Don’t call it
cockiness, just confidence.
That’s coach Todd
Morgan’s description of his young team heading into the NCAA South
Regional this Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Sophomore Matt Mizereck
first described the Gators’ young group of runners as having a
necessary cockiness to them, but Morgan wanted to clarify.
“If you believe in what
you’re doing, you believe in your training, you believe in yourself
as an athlete, you have to have confidence,” Morgan said.
Whatever you choose to
call it, the Gators will need it going into their most important
meet of the year. The last time both the men and women made the
trip to Terre Haute, Ind., for the NCAA National Championship was
2006.
But freshman Jimmy
Clark said he knows this long-shot of a goal is within reach for
the Gators.
“We will fare really
well,” Clark said. “This team has really come together. We’re going
in with confidence. Every year we expect to make it (to the
national championship).”
However, this spirit is
not restricted to just the men’s side.
“I think how SECs
played out definitely gave us more motivation,” sophomore Cory
McGee said.
The women placed third
in a relatively disappointing Southeastern Conference Championship
after winning the previous two. Now, McGee says, the Gators are
hungry for victory and are assured that Saturday will satisfy their
appetite.
This surge in swagger
has been boosted by team solidarity. Dominated by younger runners,
Florida is an inexperienced but close-knit team. Through their
friendships, the runners gain confidence in each other and approach
each race as a beatable challenge.
The Gators’ biggest
challenge of the season will be overcoming some of the nation’s
best teams in their regional meet, such as Florida State and
Vanderbilt. McGee looks forward to this new obstacle as each one
presents an opportunity to one-up her previous performance. McGee
recalled that she just lo
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Morgan realizes the
thin line between arrogance and confidence. However, he says his
team is balancing that act well and using it to propel them toward
victory.
“We respect our
opponents, absolutely, we’re going to get in and get after people,”
he said. “We’re going to try to win. I don’t think that’s
arrogance, it’s confidence.”
