The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men's Cross Country's team attitude is what has them competing at nationals
11.20.2009 | XC: Men_Old, Track & Field / Cross Country
Nov. 20, 2009
Ryan Graney, Texas Media Relations
As the Texas men's cross country team gears up for the NCAA Championship meet in Terre Haute, Ind., the runners have had a chance to reflect on the strides they've made in just one season. A year ago, the Longhorns' cross country season ended without a berth in the NCAA meet. With a team that had a mix of veterans and youngsters returning, assistant coach John Hayes understood that his team had the talent to perform at a much higher level.
In the offseason, the Longhorn men made it a point of emphasis to be a more cohesive unit. Hayes knew that the team needed some changes in order for that to come to fruition.
"At the end of last cross country season, it was a horrible feeling," Hayes said. "I didn't like not having the team at nationals. I didn't like how we performed. I didn't like how we performed off the track. I said to the guys, 'I never want to feel this again. We don't want to feel this in 365 days.'"
With strong guidance from its coach, the Texas runners have turned their fortune to become one of just 31 teams nationally to qualify for Monday's national meet. In order to earn an automatic bid to nationals, a team must finish in the top two of its regional. The Longhorn men did just that as they finished in second position at the South Central Region Championship in Waco.
The seven runners who clinched the NCAA berth, Habben Berhane, Brian Rhodes-Devey, Rob Wetzel, Brock Simmons, Rory Tunningley, Bradley Lowry and Austin Roth, each provide a unique set of attributes that makes the Longhorn men click so well. These Longhorns represent a distinctive team that, despite its individual differences, displays an amount of camaraderie that many of these athletes have never experienced before.
"Last year, it was freshmen hanging out with freshmen, seniors hanging out with seniors," sophomore Rory Tunningley said. "No one was really hanging out together."
But, this year, they've come together to form a group that Berhane likes to call "The Redeem Team." Each athlete fills a role within the team and that camaraderie is the driving factor in the Horns' recent success.
"They're a good group of guys," Hayes said. "They're a goofy group of guys, and they're a lot of fun to hang out with."
Here is a look at the seven runners that helped UT secure a spot at the NCAA meet:
Habben Berhane: "The Eternal Freshman"
Berhane is the only senior of the seven Longhorns. His team-best fourth-place finish at the South Central Region Championships helped the Texas men to the NCAA meet.
Small in stature, the senior is known by members of the team as "the eternal freshman."
"He's physically small, and he looks really young," Rhodes-Devey said. "The joke has always been that he's still a freshman. He always does real quirky things. He'll wear long pants and no shirt or long sleeves and short shorts. One time on the way to practice, he ate an entire bell pepper. Habben does a lot of stuff you can't explain. Then, he goes out there and absolutely kills it. He must be doing something right."
Rob Wetzel, one of Berhane's closest friends on the team, understands why Berhane, a four-time Academic All-Big 12 selection, is considered "the eternal freshman."
"Habben is a great student, but he's not that street smart," Wetzel joked. "He gets lost sometimes. That's why a lot of people think he's a four-year freshman."
Brian Rhodes-Devey: "The Glue"
One of three juniors, Brian Rhodes-Devey was asked by coach Hayes after last season to be a leader for the distance group. Up for the challenge, the Slingerlands, N.Y. native has taken on a vocal leadership role for the Longhorns.
While being one of the Longhorns' most consistent runners throughout the season, Rhodes-Devey, who is the self-described "mother goose" of the team, has been a strong emotional leader.
"BRD looks over all of us," Wetzel said. "We definitely couldn't do it without him. He's a great encourager. He's a great guy, a great teammate. When we're on the line, he's the guy that's screaming, 'Who do you run for?' We all yell back, 'Texas!'"
Rhodes-Devey embraces his role as a leader.
"I've really done my best to be there for the guys," Rhodes-Devey said. "Just being able to vocalize what everyone's feeling. We're working hard for each other. We're out here killing ourselves for each other. I want to make sure everyone is fired up before races. I want to make sure everyone knows they're doing it for a reason. I think it's helped a lot, and it's an honor to be able to get these guys fired up about running for The University of Texas."
Rob Wetzel: "The Wise One"
Wetzel, a junior from Crofton, Md., is another runner who was singled out by coach Hayes to take on a leadership role. While Rhodes-Devey is the vocal and emotional leader, Wetzel performs his role more by example.
