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The junior men's 10,000m was dominated by three freshmen from
Eastern Michigan University, Josh Perrin, Neal Naughton, and Luke
Crusciel. By halfway — reached in 15:33 — the three had dispatched
all other competition and were trading the lead. While Crusciel
lagged in the final kilometer, Perrin and Naughton arrived at the
line together, an intended tie broken by the finish photo in Perrin's
favor. Perrin's final time was 30:45.27, with Naughton beside him
in 30:45.29; Crusciel took third in 30:50.43.
Q:
Did the race go according to plan?
Joshua Perrin:
Luke, Neal and I, we followed the plan, exactly what our coach said.
We sat back. I actually think we took the lead a little early, but
we went out in 83, and I felt bad, because the people in the stands
were yelling at us for going so slow. So we took the lead at 800,
and Neal and I worked well together for the first 5K. Then Luke
started throwing in some laps. It was perfect. It was a little awkward,
though, through the last mile with all three of us in the race.
Q:
Was there a strategy for alternating the laps?
JP:
During the race, we decided to switch every half mile. I would take
a half and Neal would take a half. Then Luke decided to take some.
I would lead two laps, then have a mile off to rest. It worked pretty
well.
Q:
Did it help to back off like that?
JP:
Oh, definitely. I couldn't have done that, pretty much run 10,000m
by myself out there. This was definitely a team race, and a sweet
victory for that.
Q:
How did you all wind up on the same team?
JP:
We all knew each other from high school running in the MHSSA [Michigan
High School Sports Association]. Neal's from the east side, I'm
from south central, and [Luke] is from the west. It's worked out
so far.
Q:
How has your first year gone?
JP:
We all decided to redshirt through the whole year. I came from a
really low-mileage program in high school, so it was really good
to back off and focus on bumping my mileage up. It's worked out
great. [Eastern Michigan coach] John [Goodridge] has been willing
to let me take a day off here and there if I need one. This is just
my third track race this outdoor season.
Q:
Did you run the junior cross country championships back in February?
JP:
I did, actually. I ran horribly. Neal and I blew that one.
Q:
You've been building up the miles, the times are coming down, and
now you've got [the Junior Pan Am Games], and an actual season next
fall.
JP:
Yeah. This is my first time in the green and gold [of Eastern Michigan],
in fact.
Q:
Are you guys going to be the core of the team next year?
JP:
We've got some other freshmen, and a couple of other guys, one who
just missed the junior age cutoff.
Q:
So this was a really strong recruiting year for you.
Neal Naughton:
I was the first one to sign.
JP: Yeah, Neal was the leader.
That made it easier to sign, knowing that I had these guys to train
with.
Q:
Are you planning on running the 10,000m next year?
JP:
Definitely. I'm too slow for anything else.
(Interviews
conducted June 23, 2005)
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