Posted: Oct 10, 2013
Make no mistake, Sandefur's women's cross country team at Central Methodist now appears to be a national power. "We had a steady flow of four to five recruits a year," he recalls. "We were trying to raise the level of each class every year and then work on developing those kids. You can recruit all you want, but you must develop your talent."
The recruiting process has been gradual. In 2013, the team brought in four freshmen (Megan Greener, Rachel Howieson, Kaitlyn Karney, Allyson Ng) and track racewalker star, junior Kaitlyn Loeffler.
Although Mark Nelson is charged with directing the cross country and track and field programs, Sandefur takes ownership of the daily responsibilities for the cross country programs, having been named the HAAC Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2012. Morgan Goetschel has been brought in this season as a graduate assistant.
Nelson, Sandefur and Goetschel have formed a bond and worked toward a common goal of getting better athletes and moving the program forward.
"I enjoy the recruiting process," Sandefur said. "We've really fit well as far as complementing each other."
Over the years Nelson and Sandefur have upgraded the talent level of the program. They both say that Central Methodist is an easy sell with its academic reputation and outstanding athletic opportunities.
"We look for the same type of kid," acknowledges Sanefur, who ran cross country when he was a student at Lindenwood (Mo.). "We want someone who has a genuine desire to obtain a Central Methodist education and the goal to compete at the highest level academically. It is in an amazing conference with great competition. We preach balance and enjoying yourself."
Recruiting is not the only tool to success. A team must have a leader, and Sandefur fits the bill as a former HAAC track and cross country competitor. In his senior year for the Lions, Sandefur was the HAAC 10,000-meter champion and finished 11th at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships. Indoors, he was seventh in the 5,000. In addition, Sandefur helped guide Lindenwood to a third-place finish in the 2007 NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship.
A REMARKABLE TWO SEASONS
It has came together for Nelson, Sandefur and the student-athletes during the last two seasons.
In 2011, Sandefur says at the Baker Open, where the Eagles finished second, the team showed it could compete at the highest levels of the sport. Katelyn Olvera finished third overall that day, while Amber Beaverson and Hailey Breusch took fourth and fifth, respectively.
We performed very well that day," Sandefur said. "At that moment, I knew that season could be special."
The team posted another second-place finish in late October before capturing its first HAAC title two weeks later, highlighted by Olvera's second-place finish.
"We achieved a level of performance and accomplishment that no one thought we could," Sandefur said.
The Green and Black repeated as conference champions in 2012, spearheaded by Taylor Beaverson's third-place overall finish. The team went on to finish 25th at the National Championship, the highest mark in program history.
Any coach will tell you he is only as good as his athletes. In cross country, you need at least five solid performers, as the team's top five runners determine the fate of the program in terms of results. However, Central Methodist is in the unique position of having so much depth that any five athletes could rise up during any given meet. Sandefur has a talented squad determined to improve. In addition to the five newcomers, the team returns veterans Breusch, Emily Nealley, Adriana Romero and Elise Schreiber. Breusch, Romero and Schreiber have all been a part of the last two Eagles' HAAC championship teams.
More than that, all runners are focused, dedicated and balanced. The team finished first in the Eagle Invitational at the beginning of this season, with Breusch and Nealley leading the way.
"We have girls who are friends who would settle for nothing less than the best," Sandefur said.
Sometimes teams become individualistic and the elusive concept of chemistry does not develop. Not so for the Central Methodist women's cross-country team. "Chemistry is everything in cross country," Sandefur says. "We try to recruit kids that have personalities that fit, but you also need diverse personalities that buy into one team goal."
The Central Methodist team has that special blend this year. "The strength of this team is that it was a true team," Sandefur said. "Cross country may appear to be an individual sport, but it also is so much more of a team sport than people realize.
"The mix has been beautiful; the chemistry has been great," says Sandefur. "Everyone has something different to offer. We really work on developing a team focus and I think it helps, particularly in the latter half of races."
The team hopes to peak at the right moment with the NAIA Pre-National Meet coming up Saturday and the HAAC Championship race on November 9. "I think this season can be as special as the previous two," Sandefur said. "But now we want to keep reloading rather than rebuilding. Going forward, our goals for cross country will be to win the conference and finish even higher nationally than last year."
However, Sandefur and crew hope to accomplish even more. "I would love to see the women win the whole thing," he admits. "We want to be one on the top of the podium at the end of the year."
With the accomplishments of the 2011 and 2012 fall seasons hanging brightly in Puckett Fieldhouse, Sandefur must now broaden his scope as expectations increase.
