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By David Boyce  |  Northwest Cross Country at NCAA Regionals  |  Saturday, Nov. 4  |  Kearney, Neb.
Women at 11 a.m.  |  Men at 12:15 p.m.   |  Live Statistics

MARYVILLE, Mo. - Senior Sammy Laurenzo was a bit reluctant to confirm a fact from her cross country coach Scott Lorek that she has never received a B at Northwest Missouri State
 
"Yes. I am a nerd," said Laurenzo with a giggle.
 
The more accurate term by Laurenzo is a perfectionist.
 
"If I am not giving 100 percent of my effort, I feel guilty," Laurenzo said. "I am always trying to give my 100 percent because I know I will beat myself up about it if I don't. I have done that on more than one occasion."
 
This brief exchange midway through a telephone interview Wednesday evening explains why Laurenzo initially talked about how she was disappointed in her season. She is preparing for what could be her last cross country meet as a collegian.
 
Northwest women's and men's cross country teams will compete Saturday in Kearney, Neb., in the Central Regional. The top runners will advance to NCAA Division II Championships Nov. 18 in Evansville, Ind.
 
Laurenzo was the top finisher for the Bearcats at the MIAA Championships on Oct. 21, placing 23^rd out of 104 runners.
 
"I was disappointed because last year I finished 10^th and ran a lot faster last time," Laurenzo said. "I don't think I have done very well at all this season. It has been kind of rough."
 
Laurenzo believes that she could always do better. It has made her a unique student-athlete for Lorek to coach.
 
"With all my runners, I work hard to try to figure them out from a running standpoint," Lorek said.
 
Laurenzo, Lorek said, believes each race she should run better than her previous competition. But it doesn't work that way in cross country. Sometimes, you will have a tough week of training, and you aren't in peak physical form to run as fast as you like at a meet.
 
For Laurenzo, she has been hampered by an injury this fall. It has prevented her from duplicating some of her marks from last season.
 
"There is a reason, but it has been very frustrating anyway," she said. "Honestly, the season has not turned out like pictured it or hoped it would turn out. I am trying to use that to pull out a good race."
 
The good news for the Central Regional is Laurenzo said she is the healthiest she has been all season. Regardless of how she will perform on Saturday, Laurenzo will relish her time at the meet. She enjoys competing and then meeting runners from other schools.
 
Yes, during the race, they are the enemy. Laurenzo wants to finish ahead of as many of the competing runners as possible.
 
"My favorite part is getting to know all the people who run cross country at different schools," Laurenzo said. "Everybody is super nice. I have friends on other teams, Missouri Southern, UCM and all the teams in our conference."
 
Lorek wants Laurenzo and all the other seniors for Northwest to have the best race possible.
 
"I want them lay it out on the line," Lorek said. "I want them to cross the line knowing they put it all out there. I want them to run hard and feel like they did everything they could that day.
 
"With her, I want her to finish and feel good about her whole career, from the program standpoint and an individual standpoint and that her four years have been good."
 
Those years have been good to Laurenzo. She graduates in the spring with a degree in psychology.
 
"I have loved it," she said. "I love all the people who have been teammates. It has been fun. It is a supportive community. If you have a bad race, they know what to say or do.
 
"I am excited about this meet because it is the last college cross country meet that I will probably ever run. I am excited to see where I am at. I am hoping this one last meet is the one I can pull it all together."