Nov. 18, 2003
Contact: Amanda Brickell
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'xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = 'urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags' />HAMILTON, N.Y. ‘ Just a few short months ago, Xavier deBoissezon was contemplating taking a semester off. The 51·çÁ÷ cross country captain has battled injury after injury throughout his career and last summer was no different. Nursing what was believed to be a stress fracture that would sideline him for the upcoming cross country season, deBoissezon considered spending the semester in Geneva, Switzerland where his parents reside.
Luckily, the injury was less serious than initially thought and deBoissezon was able to return to 51·çÁ÷ to compete. No one, including 51·çÁ÷ head cross country coach Art McKinnon, could have predicted that deBoissezon would go on to claim a spot in the NCAA Cross Country Championship race. The New Jersey native’s ride to the pinnacle of college cross country competition was anything but smooth, but like many great athletes, deBoissezon took disappointment in stride and kept on running through it all (sometimes over 100 miles a week).
deBoissezon started off the season with first place finishes at the Harry Lang Invitational and a double-dual meet against Boston University and Northeastern. Both were impressive victories, but his first true challenge came at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational in Chicago. ‘Xavier obviously progressed a lot over the course of the season,’ said McKinnon, ‘but Chicago was really the first chance we had to see how he stacked up against great competition.’ deBoissezon did not disappoint. He placed sixth out of nearly 480 runners and was tabbed the Patriot League’s Runner of the Week for his outstanding performance.
The senior Raider carried his success into the Lafayette Invitational and brought home the gold and his second straight Patriot League Runner of the Week Award. That’s when the tables turned. Two weeks after running an impressive race at Lafayette, deBoissezon returned to that same course as a favorite to challenge for the Patriot League title. Unexpectedly warm temperatures coupled with an overzealous start took its toll and deBoissezon fell to 13th in the field, and watched his dreams of winning a Patriot League title dashed.
Fortunately, deBoissezon didn’t throw in the towel, but instead laced up his running shoes and looked forward to the NCAA Region I qualifier. ‘The Patriot League race knocked my confidence down a bit, but I think it may have been a blessing in disguise, said deBoissezon. ‘If I had gone into the NCAA Regional with a Patriot League title, I might have come out overconfident. Instead, I came out a little more conservatively and ran a smarter race.’ The senior runner crossed the finish line seventh overall and sealed a berth to the NCAA Cross Country Championship at the University of Northern Iowa on Mon., Nov. 24.
‘Cross country is a very mental sport,’ said deBoissezon. ‘I don’t think I’m necessarily physically better than I was at the beginning of the season, but I’m definitely mentally tougher.’ deBoissezon will rely on the toughness he’s developed through both success and disappointment as he heads to Northern Iowa to compete in hopes of earning All-America honors. ‘The whole thing has been so surreal,’ said deBoissezon. Reaching the championship is a huge accomplishment in itself, but Xavier doesn’t want the dream to end here. He is hoping for a storybook ending to his season that almost wasn’t.