Q & A With Distance Coach Matt Roe
Roe Talks About the 2006 Season and LBSU's Future

December 5, 2006

Your program just completed the best two-year run in school history. Is this something you expected to accomplish so soon in your career at LBSU?

"Though it is incredibly difficult for me, I try not to fixate on place and achievement. My main focus when I got to Long Beach was to do everything I could to shape the culture of the program. That was my same goal at Western Illinois. I wanted to eliminate anything that would get in the way of the program improving and being competitive. I feel really good about our group and how we have grown. We have a lot of work to do, but we have a much stronger culture in how we train, race, prepare, and perceive ourselves."

The women finished second at conference tying the 1989 squad for the best finish in school history. Talk a little bit about their performance at the Big West Championships.

"For me, certainly, and for the girls on some level our conference performance was a bit of a relief. We have fired on most cylinders every time we have raced over the past two falls. But when we needed to be completely on to reach our objective we had come up just a touch short. With the conference arguably tougher than it has ever been coupled with a hot, tough course, it was great timing for four seniors and a young group backing them to put it all together. It was an enjoyable van ride home from the course."

Jenessa Botello was the top finisher for the women at the West Regional meet. Talk a little about Jenessa and her performance at Regionals.

"I cannot say enough good things about Jenessa. She has come a long way in her year and a half here. She is the most consistent runner in the program. Jenessa always delivers. Prior to regionals, if I could be critical of her in any area it would be that she had yet to have a breakout performance. We talked about that prior to the race, and agreed that it was time to take some calculated risks. She ran the best race of her life when it counted most. I think that speak volumes about her."

Wolhan Ovalle proved that he is a great runner by finishing 32nd at Regionals. Did you expect Wolhan to step in and take on the role of LBSU's No. 1 runner as well as he did?

"It's interesting how Wolhan got to where he is. If Wolhan had a normal build-up with a good summer training base his regional would not have surprised me. However, he hurt himself this summer swimming in the ocean and barely trained at all until September. His progress in the ten weeks we had was remarkable. Consistency will yield great results for Wolhan and that is what we are focusing on with him for the spring. With a big training block, Wolhan will have a reasonable shot at being a regional qualifier and our outdoor school record holder in the 5000 meters, and a dangerous runner in the 10000 meters."

Why didn't you race your top men throughout the year? What was your philosophy and strategy behind that decision?

"We were in dire straits when pre-season started. Outside of losing two of the best runners we have ever had here, our top two returnees were dealing with injuries, and we had some new untested faces. I knew we had only one strategy to have a remote chance of being successful in the post-season. We just scrapped everything to focus on conference and regionals. The guys did an outstanding job of buying into this approach. We just focused on every day getting better and gaining ground. It really was a race against time more than anything else. Our top guys raced at Stanford halfway though our training cycle to get an indicator of where we were fitness wise. Then we went back to work for a month. In the end, finishing a strong 12th in a region that sent nine teams to NCAA's was an impressive feat for where we had been two months previous."

Of the seven seniors, five have run all-time top-10 marks in their careers at Long Beach State. Talk about this senior class and their impact on the program.

"The impact of the seniors will be greater than what they have simply achieved on the course and on the track. I continuously underscore for them the importance of their mentorship to the younger members of the program, and what that will mean for the future. I really hope they can take pride in what they have achieved here. They have laid a nice foundation for future success. In the end, I believe that will be their greatest contribution."

The men's and women's performances in the last two years have made Long Beach State the most improved program in the country. How do you follow such a huge feat and what are your expectations for the 2007 season?

"We definitely need to continue to upgrade our talent level. For us to take the next step towards a national level program we have to combine our improved habits with talent like we have in the program right now. This will be quite a challenge. The good news is that people are beginning to recognize that our program is about development as a student and athlete. Our improvement is an attractive quality that plays nicely with an improved track program and a school that has so much to offer."