MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
about the (NCAA) race later on in the week.' "It's like you're playing a game of deflection.
You're trying to stay away from thinking about the race because if you think about it you can make it bigger than it actually is.'' And then it can become overwhelming, he
agreed.
Truth is, it's really not just another race. "It's a different ballgame,'' Byrne conceded. "As much as you talk to the kids about it being just another race, it has that 'NCAA Champion- ship' on it.'' Still, he believes that his runners have put themselves in a position to handle everything. That would include the expectations and the pressure.
"Part of it is trying to live up to the tradition here,'' he said. The Badgers have finished in the Top 10 for 15 consecutive years, an NCAA record. "They are aware of that,'' Byrne said. "Is that fair? It's just the reality of being a Badger.'' He promptly added, "Our guys are aware of the tradition and they're embracing that.''
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Head coaches have a unique awareness, too. "As a coach, you can over-coach this meet; a lot of coaches do,'' Byrne said. Any race plan that he may have today may be completely different on Monday. "When you come into this meet,'' Byrne said, "anything can happen. Every single year some- thing goes right for some school and something goes wrong for a lot of schools.'' In other words — his own words — you can't worry about what you can't control. "We've accomplished great things so far this
year,'' Byrne said. "We're having a lot of fun and it's been a great ride. Ultimately, we're going to be judged by what happens out there next Mon- day.'' He might ask himself, "Can we live up expecta- tions that other people are putting on us?'' He probably already knows that answer. "Mick never puts much pressure on us,''
Ahmed said. "Every single one of us has the same goal and the same mindset and when you have that, it's beautiful.
"Good things are going to happen.''
