Leader Zach Carpenter takes cross country to new distances
With three successful events already under their belt, the Portland State men’s and women’s cross country teams are reaching full stride as the 2011 fall season marches on. Both teams are young, but have proved that a lack of experience won’t slow them down. The team kicked-off the season on Sept. 1 at the John Frank Memorial in Corvallis, then competed in the Portland Pier Park Invitational nine days later. Most recently the Vikings participated in the Stanford Invitational, which was their biggest meet yet with over 200 runners in most events. That meet was also the Viking’s first taste of competition against nationally ranked teams, such as Stanford, UCLA and UC Davis.
For the women’s team, junior Amber Rozcicha has been leading the way by finishing second in her first race, 10th in the second event and placing 64 out of 278 at the Stanford Invitational. Rozcicha understands that with a roster full of so many fresh faces, the example she sets will be important for the team’s success.
“She’s taken the role as a leader on the women’s team and is showing our young ladies the ropes of D-1 running,” assistant coach Kevin Jeffers said.
On the men’s side, sophomore Zach Carpenter has breezed by his competition. He took the limelight by winning the first two meets of the year and finishing 61 out of 242 in the most recent race. After his second win, Carpenter was named the Big Sky Athlete of the Week on Sept. 13.
Carpenter has a strong passion for the sport and traces his love for running back to when he was young. In middle school, once Carpenter felt he was a “big seventh grader,” he quickly joined the cross country team. It was during those key years that Carpenter found one of his main motivations for the sport: developing a close relationship with his middle school coach Larry Steeb and Steeb’s son. Both soon became like family to Carpenter.
“Larry Steeb was, and still is, the most inspiring person in my life. He took me to amazing heights in my career,” Carpenter said. However, in 2007, tragedy struck and Carpenter had to deal with the sudden passing of his coach and long-time mentor. There were many difficult moments for Carpenter shortly after, but he says that Steeb will live on forever through his running and will always be his hero and motivator.
Despite the roadblock, his love for running pushed him forward. Carpenter, a native to Whitmore Lake, Mich., left his home state because of the difficulties involved with training in the snow and freezing weather. He decided to enroll at Portland State, not only because of their strong cross country program, but because he could run in the beautiful fall scenery that Oregon offered.
“Running for PSU in particular is an incredible experience. It is a team of exceptional individuals who make it an enjoyable sport even on the rainiest of days,” Carpenter said. “I plan to spend all four of my years here running for this program so that I can improve and get the most out of my career.”
Carpenter considers cross country his favorite and best event, and he particularly appreciates the fact that the competitions are ran on grass instead of a track, which makes the experience more enjoyable for him.
“I never know what to expect when I step on the line because each course is different,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter was born to run. Not only does he enjoy the competition but he also looks forward to training for each event. He finds that running is a good way to escape from the stresses of the daily grind, a time when he can ponder life and find harmony with his body and racing mechanics. All these things help ensure that he’ll be running at his utmost potential.
For Carpenter and the rest of the Viking cross country team, the next event will be the Bill Dellinger Invitational this Saturday in Eugene. The meet will be similar in terms of competition level to the Stanford Invitational, although the races won’t have as many runners competing.
“[The] Dellinger Invitational will bring more experience competing at the elite college level and at championship distances,” Jeffers said. “Whenever you go up against Oregon, you’re always given the challenge and opportunity to compete against some talented athletes. Dellinger also provides other nationally ranked teams that we get to compete against and enjoy.”
Thank you for including my son in such an inspiring and well written article. He may not remember, as he was so young, but his passion for running began much earlier than 7th grade. He came home from school in 2nd grade talking about games of tag on the playground and how he could out run and out distance the other kids. We encouraged him to segue this enjoyment into a team sport and the seed was planted. Every year after he asked when he could join cross country and his dream was finally fulfilled his 7th grade year. I think he really was “born to run”.