"He's definitely a team leader," said Duke cross country coach Norm Ogilvie, who has plenty of good things to say about Sean Kelly, the star senior on his team.
To say the least, this has been a great senior year for Kelly. He has been running well all season up to now, wh competitions really start to matter. The team is ranked 17th nationally going into the ACC Championships this Saturday in Clemson, S.C.
"Sean has the experience that no one else on the team has," Ogilvie said. "He's been to the NCAA Championships, and he's won an ACC individual title. He's certainly one of the better cross country runners in America right now, and he leads by example. He works harder than anybody else and that's why he's really good. He's definitely the backbone of the team."
But you don't have to take Ogilvie's word for it. Just take a look at Kelly's season results to date.
Kelly started out the season pacing the team at the Fordham Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, N.Y. He captured the individual title in the five-mile race with a time of 25:52, leading the Duke runners to a first-place finish.
Kelly then helped the Blue Devils place third at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Rock Hill, S.C., an impressive result given the strong 29-team field. He ran the eight-kilometer course in a time of 24:12:10 to finish fourth at the Festival. Kelly earned ACC Cross Country Performer of the Week during consecutive weeks in September for his performances in those two meets.
Just last week, Duke placed eighth out of 36 teams in the Gold Race at the pre-NCAA meet held at Furman. Once again, Kelly led his team with a ninth-place finish, completing the course in 24:34.
"The meets we're going to are essential," Ogilvie said. "At the Minnesota meet, 14 of the top 25 teams in the country were at that meet. It's very hard to be at the top. It just illustrates how well Sean is doing."
This year's ACC Championships will be crucial for Kelly. He will be expected to pace Duke as well as defend his own ACC Championship title.
"Of course he's going to pace the team because he's the best guy," Ogilvie said. "And it's not even like it's close. He's by far the best guy on the team."
At the ACC meet, Kelly will face two runners who are equal to, if not better than, himself. These men are All-American Chris Dugan, a senior from N.C. State, and Nathan Sisco, a junior, from No. 14 Wake Forest.
Sisco is currently one of the best cross-country runners in the ACC. Like Kelly, he has won ACC Cross Country Performer of the Week twice, virtually splitting the award with Kelly during the season.
"[Sean] is the defending ACC Champion. Whether he wins or not, this year is going to be difficult because there are two other [runners] that have risen up and are definitely as good as Sean," Ogilvie said. "Sisco, who is running phenomenally well right now, has beaten Sean head-to-head twice. So for Sean to capture the individual title would be a mild upset. However, he's ranked third in the ACC and he still would be one of the top-20 runners in the country."
Regardless of where Kelly finishes this year, he will undoubtedly lead the Blue Devils in the ACC Championships next week. During his four years at Duke, he has become the team's premier runner.
"He's everything that a coach could want. He's a hard worker, he's a leader and he's come from a long way back," Ogilvie said. "He struggled as a freshman and had a tough time. By the end of his freshman year, he was worn out. And now, four years later, he's one of the best guys in the country. It's a great story. He's the kind of guy that we show off to other recruits."
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