Mohamed makes nationals

Acounting student
Mohamed Mohamed

Fourteen was the number that junior Mohamed Mohamed had been waiting on for the last two years.

For the first time in his career as the SIU men's cross country team's most consistent runner, Mohamed will advance into national competition after a 14th place finish in NCAA Midwest Regional competition during the weekend.

Mohamed, a 21-year-old junior from Carol Stream studying accounting, capitalized on the opportunity by finishing the 10K race - his first of the season -in 30:28, which placed him securely among the top finishers chosen to advance to the National Championships Nov. 29.

Mohamed is the first Saluki to qualify for nationals since Joe Byrne in 2005, and only the third in the last 12 years. Byrne is currently a graduate assistant for the cross country team and will help prepare Mohamed for the national meet.

Mohamed said he has been working toward national competition throughout his three-year college career and is ready to make an impact.

"I am so happy I finally made it," he said. "I am feeling really confident right now and I know that I can race with the best and I am going to make things happen at nationals."

Senior Kevin Doran also had a national caliber performance as he finished in the top 25 with a time of 30:47 to put him in 23rd. The selection committee, though, snubbed the eligible Doran, who had finished the Regional in 23rd place.

Doran said he was disappointed he wasn't selected to advance but was still proud of his final season as a Saluki.

"The season as a whole was a breakthrough year for me because I have been living and breathing running for the past three months," he said. "I would have liked to make nationals but I think (Mohamed) will really shine at the meet and do great."

The entire men's team competed well during the race, finishing seventh overall in the 23-team field. The Salukis were ranked sixth in the region heading to the meet, but coach Matt Sparks said he felt the team could have finished in the top 5 if it raced to its potential.

The men looked to be on pace for a top-5 finish with Mohamed, Doran, and freshman Jeff Schirmer - all in the top 25 at the halfway point. However, Schirmer suffered from cramps midway through the race and fell roughly 15 spots behind before rallying at the end to finish in 30th with a time of 30 minutes.

Sparks said Schirmer's cramps were unfortunate, but he was proud of the way the team raced.

"Our guys came out ready to race and even our six and seven guys, who don't count toward points, never gave up." Sparks said. "Four guys finished in the top 50 and everyone finished in the top 100, so I am very proud of the way we competed."

The women had a rough outing as they finished 23rd in a field of 25 teams. After a poor showing at the conference meet, Sparks said the goal was to finish in the top 15.

All-Missouri Valley Conference sophomore A'Seret Dokubo and sophomore Nefeteri Williams were aiming for a top-30 finish, which would make them eligible for nationals. Dokubo finished in 95th with a time of 22:22 in the 6K, while Williams came in at 137th with a time of 23:07.

SIU has a young women's team consisting of seven freshmen and four sophomores, but Sparks said that could be a positive and negative.

Sparks said he hopes the Salukis will learn to get over the mental block and race to their full potential.

"They all had rough days and not a single girl raced to her potential," Sparks said. "They didn't seem excited to be there or mentally prepared, and they are going to have learn to be confident if they want to succeed."

While the SIU cross country season is finished, Mohamed will head to the NCAA National Championship Meet Nov. 29 at Indiana State University.

Jeff Engelhardt can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 238 or jengel@siu.edu.