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T Ahmed's dream season continues on LUCAS AT LARGE MIKE LUCAS • UWBADGERS.COM here was Mohammed Ahmed's fifth-place finish in the NCAA cross country championship that helped spark Wisconsin to its fifth national team title the sport, and first since 2005. "One of the greatest moments of my life,'' he said. There was Ahmed's run in the 10,000 meters at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational that easily met the Olympic "A'' qualify- ing standard and broke the school record by nearly 30 seconds. "A lot of pressure was relieved from my shoulders,'' he said. There was Ahmed's win in the 5000 at the Big Ten outdoor cham- pionships that was a meet record and one of two first-place medals UW captured in winning its first crown since 2007. "The way we came together was true teamwork,'' he said. And there was Ahmed's seventh- place finish in the 5K at the NCAA outdoor meet that validated his All-America status a second time despite limited training because of an Achilles injury. "I wasn't happy with the way I finished, but running is a great metaphor for life,'' he said. In other words, you take the good with the very good — or the exceptional — in Ahmed's case. Given his list of individual and team accomplishments, what would rank at the top of his list? "Winning nationals as a team, that's number one,'' he said. "Cross country was a magical year. The 14 » VARSITY JUNE 21, 2012 title will be something I'll cherish for the rest of my life. It was a beau- tiful moment.'' Beautiful, he said, because of the chemistry with Elliot Krause, Ryan Collins, Reed Connor and Maver- ick Darling. Beautiful because it rewarded coach Mick Byrne with a much-deserved title. It was also beautiful, he said, be- cause of what it told him about his running skills. "Finishing fifth told me that I belonged at the top of the NCAA,'' Ahmed said. "That helped me a lot.'' Ahmed spent the indoor season "training very hard with the focus on going to the Olympics — and with my first race (the Payton Jor- dan) I got that out of the way.'' That's where the confidence gained from his success competing during the cross country season really kicked in — in what was, at the time in late April, the fastest 10,000 meters race in the world. "I thought to myself, 'If you can race with the guys in the NCAA, you can keep up with them, why not here?''' he said, convincing himself that "I can definitely do it.'' That confidence carried over to the outdoor season and the Big Ten meet in front of the home fans. "Everyone was doing it for the seniors,'' said Ahmed, a junior from St. Catharines, Ontario. Few, he noted, will ever forget senior Kyle Jefferson's true grit during his leg of the 4x400 relay. "The amount of toughness that he displayed is going to be his legacy,'' Ahmed said, "and some- thing we talk about every time we see each other or at team reunions. "It didn't take one person to win the Big Ten title. It took everybody. It took throwers, distance guys, sprinters. Everybody came togeth- er. It was a great feeling.'' Despite dealing with his Achil- les injury, Ahmed is feeling much better in advance of Sunday's departure for Calgary and the Ca- nadian Olympic Trials. He will race Wednesday in the 10,000 meters. Ahmed is one of two runners who met the "A'' qualifying stan- dard. The other, Cameron Levins, who won the Payton Jordan event and claimed two NCAA titles, will compete in only the 5000, though he will double at the Olympics. "Physically, I'm at a good spot; I'm not burned out yet, I still feel fresh,'' Ahmed said. "It's all mental now. And I'm going to treat this race just like it was any other race. "I've learned that you've got to use the nervousness to your advan- tage. It's good energy if you use it to get ready. I'm not putting this race on a pedestal just because it's the Olympic trials.'' Ahmed is looking forward to running for Canada in London. In a sense, the truest sense, he said, he would be also running for the Badgers. "Being a Wisconsin Badger,'' he said, "whether it's my identity on the track as a runner or that of a student, is something that is going to be a part of me forever and ever.''