How has this fall, under Coach Keegan Wilkinson, differed from your previous three under former coach Scott Nelson?
The past three years Coach Nelson had us in a routine where we pretty much knew what we were going to do every day in practice. He put us through a lot of the same drills every day which definitely helped us get better, but at the same time it got very repetitive and at times boring. This year Coach Wilks has done a great job of mixing it up and keeping us on our toes as far as adding something new to the mix every practice. He moved our practices to the other side of campus to Gartland Field, which requires us to run across campus to the weight room after practice so we are also getting some extra cardio in daily. This fall has been very refreshing for a lot of us older guys who had been doing the same thing the past couple of years and I think the attitude that Coach Wilks brings to the table just has everyone a bit more energized than we were in previous seasons, he definitely wants to see his players succeed.
Now that you are a Senior, and a returning Captain, how has your role changed this fall as far being a leader is concerned?
No matter what year you are, you want to be a leader. I've tried to lead since Freshman year, just by going out there and playing hard and trying to lead by example, but as a younger player you always look at the upperclassmen to see how they carry themselves. Now that I am a Senior I know that I need to lead every single day because the way I carry myself and the way I prepare is setting an example for the younger players. It's been a very tough year for the team, losing our friend and teammate Eddie Coombs, but I think as a result of what we've gone through together we are a much closer team and have become a family. The mutual respect we all have for each other allows everyone on the team to be a leader, so I don't think all of the leadership responsibility rests on the shoulders of the Seniors.
Having participated in a number of scrimmages this fall, what impressed you most about this team that you didn't see last year?
When you play in these fall scrimmages, the final score of the game isn't as important as the way your team plays, and I think our squad played well throughout this fall season. Going into these scrimmages we didn't know what our identity was going to be, very few teams do this early on, but I think eventually we found our identity, which is a hard-working, scrappy team that is going to out-hustle our competition. The thing that impressed me the most about our team is that even when we were playing against bigger and stronger competition, we out-worked them and beat them to all of the ground balls. We certainly have areas that need improving but I think we had a very good showing in most all of our scrimmages and it gives us a good foundation to move forward with.
Now that there are no more scrimmages this season, what does the rest of the fall have in store for the team?
The schedule certainly isn't as grueling as it was a couple weeks ago, but we are still working every day. We have team lifts four days a week and full practice twice a week. Now that we do not practice as often as we used to, our lifting is taken more seriously and we spend a lot more time in the weight room getting our bodies right for the regular season.
What types of things is the team working on in the weight room? Is is strictly weight training, or is there also a cardio aspect involved?
We do a bit of everything and Coach Clancy (Strength and Conditioning Coach) does a great job of mixing it up and keeping it fun and interesting for us. This year we are doing something new as a team where we split up into teams of five, with each team having a Senior player as their leader. There's about eight teams all together, and for the rest of the semester our teams will be competing against each other in all different types of training activities, whether its push-ups, bench press, cardio exercises, and even basketball tournaments. The winning team gets their first choice of lockers in the spring which is something that everyone on the team wants, so it gives us something to get excited about and gives us incentive to always go hard when we get in the weight room.
Now, more than halfway through the fall semester, what are your expectations for this team next semester in the spring season?
I'm very excited about this team and I think we have a chance do something very special. The goal is always to win the MAAC conference and that hasn't changed. We've come close the past couple of years and I know that myself and the other guys are not satisfied with anything less than a conference championship. All of the work we are putting in now gets us to that point, and I would consider it a failure if we don't win a championship.
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