Pre-Season Q&A With Lake Braddock Coach Mike Mangan

The Lake Braddock, Va. girls finished runners-up at the Virginia State XC Championship and just one spot away from an NXN berth last fall. Can they put it together in 2015? We think so - they rank No. 9 in the Saucony Flo50 National Rankings. The Bruins do have one of the fastest athletes in the nation on their roster in rising junior Kate Murphy, who ran U.S. No. 10 All-Time 4:16.9 for 1500m and won gold at the Pan-American Junior Championships this summer. She will likely take a slower start to her season, but leads an experienced varsity squad that boasts six returners. We chatted with veteran head coach Mike Mangan about the upcoming season, as he enters his 30th year coaching and 15th year at Lake Braddock.

MileSplit: Who are your potential top 7 returners?

Mike Mangan: Good question - we return Kate Murphy up front and have two seniors with lots of experience. Daly Ferguson was 7th last year in the state meet. Sonya Butseva is a tested tough veteran. Sarah Daniels had a great track season and could well move to #2. After that, it is hard to say. Taylor Kitchen and Emily Scheisl are probably the next two, but they will have heavy competition from a couple of other juniors and a great group of sophomores.

How has summer training been going for your team? What do you focus on during summer months?

So far, so good for the summer. We try and be consistent over the summer and create a good base to work from in the fall.

Lake Braddock girls during practice in fall of 2014. (Photo by Lisa McArthur).

Who are your team captains and how do they lead your team?

Daly and Sonya are two of the captains along with a group of senior leaders. Their job is to create a family atmosphere. Lots of team events. I can send you a photo of what we call Mike's night where they and the alumni get dressed up and go to dinner.

What are your top 3 goals for this year's squad?

We keep the goals simple. Be the best we can be and let the chips lie where they may.

What was it like to have two Lake Braddock affiliated runners race at the Pan Am Junior Championships in Canada this summer (current runner Kate Murphy and 2014 graduate Hannah Christen)? How does that moment rank on your all-time list of accomplishments as a coach?


Watching Hannah and Kate was a thrill I can't quite describe. With both winning USATF Junior titles within an hour, I can't quite describe the feeling. Pam Am juniors was awesome too. To see them draped in a USA flag was like a dream. I definitely teared up when Kate was on the medal stand and they played the anthem. About as good as it gets!

Did you make the trip to Eugene to watch USATF Juniors? Or did you watch online?

I was watching online at the house of a former asst coach. I was yelling at the tv (like that helps). Coolest part was Kate calling me less than 5 minutes after she won. With 200 to go, I knew she was going to get to the leader. I didn't think she would be able to get by so fast.

Did you think 4:16 was a possibility for her? That race seemed to come out of nowhere! I remember she seemed a bit off at Brooks PR.

I was hoping for a race won in 4:20-4:21 which would have given her a shot with her big kick. Asked her to be patient early and she did just that.

Brooks PR was an anomaly in my book. They had great activities for the athletes, but kept her out very late (even later if you consider she was still in eastern time body clock wise). I think she was ready to run 10:00 physically that day.


An annual tradition for the Bruins is "Mike's Night," a chance to socialize and wear something other than running clothes! (Photo courtesy of Mike Mangan).

Last year, your team finished runners-up at the Virginia State Championship and then one spot short of qualifying for NXN. How did the squad feel about those moments and what did you take away from the season as a whole?

We were proud of the season. Most people didn't expect us to do that well. I still feel we would have competed well at NXN had we been chosen. Not a big fan of the political nature of the at large process. The boys were the ones a single point away. Felt they really earned that spot at nationals. Each year we travel and challenge top teams on their turf. Last year in Kentucky we got beat by a few teams that showed us we had work to do and we went back home and did just that. This year, we are going to the Griak Invite. Should be a great challenge! Great American is the only other one we will run our full varsity at.


The Bruins hold an annual Monumental Run around the Mall in Washington, D.C. (Photo courtesy of Mike Mangan).

The Bruins graduate just one runner from last year's top five and top seven. How does it help a team to have so many young returners? Are they hungry this season?

The younger girls have gotten a lot of experience and hopefully that pays off. The younger ones are also excited to be counted on more and I think they are ready.

My boys team is going to be pretty good this fall too. Colin Schaefer and Ben Fogg lead the group and they are hungry to show that they belong in the discussion. As defending state champs, it is a main goal to repeat. They would also love to move up at least one spot at NXR South East.