MASON, Ohio — Talk about making a great first impression.
Jovan Newsum (Glendale Heights, Ill.) stepped onto collegiate cross country's biggest stage—the NCAA Division III National Championships—and ran the race of his life Saturday, as the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota sophomore once again shattered the school record with a time of 25.24 en route to a 107th place finish in the 280-runner field.
"Jovan did unbelievable," said coach
Ward Berndt. "To think that, in his first time out there—in unquestionably the biggest race of his life—he went out there and did what he needed to do.
"If he was nervous, he certainly didn't show it."
Oh, he was nervous all right.
"I was super nervous before the race got going," said Newsum, who became Saint Mary's first male national qualifier, after placing 25th in a then-school-record eight-kilometer time of 25:40 at the NCAA Central Regional on Nov. 15. "The conditions were really tough. I went out and tested the course (Friday) and there were a lot of turns and slippery spots—it was like a war zone."
Add to that the fact that the runners nearest Newsum at the start Saturday were from defending national champion St. Olaf, and the nerves were extra ramped up prior to the start of the men's race.
"There was a lot of anxiety before the race—and having to run next to St. Olaf certainly added to that," said Newsum, who has now broken the school record in each of his last three races—earning honorable-mention All-MIAC and All-Central Region honors in the process. "The butterflies were going full blast."
But once the race started, Newsum was in "game mode," and there was no stopping him.
"I talked to coach (Berndt) before the race and he told me to push it a bit—so that's what I did," explained Newsum. "The course conditions made me have to change my tactics a bit—I even had to leap over a few guys out there.
"This was such a great experience," Newsum added. "I'm so blessed to have such great support from my teammates and my family. This was an experience I will never forget."