"Rob Wetzel is a leader in a more quiet way," Hayes said. " At the end of last track season, we decided to talk about a few guys stepping up as the leaders and he was one that I wanted to be a leader on the team."
Habben Berhane, one of Wetzel's roommates, described him as "laid back" and "logical."
"I've heard other guys say, Rob doesn't talk much, but when he says something it's normally pretty important," Berhane said.
"I do like to critique people and make sure people are well-rounded, not only in running," Wetzel said. "I'll give guidance to the freshmen. I want everyone to balance academics and personal life, be great at life as well as running."
Brock Simmons: "The Texan"
As a runner, Simmons has battled injuries to make it to the position where he was able to help his team make it to the national meet. In his third year on campus, the redshirt sophomore has finally been able to compete for an entire season and the results have been strong as he was the Longhorns' top finisher at the Princeton Invitational, taking third place overall.
"Brock is interesting," Lowry said. "He's hard to categorize. He loves hunting. He always brings these stories. He's like the Texan of the group. It's the hunting."
Now that he has been on campus for a few years, Simmons is becoming more comfortable as a collegiate runner.
"Brock especially has been able to come out and kind of be more of who he is," Hayes said. "It's allowed him to race better. It's allowed him to be more confident around all the members of the team."
Rory Tunningley: "The Competitor"
Constantly one of the Longhorns' top scorers, Rory Tunningley brings a strong competitive attitude to the team. As a freshman, Tunningley had an up and down season, but in his second year, he has settled into one of the most reliable performers on the roster.
"Rory is pretty fiery," Hayes said. "He's a good athlete and he's really matured a lot in how he races and how he looks at races. He has made a huge turnaround and that's helping him race a lot better this year. He doesn't accept certain behavior from people. He'll lash out if somebody's kind of stepping out."
Habben Berhane has noticed Tunningley's fiery attitude, as well.
"Rory has this edge," Berhane said. "He was like that as a freshman too. Rory popped in and had that edge."
Bradley Lowry: "The Brain"
In addition to being a strong long-distance runner, Bradley Lowry has been able to maintain a perfect 4.0 GPA in petroleum engineering in the previous two semesters. Known by his teammates as "Big Bad Brad," he was named first-team Academic All-Big 12 in both the 2009 track and field and cross country seasons.
Lowry admits that he has a very competitive nature, and that manifests itself both in the classroom and on the cross country course.
"Brad is a maniac," Rhodes-Devey said. "He'll one up you in anything you do. You can throw a ball 100 feet; he can throw it 110 feet. He's also incredibly intelligent. We'll be talking, and he'll drop some incredible knowledge on us. It's really helped him, because he's very competitive. It really helps in running, because you're constantly trying to better yourself."
Habben Berhane jokingly described Lowry as the brain of the team.
"He's the guy who can get things done in the classroom," Berhane said. "If you need help with your homework, you go to Brad."
Austin Roth: "The Kid"
The only freshman of the seven, Austin Roth is known by his teammates as the kid. Although his teammates like to give him a hard time for being the youngest, Roth embraces his role.
"I think it's cool that they're able to joke with me," Roth said. "I respect it, because I take it as a compliment."
Coach Hayes appreciates the immediate impact that Roth has been able to make.
"I keep calling him the kid," Hayes said. "Austin is doing a great job. He loves being at Texas, he's great for our program, and he will undoubtedly be someone who is contributing for The University."
"I think we treat him as the kid because he's young," Simmons said. "He's the only freshman to make the top seven, and we respect that. He's been really consistent this year."
With a mix of different personalities, it is evident that the Longhorn men truly enjoy running for one another. They completely embrace the team concept, and they believe that is what has helped them achieve their goals.
"This year, the whole theme has been running for others rather than just yourself," Tunningley said. "When you're out there competing, you're not running for yourself, you're running for your boys that have been working all year for you. You don't want to disappoint them. You don't want to disappoint your coach."
Rhodes-Devey sees a special characteristic in this team that he feels separates them from their opponents. The junior described the team's pre-race ritual.
"A lot of teams stand in a circle and put their hands in the middle, but we stand with our arms around each other," Rhodes-Devey said. "We're inches away. It feels a lot more personal."
The way the team prepares to race is a perfect symbol of the Longhorns' attitude. They race for each other and they race for their university. The selflessness and camaraderie of the Texas men has been on display all season. It will be again when they take to the course on Monday at the national meet, the place they've collectively been looking to reach for the last 365 days.