that's going to go that extra inch for you, and everyone just kind of pulls each other along. The confidence they give us, grows inside of us. That's what helps our team achieve what it has achieved so far.