Hoosiers head to Terre Haute for NCAAs

Monday's NCAA Cross Country Championships mark the end of an era in IU men's cross country. \nThe race, set to begin at noon in Terre Haute, will be the final collegiate cross country race for the athletes who spearheaded IU's return to national prominence. For seniors Sean Jefferson, Stephen Haas, Eric Redman and Charlie Koeppen, toeing the line will bring both a hint of sadness and a rush of exhilaration.\n"The meet will be special for us because it's the last time we'll wear the Indiana jersey for a team competition," Jefferson said. "The most important thing is having a race that we can look back on and know we really ran our best in our final race as a Hoosier."\nFor these four, distance running is more than a sport. Training has become more of a way of life and the journey has been spotted with injuries, adversity and success, they said.\n"I've been running cross country for the past 12 years, and I've put so much hard work into this sport," Jefferson said. "The main goal for NCAAs is to put in a performance I can be proud of and say I finished my career on a high note."\nThis will be IU's fourth-straight team appearance at NCAAs. In 2004's appearance, the Hoosiers finished 18th overall. Jefferson earned his third All-American award after crossing the line first for IU in 34th position. This year, Jefferson finished third at the Great Lakes Regional and has been joined at the front of the pack often by Haas, who finished 17th at the Regional. The Hoosiers will rely on Jefferson and Haas to lead the team, while Redman and Koeppen will hope to pace junior Marcus Aguilar in a tight group to round out IU's scoring. Freshmen Brennon Plotner and Chris Honig will also compete.\n"It'll be good for the young guys to get that experience," Haas said. "They're the ones that are going to have to lead a team to NCAAs in future years."\nMonday's race will be the fourth for all four of IU's seniors. Unfortunately, a fifth senior, John Jefferson, who was pegged as IU's No. 2 runner, will miss the final meet due to a stress fracture.\n"There will be no more experienced or battle-tested group than what we are going to the line with," assistant coach Nathan Gooden said. "I would hesitate to put any limitations on what these guys can do, they will compete to the best of their capabilities."\nBy 1 p.m. Monday, IU's seniors will have closed out their collegiate cross country careers. While track season remains, the team aspects of cross country make it unique.\n"We still have more races this year in track, but that's more or less an individual sport," said Sean Jefferson. "Running for your team is different. There's really nothing like it"