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Show Saturday RMAC meet Hart seeks conference crown l i 'TSWM V g I r.v'-'-'v y4 - 7 -- f$'A'' A battle of strategy as well as a battle of physical ability is what Southern Utah State College's Keenan Hart expects Saturday in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference cross country championship meet. The overwhelming team favorite will be Adams State, the defending national champion. After that, RMAC coaches expect a free-for-all. Individually, Adams State has at least three . runners who figure to place high, and possibly five who are serious challengers for the individual in-dividual title in the five-mile five-mile run at Golden, Colo. That's where Hart comes into the picture. In meets this fall, Hart has won three firsts, a third and a fourth. He has met and defeated some of the Intermountain area's top cross country runners. Boyd Adams, SUSC cross country coach,' figures that Hart Could easily be a s surprise RMAC champion. "Adams State has several very good runners, run-ners, but I figure I have a very good chance to win the conference if I run up to my potential, if I run as well as I have run in other meets," Hart says. -Hart figures that he'll have some advantage because he'll be entering the race as an underdog. "They probably don't know anything about me, but I know an awfully lot about them," Hart says. He has also determined that the Adams State runners will have some advantage because they . .know and can use one another's strenghts during the strategy battle of the race. "Running a cross country race takes a lot more strategy than most people realize," Hart explains. "There are a number of ways to run a race, and there are wavs to exploit other runners psychologically." Hart does not like to be the early leader. His ideal race plan is to settle in about 10 yards behind the leaders for the first two or three miles. "I like to take the lead in the third or fourth mile and have control by the end of the fourth mile," Hart says. "I still don't have full confidence in my 'kick,' so I like to have about a 15 second lead (about 70 yards). Of course the lead you need to 'control' a race depends on who you are running against and how strong you are." Adams State runners have a reputation for setting a blistering early pace to build up big leads. "Then they hope they have the strength to hold the lead," Hart explains. Historically, Indian runners have had plenty left to win. Last year the individual national champion was Sam Montoya; he currently is Adams State's number three runner behind John Esquibel, and Pat Porter. "I hope I can keep from being t too conservative and not taking the lead when the chance is there, but I also want to keep from b being foolish and taking the lead too early," Hart explains. "That's all part of the strategy of the race." Adams State .runners have had times under 25 Kectian Hun. . , star S.U.S.C. runni-r minutes for a five-mile course this year and Hart figures "that's mighty good." Hart won the Orem Kiwanis In-.vitational In-.vitational this year in 23:45, but he figures that the course might have been as much as a quarter-mile short. But even with a short course, Hart's time would have been under the 25-minute barrier. Each morning, Hart runs five-to-six miles, and in addition he takes longer "between seven and 10 mile" runs. Twice a week he also works out on the track. "I feel strong and in good shape," Hart says. "I don't want to put my mind on it too much, but it may be almost as difficult to win the conference con-ference meet as it will the national meet!" Also competing for SUSC in the RMAC meet-will meet-will be Richard Adams, Cedar City; Dale Cable, West Jordan ; Eric Houle, Dugway; and Derek Lamb, Orderville. Hart is a junior from New Castle, Iron County. |