Running for Nebraska: An average day

September 22, 2010

An average day

Goodmorning, drug test! D1 NCAA mandates drug tests randomly, today I had one. Then it was time for English, Bio, Theatre and off to practice soon for an 8 miler

3 comments:

Anonymous said...: Hey Samers,
It's coach Noble. First, I love your writing it is very insightful. Trust me people are reading your blog. They are probably lame like me and never leave any comments. When I read your blog I feel like I am reading a story and awaiting for the next chapter to be published.
Second, I am very proud of you. It sounds like running at the next level is very tough. One thing about you that I have always admired is that you are a warrior. You will do whatever it takes to be your best. Hang in there. I am cheering for you. As a matter of fact today I am wearing the Nebraska shirt you gave me.
GO SAM!; September 22, 2010 at 4:06 PM
SAM I AM said...: Thank you Coach Noble, that means a lot. I am glad that my writing is reaching out to all of you back at home. Transitioning is the hardest part, it doesn't matter what you ran or what you didn't its more mental than anything. The workouts are physically strenuous but as long as you relax and just focus (as my mom says, leave your brain in the dorm) then it all starts to click. I appreciate the fans at home and will keep writing to make sure everyone is well informed. I'm glad you made use of your Nebraska shirt, go Huskers! And congratulations on the success of the team this year, that must be exciting.
:); September 23, 2010 at 2:22 PM
Anonymous said...: Aw I love Coach Noble's post! :) He's right, I love your writing too; you write like a novelist! Anyway, oh goodness, drug tests :( How do you best cope with those? How often can we d1 ncaa runners expect those? well, there's probably not a pattern is there? haha <3 Anna; July 19, 2011 at 11:22 PM

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Why Nebraska?

When I began the college search I knew that I wanted to continue running at the NCAA Division 1 level. I desired a school rich in pride for its sports with good academics as well. I found this in Lincoln, NE. College sports are a very big deal in the state of Nebraska and it shows in the school's facilities and coaching staff. I picked Nebraska because of all it had to offer me as a student athlete and because of the at-home feeling I got on my visit and with the team. Quite a few of my teammates have become a lot faster since their high school PR's and this was a good indicator to me that I could trust in the training tendencies of my long time Nebraska Cross Country coach Jay Dirksen. A graduate of South Dakota State in '68, Jay was an All American steeplechaser and has coached at Nebraska for 28 years producing a total of 3 NCAA National Champions, 1 U.S Olympic Trials Champion, 20 Cross Country NCAA All Americans, 39 NCAA Track and Field All Americans, 5 Big XII Cross Country Team Titles, 6 NCAA Regional Titles and 22 NCAA Cross Country Teams.

Before Nebraska

I ran four years of Cross Country and Track for Great Oak High School under coaches Doug Soles and Daniel Noble. I was a four year letter winner in both sports and went to Nike Cross Nationals all four years. Some notable awards include #1 Freshman in Riverside County in 2006 and Freshman of the Year, as well as the #3 Sophomore in 2007, winner of the Long Beach Invitational, the Mt. SAC D1 sophomore girls champion and Sophomore of the Year. My Junior and Senior seasons I was a team captain and the Most Improved athlete on the track team, Junior and Senior of the Year as well as 1st Team All-League in the SWL, a scholar athlete, a member of the 2008 Riverside County Academic Team winner (gohs xc), part of the CIF Southern Section team champion in 2009, and the tie breaker of Great Oak's 2009 Runner Up accolades at the California State Meet. In track I was the Inland Empire 1600m Champ, held senior records in the 1600m (5:02.54), 3200m (11:09.10), and 3 miles (17:19, xc); and was a California High School Heisman Finalist in 2010.