Dec. 14, 1999

by Alan Wasielewski

Ryan Shay has accomplished many of the goals he set for himself since arriving on campus in 1997. A junior on the Notre Dame men’s cross country team, Shay had a shot at the top goal on that list – becoming a national champion. He and his teammates traveled to Bloomington, Ind., on Monday, Nov. 22, for the national championship meet. Shay ran with some of the best collegiate harriers in the country and became an All-American in the men’s championship race after placing 12th.

Constantly demanding more of himself, Shay was not satisfied with that 12th-place finish.

“I am a little disappointed actually,” Shay said after the 10K race he ran in 30:46.10. “I thought I was in good position halfway through the race but I got a cramp in my side. By the time it went away, I had fallen to far back to catch the leaders. I just tried to pick people off one by one.”

His All-American honor was just another chapter in the story of accomplishments Shay put together in the 1999 cross country season. He finished no lower than fourth in the five meets prior to the NCAA championship. He started the season with his third consecutive victory in as many tries at the National Catholic meet becoming the first male runner to win the title three times in the 20- year history of the meet. The Notre Dame Invitational was next, bringing with it some of the top competition in the country. Shay led Notre Dame to a third-place finish and became the first Irish runner to win the individual title since Bill Clark in 1964. The Pre-National meet, held on the same course as the national championship, was Shay’s next challenge. It provided the best competition of the year to that point for Shay, who would finish fourth in the highly-ranked field.

“This year is the first year I felt I have improved every single race,” Shay said. “My freshman year, I felt I made it to the halfway point and fell backward. Last year, I thought I made it a little past the halfway point but fell backward again. This is the first year I felt I have improved at good increments the entire season.”

Shay flashed signs of that improvement at the 1999 BIG EAST championship meet. He became the first Irish runner to win the BIG EAST individual title and helped the Irish capture its second team BIG EAST title since 1995. Shay relishes this victory a little more than the others because it gave him a little piece of revenge on a BIG EAST-rival.

“That victory was satisfying because Keith Kelly from Providence had beat me in the 10,000 meters during the BIG EAST track season,” Shay explained. I had led all 24 laps until the last one when he outkicked me. The (cross country race) was exciting because it was a come from behind victory for me. Kelly had a 100-meter lead after we came out of the first set of turns in the woods. I knew if I could close half the distance in the open, I could catch him during the second series of trails in the woods. Eventually I did overtake him to win the race.”

Shay would continue his string of impressive runs with a second-place finish at the District IV meet in Terre Haute, Ind. Again, his high finish allowed the Irish to lock up a bid to the national championship meet.

The team invitation completed a team goal the Irish had set since not receiving a spot in the NCAA field last season. It marked the first time since 1991 the Irish did not attend the national meet. It provided Shay and his teammates the perfect motivation over a summer of training.

“I am so proud of the team,” Shay said. “We basically have the same team from last year. We went into the season with a chip on our shoulder – we wanted to prove to people that last year was a fluke and we have done that. It is a credit to the work the guys put in over the summer. Our goals were to strengthen ourselves for an at-large bid at the pre-nationals, win the BIG EAST, and get an invitation to the national meet. We did it all.”

Shay has the unique ability to enter a cross country race with a clear plan and execute it. He knows exactly what it takes to win each race.

“Cross country, you have to approach it as picking someone in the field that you have to beat,” Shay said. “Times are irrelevant because of the different courses. You have to pick out the best guy in the race and stick with him. About halfway through the race I can decide if I can go with the best runners or hold back. Our team strategy is to go out a little conservative and start to pick people off as they get tired.”

Shay’s 12th-place finish enabled the Notre Dame team to finish eighth at the NCAA Championship. The team was not initially satisfied with the placing, but coach Joe Piane knows that is just their competitive fire showing itself.

“I think, each athlete will tell you he could have run better (in the NCAA meet),” Piane said. “But isn’t it great to be disappointed in eighth place? There are over 300 cross country teams in the nation, to be the eighth-best is a great accomplishment.”