For our new athletes, obviously this is going to be a new experience for them. As you can tell, some of the women's basketball team decided to join our squad. Their main focus is to get in shape for basketball. But it will be exciting to have a full women's team to compete at our meets.

I'm glad we got the first race under our belt. Some of our kids really didn't know what to expect. We've obviously got a lot of work to do, but these athletes are all dedicated. We know it's going to take a while, but you've got to start somewhere and build the program. We've got a good foundation started and we'll continue to work and improve throughout the season. Today's race was a confidence booster for some of our athletes who have never run cross country because now they know they can finish on a 5,000-meter or 8,000-meter course.

When it comes to all-around athletes, I don't think anyone compares to Jim Thorpe. Sports was his entire life.

The proceeds from the auction helps add to the overall experience of our student athletes. It goes toward bats, balls, field maintenance and the general well-being of the program.

It was a frightening experience.

It was such a beautiful day. The 18 athletes who went had a great experience, since we hadn't seen a track yet. It was spring break, so 18 is about half of them, so that was great. We went down there a day early to practice.