Photo courtesy of Carter Cloyd.
On Nov. 23, Mike LeDuc ’14 won the NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country Championship in Hanover, Indiana, finishing the 8 kilometer race with a time of 24:29. This victory marks him as the first Conn Cross Country athlete to win a national title.
The race was a close one. Leduc managed to stay near the front early on, and, at mile 3, he made his move and took the lead for the first time. At the 3.5-mile mark, LeDuc and John Crain of North Central College were neck and neck.
“I wasn’t surprised to be close to Crane at the finish, but I was certainly concerned,” said LeDuc. “Once it was down to just the two of us I tried to bluff a little bit: push pretty hard with 300m left, knowing I couldn’t maintain it through the finish, but just hoping he would fall apart before I did. After he fell off the pace a little bit, I just tried to bury him before he could give it another go.”
LeDuc’s tactics paid off, as, with about 300 meters to go, he kicked ahead, beating Crain by 4 seconds and winning the national title.
LeDuc’s success earned him the recognition of being named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III Men’s National Athlete of the Year.
“The Division III National Championship was the culmination of my cross country career. All of the work my teammates and I put in throughout the years paid off in a big way,” said LeDuc.
This victory was a continuation of LeDuc’s winning streak: He also won the NCAA Division II Regional Champsionship and the NESCAC Championship earlier in the season, along with winning the 3000 meter steeple chase at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship this past spring.
Men’s Cross Country Coach Jim Butler was more than pleased with LeDuc’s performance throughout the season. “I’ve been coaching 27 years, been around 45 years as an athlete or coach, and I have never seen a season like Mike has had.”
Prior to the race, Butler had confidence in LeDuc’s abilities: “I was certainly hoping Mike would win,” said Butler. “To some degree, I expected it based on his past performances.”
LeDuc also had confidence in himself. “Going into the race I knew I had a good chance of winning,” said LeDuc. “I thought I was mentally and physically capable of winning and I set out to prove it to myself.”
Butler thought that this self-confidence played an important role in his win. “We focused on making sure he raced with confidence,” said Butler. “You can’t shy away, you have to embrace the burden and expectations, and Mike was very willing.”
During the race, LeDuc had the support of his teammates, Niall Willaims ‘16, Michael Joyce ‘15, Ben Bosworth ‘17, members of the Men’s Cross Country Team, and Anna Guay ‘17, a member of the women’s team, who drove 13 hours through the night in order to watch their teammate race at nationals.
When asked about his teammates support, LeDuc said, “It made all the difference for me, really. Having the support of my teammates has always helped me to perform well when it counts.”
In addition to his teammates, LeDuc the support of spectators. According to Reilly, as Mike ran down the home stretch, “All of the Tufts and Washington University spectators were chanting ‘Mike LeDuc’ along with us, probably from 50 to 75 people. It’s unbelievable the amount of support Mike has inside and outside of the NESCAC. Mike is a champion through and through.”
As track season approaches, LeDuc hopes his success carries over: “I am hoping to stay at the same competitive level and improve…in every distance. I would love to see us get a Distance Medley Relay to nationals and set a school record in the process.” In terms of the team as a whole, LeDuc hopes they “improve [their] standing in the NESCAC, one of the most competitive conferences in the country.” •
