Nov. 14, 2005

By Mike Gerton
Athletic Media Relations Staff

Before the 2005 fall semester began, Maryland head track and field and cross country coach Andrew Valmon gathered his program's newcomers together to discuss with them his expectations for the upcoming season.

"Both your academic standards and athletic standards will be higher than those of any other class, ever," announced Valmon, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and decorated coach. "And you guys are going to do well under the pressure."

The declarations were bold enough to intimidate even the toughest college veteran. But when freshman Tyler McCandless heard his coach hand down the challenge, he simply turned to his classmates and nodded, telling them, "Alright, let's do this." It was the first step, but certainly not the last, McCandless would take in assuming a leadership role on the Atlantic Coast Conference's youngest and most inexperienced team.

Entering the 2005 campaign, the lack of a seasoned presence was apparent for Maryland, which returned only two letterwinners. Second-year cross country coach Dr. Michael Garrison knew that members of his first Terp recruiting class would be asked to make immediate contributions. What he wasn't sure of was which of those runners would be the first to respond.

McCandless has made the answer simple. Pacing the Terps at every race this season and exhibiting a ferocious work ethic at practice and in the classroom, the 18-year-old from eastern Pennsylvania has already established himself as an unquestionable team leader. Though he has always been confident in his abilities, McCandless admits the degree and immediacy of his success at the collegiate level have surprised him.

"When I started, Coach saw me running anywhere from second to sixth," he said. "I knew I had the chance to be good but I really wasn't expecting this."

Maybe he should have. The summer before college, when most freshmen are spending last late nights with friends or lounging on the beach, McCandless was dedicating himself to some of the toughest training of his career. Following an individualized conditioning plan developed by Garrison which featured staggered runs of high and low mileage, McCandless entered the year in some of the best shape of his life, he said.

In his collegiate debut, McCandless came in eighth overall at the Great Meadows Invitational, helping the team to a fourth-place finish. Two weeks later, he placed 25th overall in Cary, N.C. at the renowned Great American Cross Country Festival.

Race after race after race, McCandless has continually been the first Terp to cross the finish line, a streak that has now reached six meets. That kind of achievement is rare for a freshman and Garrison largely attributes it to his intense training and preparation.

"Tyler's a very serious guy about getting his work in," Garrison said. "He is definitely one of the leaders on this team as a freshman, on and off the course."

While McCandless' muscles and joints may be put on ice as soon as practice is over, his desire to excel is not. Early to bed (10 p.m. every night) and early to rise (between 6 and 7 o'clock in the morning), the meteorology major takes his academics every bit as seriously as his athletics. It's an attitude that has not only enabled him to make the grade, but one that has rubbed off on his teammates, as well. "When everyone is on the bus taking in a movie or relaxing, he is really managing his time well," Garrison said. "He's always writing papers or studying. He gets his work in but he also wants to make sure that everyone else is staying on track, too."

Despite all the individual accomplishments McCandless has achieved this season, he still recognizes the importance of team. "We all share a common goal which is to see Maryland cross country succeed. I push my teammates, but they also push me. We as freshmen realize that the weight is on our shoulders."

Those other freshman shoulders McCandless speaks of belong to Josh Davis, Jake Travers, Zach Martinez, Richie Booth and Joe Simpson. The classmates are a tight-knit bunch, spending much of their days training, eating, studying and hanging out with each other. "They're a good group," Garrison said, leaning back at his desk, sporting a smile he just can't hide. "They make good decisions and make a real effort to do the right thing."

As a new era of Terp cross country is ushered in, McCandless seems poised to carry the load. But it won't be the first time McCandless has been in a situation in which all his teammates were relying on him to perform. As a prep at Northampton Area High School in Allentown, Pa., he was also the placekicker on the football team for three years. The former soccer player was 3-for-4 on field goals his senior year and even earned a spot in the McDonalds All-Star Football Classic, where he converted all five of his extra point attempts.

This crop of Terp runners still have many goals to reach both on the course (competing for the ACC title, and eventually national recognition) and off (winning the President's Trophy, given to the Maryland squad with the best team grade point average), and McCandless will be asked to set the pace. The task is a tall one, and McCandless knows it.

"All the work that needs to be done, it's pretty tough," admits McCandless. "But it'll be worth it."