NCAA Indoor Championships Blog: Diego Estrada

Junior distance runner Diego Estrada will compete Friday and Saturday in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championships.  He'll be blogging his thoughts and experiences throughout the weekend.

Friday Night (Following his fifth-place finish in the 5,000 meters)

Frustrated to say the least! Fifth place would have been a great accomplishment a year ago, not this year. Last year I placed 4^th indoors and 5^th outdoors, so I would have been content with a top 3 finish but unfortunately that wasn't the case. What to do, what to do? MOVE ON! That was only half of the task; I still have another event coming up [Saturday]. Tired or not I better bring my A game because 12 months are a long time to wait for another opportunity. 

The race went out in a pedestrian pace for the opening laps.  I was in great position and covered many moves but failed to capitalize in the closing stages. The coaching was there, so was the health; nothing failed, I just didn't respond.  It's a hard pill to swallow as an athlete but with a few hours in between I have to stop thinking about the "could have, would have" and accept the fact that I dropped the ball. Champions have a short memory and I have to regroup and give it another go! I am still in it to win it! 

Go Jacks!

Diego

Thursday Night

I am 24 hours away from show time and unlike years before I feel more relaxed than ever. If anything I feel a bit sleepy, but I haven't lost any sleep over the competition.  It has been a fairly easy day here in Nampa, Idaho, just a lot of eating and sleeping. Around noon or so I headed to the track with Coach Heins to do my usual pre-race routine, just an easy 35 minute jog with Coach and did some quick strides to finish tuning up for tomorrow.

There isn't much of game plan for this weekend, no over-analyzing the competition or race strategies for once on my part. My main focus will be recovery and having a short term memory no matter the outcome of Friday night as that will only be half of the job.  Saturday the real test will come racing on tired legs against the best in the country. Four or five years ago I would be walking in as a heavy favorite for a national title in my respective events, but thankfully that is not the case and I will have my hands full if I am to win a national title. While winning is always good, it is more satisfying losing knowing you gave it your all than winning unchallenged. Still, the fact of the matter is I am running out eligibility. My clock is ticking and I have yet to match up with the likes of Lopez Lomong and David McNeill. while I have broken their records I have yet to put myself at their level. I have proven I can time trial, but I have yet to prove I can be tactically smart and patient to strike against the best in the NCAA. There really aren't any place or time goals but to prove I can be successful in tactical affairs and hunt down the best in the NCAA.

Well, its nap time here once more in Nampa, ID hope everyone is enjoying the fresh air of Flagstaff. I will try to report back on Saturday morning.

Thanks for reading, Diego

WAC Swimming & Diving Championship Blog Entry 2

NAU senior swimmer Kristin Jones and senior diver Holly Frost will be chronicling their final conference meet from the WAC Swimming & Diving Championships from San Antonio. The second entry comes from Frost:

Palo Alto Natatorium is a very distinctive place where magical moments happen.  Something about the water in that pool and the atmosphere, which surrounds all of us, that generates monumental racing and on point diving.  Yesterday, February 23 was the second day of the WAC Championships and boy was there some stellar racing and beautiful diving.  Beginning the day in our usual fashion we entered the pool for wake up swimming and a little diving to get our bodies moving and prepare for the day ahead.  Boy, was it a day.  Bang, NAU began prelims rest began to fall into place on the swimming and soon diving side.

Diving began with eight Lumberjacks ready to make a statement and let the rest of the building know we were here and ready to work.  With two seniors, myself included, this was the beginning of a culminating experience that we have been preparing and battling for this past 4 years. Diving competitions are kind of like a mystery game, you watch people compete, hear scores and then try and guess where people will place and who will earn the coveted top 8 places.  Sometimes it is a given who will be in the top but often it is a battle.  No matter what happens you keep fighting for everything you can and earn every possible point with pretty toes and clean lines. 

We were able to come together as a team and build one another up with positive energy, words, and constant dance party.  We all compete differently and need different things to make competition easier and to be successful.  Something that I have learned the past 4 years is having the ability to feed off teammates and learn from what they do makes you a better person and athlete.  We have been successful individually and as a team and a lot of that is because we support one another and want each other to do well.  Personally, it is more important for the team as a whole to do well than myself as an individual; we fight together and that is what makes us the team to beat and the team people want to be.  I am proud to be a Lumberjack and I am proud to be a diver part of this program.  So far, we have had multiple girls make both the consolations and finals on both 1M and 3M springboard.  Tomorrow is platform and another opportunity to come together as a team and compete to the best of our abilities. 

“I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual is the ultimate champion.”

-Mia Hamm 

WAC Swimming & Diving Championships Blog

NAU senior swimmer Kristin Jones and senior diver Holly Frost will be chronicling their final conference meet from the WAC Swimming & Diving Championships from San Antonio. The first entry comes from Jones:

The atmosphere in the Palo Alto swimming pool was electrifying last night – from the moment the Lumberjacks walked inside we could feel the energy flowing through us. After warming up in the competition pool, the team could feel the excitement of the meet growing, and it was gaining momentum. While all the swimmers were going through the tediously long task of inching their tiny racing suits up and over their shoulders, we were all reflecting on what Coach Johns had told each of us earlier in the day, “light the spark”. Well folks, after the 200 Medley Relay, I'd say the Spark was Lit. The first race was all that we needed it to be – intense, inspiring, and above all fast. Fiona led the girls with an incredible 50 backstroke, followed by Jordan's fastest 50 breaststroke in the history of the program then came Rachel Palmers thunderous 50 fly, and finally the anchoring all-star – Kelsey Loy. The relay finished in 3^rd place overall, far exceeding the teams expectations.

After the relay I could feel the emotion and excitement growing in each member of the team, every comment that was made was positive and full of energy and enthusiasm. In between the two relays, a number of ladies competed in time trials. Most of the girls' jaws dropped when they looked at the timing board – we had freshman Meagan Morrison drop two seconds from her lifetime best in the 200 I.M., Caitlin Wright dropped about the same in the 200 Free, Emily Lewandowski dropped in her 100 fly, as did Alexis Juergens; overall the freshmen class kicked some (you know what!). The other time trialers (myself included!) all had great swims and I am looking forward to watching what they will be able to do later in the week!

After the excitement of the time trials died down for a quick moment, the 800 Free Relay was pumped and ready to race. The lead-off for the relay was a little shocking for all the teams next to them in the pool – needless to say, Emma Lowther gave us what we needed – an early lead. The next two members of the relay, Rachel Palmer and Chalene Dirks-Ryan, held on to that lead and started to inch further ahead of the other racers. When Krista Maier dove in slightly ahead of the San Jose State University's anchoring swimmer, our hearts jumped into our throats. I literally felt light headed when I stood up to cheer, I had to grab onto something to stabilize myself. The next 1:49 seconds went by in a blur, actually – a blur. Krista looked great throughout the race, the only problem was that SJSU was only a few hundredths behind her … and there was only 50 yards left in the race. The finish was very close – with NAU taking first place in a 7:18.76 and SJSU touching in 2^nd place with a 7:18.99. Overall, the team mentality was right where it needed to be tonight, and the “spark” that Coach Johns was hoping for – well it's about to turn into a raging bonfire. It's going to be one of those meets that you never forget, whatever happens throughout the rest of the Championship, we will know that we all gave it our whole hearts, and we left nothing in the pool. I am so proud to be a part of this team, at this time, and know that these memories will stay with me throughout my life.