UTSA heads to the Southland Conference Cross Country Championships this Saturday in Corpus Christi. Under the direction of second-year coach Scott Slade, a young squad that features two seniors, one sophomore and five freshmen will take to the 8k course looking to improve upon last year’s seventh-place showing. Two runners ? senior Eric Miller and freshman Brandon Chiuminetta ? took time out of their busy schedule to sit down with Jeremy Jjemba of goUTSA.com and discuss several topics.
Eric Miller ? Sr. ? Seguin, Texas
How do you usually prepare for a cross country meet?
“Preparation usually begins the week before the actual meet. Our team usually begins the week with a series of hard workouts. Then as we get closer to the meet each one of us has to take care of themselves by getting plenty of rest. We have to eat right, too. In our sport you have to treat your rest days as your rest days, because we train all week long.
How does going through a cross country season prepare you for the track season?
“It gives me a good base as a mid-distance runner, because we do a lot of running in cross country. Therefore, when track season comes around I still have that foundation to help me out during my track meets both indoor and outdoor.”
What have you learned during the two years you have run under Scott Slade?
“He’s taught me a lot; mainly to be patient during the meets. I used to go out and run the first miles of the race really fast and hard hoping to get ahead, but at the end I would always fall short because I would be so tired to where I would end up placing low. He’s coached us to run in splits and to run in packs. That has worked out really well for me personally, because both my time and performance have improved tremendously under his coaching style.”
How exactly does the team run in a pack?
“I run in a pack with seven different guys and usually we stay together at least the first two or three miles of the race. It really helps because we take turns leading and directing each other during the meet, so our team can finish on top.”
The team obviously has goals to perform well and finish as high as possible at the Southland Conference Championships this Saturday. Do you have any personal goals for the race?
“Yes, I actually set my goals for conference while I was training in the summer. I would like to finish the meet anywhere in the top 20. That’s what I’ve hoped for all season long as a goal for the conference meet.
There are only two seniors on the team and you’re one of them. Everyone else is a freshman or sophomore. Does this bode well for the program’s future?
“Definitely. The fact that we have nine freshmen on our team is a great thing. For the last three years I’ve been a runner here, our team has never had nine people total on the team. That by itself is a great improvement to our program. The nine freshmen on the team are very talented. I have no doubt that they will all improve in the upcoming years, and hopefully they can all stay together because they are a very big part of our cross country program. With their talent, I can see them helping bring UTSA to a higher level of performance in the future.”
Being from just down the road in Seguin, how has it felt to run at UTSA?
“It has been great for me because when the meets are close by, my parents and friends have all came to see me compete. It is a great thing to have that because in college sports sometimes our friends and family are too far to come to the meets. My friends and family have been a great support over my running career here, so I’m glad to have had the opportunity to run collegiately so close to home.”
As you near the end of you career at UTSA, what are you going to miss most about running cross country?
“I am going to miss the brotherhood of being part of this team. We have been around each other all season, so we’ve all been good friends. We get to know each very well, especially on our long trips. It has been a great experience getting to know these guys. I’m going to miss running with them a lot.”
What are you plans after graduation?
“My hope is to get a job here in San Antonio. I’m an architect major, so hopefully I can get on with one of the firms here in town.”
Brandon Chiuminetta ? Fr. ? Dripping Springs, Texas
How has your overall college experience been so far here at UTSA?
“It’s been good, but it is definitely a new experience. It is a big switch from the small high school I went to back home. There are more people here, but my experience has been great. UTSA is a good school.”
What do you miss most about home?
“Friends mainly, but I’m making new ones here; especially my teammates.”
What do you do in your free time?
“I really don’t have that much free time yet. I run, sleep, study and eat. I don’t have time to do anything else.”
Have you chosen an area to major in yet?
“Right now I’m leaning towards criminal justice, but I’m still undeclared.”
How long have you been a runner and what made you decide to run here at UTSA?
“I have been running for about twelve years now. I chose to come run here at UTSA, because back home I really did not have a team. I also wanted to be part of a good cross country program where I can grow, like the one we have here at UTSA.”
What are some of the differences of competing on a collegiate level as opposed to your previous competitions in high school?
“I enjoy running cross country in college more than I did in high school because I find competition on this level fun and relaxing. Back in high school, we were all rivals of each other to a point where people did not even like you if you’re better than them. Competition on this level is different in that the people we compete against do it for the right reasons. That makes the meets more exiting and always something we look forward to.”
The cross country team is very young this year. How have the freshmen meshed with the rest of the team and what has been your role in all of that?
“Just like most sports, cross country is all about teamwork. We train together everyday as a team, and when we are running in a meet we run in packs pushing each other as hard as we can. The upperclassmen have been great in showing us what to expect as the season has gone by, and it’s great that all of the young guys have been able to gain so much real race experience as freshmen. It can only help the future as we build this program.”
How is the overall relationship between all the guys on the team?
“Everyone on the team gets along well, which is a great thing for us. We are able to look out for one another or help each other when needed. Since all us live on campus next to each other, we hang out together whenever we can.”
How has your experience been so far running under Scott Slade?
“It has been great so far, and I’m looking forward to working with Coach Slade as I move further into my running career here. He has shown me different ways to practice and prepare for meets. He has shown us that this is a team sport and to run in a pack with our teammates. That was not something I was used to doing when I ran in high school. I believe that is something great all nine freshmen have learned from him among many other things he’s taught us. He’s definitely trained our team very well and he’s a big reason we have a great relationship as a team.”
The conference meet is coming up on Saturday. What do you hope to see your team accomplish during this meet?
“We’ve trained and competed well all season long, therefore our main goal for Saturday is to compete well as a team and try to beat the guy in front of you. This is what all us have trained for since summer so we have one common goal, to do well.”
Do you have any personal goals you would like to accomplish Saturday?
“Yes, definitely. My main goal is to improve from my last week’s results. I have to do better Saturday than I did last time out, so that is what I’m hoping to accomplish on Saturday. The better each one of us does individually, the higher UTSA finishes in the team standings.”
