University of Minnesota Athletics
On the Run with Alec Basten
10/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) - Gophers newcomer Alec Basten is one of seven true freshmen on the Minnesota men's cross country roster this year.
A native of Green Bay, Wis., Basten started competing in cross country as a senior at Green Bay Southwest High School and ran his way to runner-up honors in the 2015 WIAA Division I competition. A first team all-state selection, Basten was named the 2015 Press-Gazette Media's boys cross country runner of the year.
GopherSports.com caught up with one of the newest members of the Maroon & Gold as he kicks off his first year with the program.
GopherSports.com: What's the best piece of advice that pertains to running that you have received?
Alec Basten: The best piece of advice I've gotten was that everybody else is going through the same thing that you're going through. You need to remember that everybody is in the same mental state that you are. It's the people who can get through that who are the ones who will be successful in the end.
GS: Who's your favorite runner that you admire?
AB: Evan Jager is my favorite. I like his style, the long hair and long stride in running. I admire him both on the track and off the track. One thing that he's done that I would like to do is go to the Olympics.
GS: Why did you decide to run for the University of Minnesota?
AB: I loved the team, loved the coach. It had great academics. The kinesiology program is awesome. It gave me a chance to continue doing what I love as a runner.
GS: Your senior year of high school you decided to switch from playing football to running cross country. What made you decide to make the switch? What was the biggest challenge you faced during that transition?
AB: I always just liked being competitive in athletics and found a passion for it. I liked the grind of it and working hard and running fast with the team. I had been having success on the track and I felt such enjoyment for it, I knew that I could take running to another level if I trained through track season and into cross country season. It ended up working out pretty well for me. The biggest challenge was leaving the guys on the football team and the process of leaving that team to go to another team. I was lucky that they were all super supportive throughout my entire decision.
GS: Aside from football and cross country being different sports, what were the biggest differences you noticed?
AB: You definitely have to be mentally tough in both sports. I think a lot of what I did on the football field helped me translate into being a runner, such as the mental toughness that you need to have. A lot of the early conditioning and lifting that I did for football helped me to become a better rounded athlete and prevent injuries.
GS: You were a three-sport athlete in high school, how did that help you transition to becoming a Division I student-athlete?
AB: A lot of time management skills were learned in high school. I'm using that lesson here too with cross country, indoor and outdoor track which will be three season. I think that correlates well with the time management I need to have.
GS: If you were stranded on a deserted island with one teammate, who would it be and what item would you bring with?
AB: Nick Rink, for sure. He's a very resourceful guy. I broke my Fitbit a couple weeks ago and he superglued it for me so now I can wear it again. We would bring his bonsai tree with us. I feel like Nick definitely has a pretty animated connection to that bonsai tree.
