In the Spotlight: Shannon Osika
11/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Senior Shannon Osika of the sixth-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team returns to the NCAA championship meet this weekend after missing the 2014 postseason run with injury. She is eager to get back to the championship course, where U-M has already won two meets this season (Greater Louisville Classic, NCAA Pre-Nationals). For Osika and fellow senior Anna Pasternak, this weekend will be the final chance to run a cross-country race in a Maize and Blue singlet, and the seniors are looking to finish their careers on a high note. Osika sat down with MGoBlue.com to discuss her confidence in this group, leaving it all on the course in her final meet and more.
On the group's confidence right now after an impressive recent stretch ... "I am feeling really good about this group. We have a lot of depth this year and a lot of people who can and will step up if someone else isn't having a good day. That feeling is very reassuring, and I know that if I'm having a bad day, I have a teammate coming right behind me who can push me along. It's a comforting thing, because they keep me going, encouraging me to keep pushing and that is a great thing to have."
On what she's learned in her previous two NCAA Championship meets ... "I think the biggest thing is to just treat it like just another race. You have to try not to make it such a big deal. We have already been on this course twice this season, and a few years back I also raced at it a couple of times, so it almost feels like a home course. That should be an advantage for us. We are going to know the course really well and it's going to benefit us, for sure."
On leaving it all on the line, with this being her senior season finale and the last race for the foreseeable future ... "It's good to go into every race knowing that you're going to give it your all, but especially with this one. I think it's going to give everyone an extra edge. In the middle of the race when you're grinding it out or at the end when you can see the finish line and you have to sprint to it, just knowing this is the last one will definitely push people a bit more."
On Coach McGuire's message to the group ... "I think his message is going to be similar to what it has been all year. We just need to find each other out on the course; it's comforting to have your teammates out there next to you and makes it less intense. There is less stress on you. When you're feeling like you want to drop off, just having a teammate do something as simple as patting your leg really pulls you along. When they know you can do it, it boosts your confidence as well. Our overall performance is better when we're all working together and pushing each other along."
On what makes a successful weekend for the Wolverines this Saturday ... "I would say there is less importance put on placing and more importance on how the race unfolds and how we react. A successful weekend is just a hard effort from us. If we are close in time, that is always a focus for us; we want to keep that split short. It's not about time or place, it's about overall effort."
• Previous Spotlight: Sophie Linn
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
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