Interview with Jason Crist
1/24/2012
By: Drake Sterling (via email)
Tell us a little about how your season went. It appeared that you got in good training and your workouts were going well, but you did not have the end of the season that you would have hoped for. What do you think you could have done different?
This past cross country season was a little bit of a mystery to me. I had tons of good workouts and I was in the best shape of my life heading into the season. I was winning some races on tired legs. I had also been putting on about 5-10 more miles per week than I had in the previous season, but that did not cause much fatigue. I came up very short of my expectations at the end of the season for seemingly no reason at all. So this is what I suspect happened: We had a weekend during the season where we didn't have a meet (I believe it was the weekend between Flashrock and Marion County) so we were able to train a little bit harder without sacrificing anything in a race. We put together some great workouts that week, but I may have pushed myself a little too hard. I went into that week feeling tired and came out even more tired. I never really felt the same after that week, so if I could go back, I would have gone a little easier that week.
What are your goals this track season? Obviously we know that you have been predominantly a miler (and a great one at that) thus far, but you did run an 8:59 2-mile last year at Arcadia. Franklin Central could also have a great 4x800. What event do you see as your main focus?
Last year, I didn't really focus on one event; I just kind of focused on completing the 1600-3200 double at the state meet. This year, I really want to focus on one event. I have been trying to win that 1600 state championship since my freshman year, but have ran into some really good guys. I really thought that last year was going to be my year to win it, until Austin Mudd burst onto the scene… no one was going to beat him. So I think the 1600 will be my focus at this point, but another 1600-3200 double or even a fresh 3200 isn't out of the question.
What was the college recruiting process like for you from start to finish? At the beginning, were you recruited by a lot of schools? What were your final few schools that you narrowed the search to? Did you take any visits to those schools?
All I could think about during the summer was July 1st, the first day college coaches could contact athletes by phone. I wasn't really sure what to expect. I had filled out a ton of questionnaires, so a lot of coaches had my number. I was actually in Florida on a family vacation on July 1st, so I didn't take any calls until after I got home. But in the first week or so, I think there were 13 schools that had contacted me. I was getting calls all the time, and it became nearly impossible to get anything done, especially when school started. I was already very stressed, but I had a plan to narrow down my list little by little by certain dates in the season. Going into the season, I had narrowed it down to about 6 or 7, and then I started planning official visits. I set up visits with Georgetown, Butler, and NC State, and made those visits during the season. I ended up visiting IU in mid-January. I kept the last visit open because I wasn't sure which school I would use it on. By the time the cross country season ended, I felt like I had it narrowed down to five colleges: those four that I visited or planned to visit, along with Purdue. At that point, it was just a matter of what I perceived on each visit, and how I felt about the school and being on campus. I decided to schedule my last official visit with Purdue for the weekend following my visit with IU.
What was the main reason for choosing IU over the other schools that you had been in contact with?
Like I said before, it was all just a matter of how I felt about each school and my gut instincts. When I was on campus with the team down at IU, I felt very comfortable with everything: the team, campus, education, program, just everything. I just knew that's where I wanted to be. IU is also one of the best health-science colleges in the country, so it would be great for what I intend to do (pre-physical therapy).
Was staying close to home a deciding factor in your recruitment?
Staying close to home wasn't a huge deal for me, but more so for my mom. Being close to home does however make transportation and everything much easier and faster.
Did the signings of Carl Smith and Tyeson Mundy have any influence on your decision to become a Hoosier?
I would be lying if I said that their signings didn't influence me. Those are two great runners that I believe will be able to develop and be just like the 5th year seniors that will be leaving IU's squad this year. Being on a good team is important to me, and I know both of those guys, as well as the other recruits, can make it a great team.
How do you think you will make the transition from the 5k to the college 8k and 10k? What do you see yourself specializing in long term? Mile? Steeple? 5k?
The change in distance for cross country may be one of the biggest challenges I will have to overcome. I have typically been a shorter distance guy, but I've worked hard to improve my longer distance running over the past few years. It will just take time for me to become acclimated to the higher intensity of training and the longer racing distances. I may not be able to contribute to the team right away, so a redshirt freshman year isn't out of the question. As for track, I don't think I have enough leg speed to be competitive in the 1500/mile at the next level. Everyone seems to think that I'm too short for the steeple, which may be true. So I think that I will be most successful in the 3k indoors and the 5k outdoors. But who knows, I might end up surprising myself!
If you could tell the younger athletes anything about the collegiate recruiting experience, what would it be?
The college recruiting process can be very stressful, but it is also very simple.
1) Fill out as many questionnaires from colleges as possible; you never know which schools or programs you might like until you see them or talk to the coach.
2) This one may be obvious, but make sure you visit a college before you commit to them; you don't want to be stuck on a campus you don't like for 4+ years.
3) Coach Kellison gave me the best advice of any I received. He asked me where I would go to college if I couldn't run anymore (ex. broken leg or something like that) and that should be the biggest deciding factor of all.
Thanks for talking with us, Jason. We at IR and the rest of the state will be cheering for you throughout the season and into your collegiate career!