University of Tennessee Athletics
Postseason Cross Country Wrap-Up
December 08, 2000 | Women's Cross Country
Cross Country Postseason Q & A with Coach Rodney Rothoff
Q. Looking back on the season, how do you feel the team reacted as a whole to your coaching style and working together as a team?
A. "I was very pleased with our team being able to come together as a group. I believe that a team should have a close family atmosphere. They have definitely taken it upon themselves and bonded together quite nicely without knowing each other and not knowing myself. I felt we were very successful with that aspect of our team this year, which helped us overcome a lot of adversity. I thought that was a key aspect in being able to handle the adversity that we went through in terms of injury and sicknesses and just building the team."
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A. "I think that we are farther along than what the results actually indicated for several reasons. First, I feel we are better than where we finished in the conference. The freshmen gained a lot of experience. With Jessica Southers, I felt like she worked hard enough but maybe because of a illness here and there and other circumstances that we did not get everything out of her this year. I think we will in the future, though, just because of her attitude. We had to apply for medical redshirts for two people, Renn Watkins and Christy Baird. With Renn, I think she will be better off because of sitting out this year as will Christy. We felt like the future of our program is now farther along. The team has the experience of being in an SEC Championship and with an athlete like Sharon Dickie, we have an All-American to return in cross country. Despite finishing eighth in the conference, we are a much better team than we showed on paper in the results.
Q. What kind of efforts did you make in recruiting this offseason to help form that solid foundation for next season?
A. "I worked extremely hard this season. Anytime you start new with a team, it is like a business. You have to put time and energy into it. Recruiting is part of what we have to do all the time in order to be successful. In cross country, you are only as good as you weakest link. And so, finding the best athletes was my challenge. Utilizing the resources we had at the University, understanding the team and finding what we needed to fill out the team was a challenge for me. We made a huge impact with the athlete that we signed early, Brooke Novak, but at the same time we have a lot of systems in place to help us identify talent and bring in the people that will help us make the climb back to the level that this program has historically been at over the years. Again, Sharon has started that by being the first All-American in 11 years. Recruiting has been challenging, but there is so much that Tennessee has to offer a young person that it is just a matter of getting the word out.
Q. What were some of the biggest surprises for you during the 2000 season as far as how the team performed?
A. "I would say that the biggest surprise is probably how close everybody is and the team's bond. Its like they have known each other for years. Another surprise would be how well Sharon has made the transition back after not running for a year. With her great attitude she knew she would come back, but it actually happening is another thing. The other surprise is how well Erin Anderson was able to perform at the conference meet even with the limitations that she came in here with.
Q. What are you looking forward to for the distance crew during the track seasons?
A. "I am excited about what they are going to do on the track simply because I have been with them know for four months and they understand what I have in terms of expectations. The obvious thing for the track season is that we hope Sharon is able to perform in track like she did in cross country. That will be exciting because I have always trained people to use cross country as a springboard for indoor track and use indoor track as a springboard for outdoor track so they continue to increase their level of performance. Knowing that the young athletes have a season of competition under their belt is important considering how young our group is. I am really excited to see how they are going to transfer over to track and see them at the level they are at now as compared to where they were in August. I am also looking forward to Christy and Renn's return and having a whole group out there running and being part of the team."
Q. What are some of your hopes for next season?
A. "Next year cross country is going to be very exciting for everyone. I feel like we are going to be at a new level and competing for the top three spots in the conference. Again, it is going to depend how recruiting goes in the April signing period, but I think we will be a lot better. I am definitely looking forward to the growth and development of these young women next season. We feel like we should be in the position to be in the national championships as a team next season. That is something I am looking forward to and that is my expectation. I want to keep looking forward and there is no reason that we can't be at the NCAAs next year.
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A. "We had a lot of challenges. They had the challenge of new expectations and a new workload. The student-athletes had to make the transition from last year and from high school to a new situation. I think another one of our biggest challenges this year was coaching and making the transition as a group. The team did a great job working together and getting to know each other and I think that we are definitely better off for making the change.
Another one of our challenges is that we have so much to offer at the University of Tennessee. It is up to us to figure out how to utilize all of those resources to the fullest and most productive way possible.
Also, our last challenge was the effects of injuries. We had some rather unorthodox injuries that we had to overcome. We came together as a group and reached our goal of improving at SECs. I think it is a mark of how well our group works together that we were able to face these challenges and still meet our goal of improving at the conference meet. We met that goal despite all of the adversity."
Q. What would a recruit or future Lady Vol have to look forward to in cross country?
A. "I think it is an exciting time to be part of a growing national power. Any young lady that chooses to come to the University of Tennessee has the opportunity to contribute and be part of our climb to become one of the top 10 teams in the country and not just a person that came through a program."
