They are involved in dramatically different sports conducted in different seasons. They come from different parts of the country and will never be mistaken for each other.
But sinewy cross country runner Alec Wall '07 and six-foot-five basketball forward Jason Meyer '06 have a couple of important things in common: both hit speed bumps on the way to what they hope will be terrific senior seasons, and both believe that a critical component for the squads they captain is that four-letter word "team."
Listen to Wall, an All-Ivy League performer last year while helping Dartmouth win the Heptagonal Cross Country Championships and finish 15th in the NCAA Championships, talk about what it will take for the Big Green to get back to nationals in Terra Haute, Ind., in late November.
"It's going to be us coming together as a cohesive unit," he says. "Obviously we have a returning All-American and a defending Heps champion in Ben True '08, so he's going to play a big part in our success, but cross country is a true team sport. You are only as good as your fifth man, and your sixth and seventh are there to displace other teams."
Now listen to Meyer talk about the real advantage gained with the Big Green basketball team's six-game tour of Costa Rica in early September: "We definitely came closer together as a team, which is going to help us this season," he says.
Men's Basketball: Optimism Reigns
With a 16-player roster featuring just two seniors and three juniors, Coach Terry Dunn knew a little seasoning could pay huge dividends for the coming campaign. Better make that a little preseasoning in the form of 10 days of practice followed by six games over five days in Costa Rica that also included white-water rafting and hanging on for dear life from a zip line strung 100 feet off the jungle floor.
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"The trip was beneficial for us in that we are a young team, and I thought we needed the experience prior to the upcoming season," Dunn says. "It allowed us to look at a lot of guys in a different light, rather than during the season. Also, it allowed us to spend some time as a group away from campus, which was good in terms of team-building.
Among those who blossomed on the trip was Meyer, who has battled foot problems virtually his entire career. Dunn was pleased with how he performed.
"I was able to see Jason Meyer play the way he was capable of playing," Dunn says. "I told him it was nice to see the old Jason back. I remember looking at a tape of how he played versus Ohio State. I was continually looking for that guy to surface. We saw glimpses of that in Costa Rica."
Says Meyer, "It's been quite a while since I've felt this good because I was always rehabbing. This summer I really got after it in the weight room and I'm feeling the way I did before I got hurt."
Like his coach, Meyer is optimistic about what lies ahead. "We definitely have a challenging schedule with some big names on it," he says. "But it really helps that we had this time together that a lot of other teams didn't have. I think we are ready to surprise some people."
Memories yet to be made this winter will coalesce over time with those brought back from Central America.
"The image that will be forever locked in my mind is seeing Coach Dunn's face when we were in the rapids white-water rafting," says Meyer. "It was priceless."
As was the trip, according to Dunn. "We worked hard but we had a lot of fun. We came away as a team with a good feeling about ourselves and about the upcoming season."
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Cross Country: Lofty Goals
The first national poll that came out this fall had Dartmouth 17th in the nation, bookended between Ohio State and Michigan. That's heady company indeed, but the hungry Big Green wants more.
"Last year we were happy just to get to the NCAAs," says coach Barry Harwick '77. "This year if we just qualify and don't finish higher than last year there will be a certain sense of disappointment because we have virtually everybody back from last year."
This includes True, an All-American in both cross country and Nordic skiing, Steve Mucchetti '07, Harry Norton '08, Matt Davis '08, and Ian Marcus '07.
Fitting into the mix this year is surprising Pat Dooley '08, who ran for Army at West Point before transferring to Dartmouth. Dooley hit the ground running with a fourth-place finish in the season-opening Dartmouth Invitational, but if he ever struggles with the adjustments that come with transferring, he doesn't have to look far for advice.
Wall, his cocaptain, has never looked back since transferring last year from Oregon.
"I went there essentially to run," he admits. "Focusing completely on running wasn't working for me. Guys are just as serious about running here, but the academics are more rigorous. Coming to Dartmouth was one of the best decisions of my life."
By BRUCE WOOD
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