WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.000 music 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:10.000 I'm Dustin Nading. I'm a sophomore. And I'm a national champion. 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:13.000 I'm AJ Holmberg. I'm a junior. And I'm a national champion. 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:16.000 music 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:19.000 I'm Josh Dempsey. I'm a senior. And I'm a national champion. 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:21.000 music 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:25.000 I'm David Ribich, a junior, and a national champion. 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:26.000 music 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:31.000 In December we all stayed and sacrificed our winter break to stay together. 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:35.000 We kind of built more of a team friendship more than anything. 00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:38.000 The workouts were just smooth, the workouts were great. 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:42.000 We started working out together and thinking this could be it this could be the team. 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:46.000 Like I said every single day we knew what we had to do 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:48.000 and we just went out there and did it. 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:52.000 Each one of us every day contributing to each other and putting the time in. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:55.000 That's what really made it happen. 00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:60.000 A lot of things happened. Actually at the beginning of the season I wasn't on the DMR team at all. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:06.000 So I remember David and Josh and Dustin were kind of like you should come train with us over break. 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:10.000 And I was like sure I can do that. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:15.000 I think just like everybody else on the team winter break was a month of sacrifices. 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:19.000 Everybody gave up a lot. A lot of their own individual time. 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:25.000 A lot of comforts. A lot of guys stayed home from family. And that's just what being a student athlete is. 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:28.000 music 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:31.000 The goal going into the race was to win. 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:33.000 I didn't really see it any other way. 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:37.000 I knew all of us were ready and fit and that's what we came there to do. 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:44.000 Our biggest objective was just to try to hand the baton off in first or second throughout the entire race. 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:47.000 And being the last leg 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:50.000 and watching every guy fight for it 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:52.000 the individual spot of handing if off first, was inspiring. 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:58.000 Because it was the first time all season that I was fully engaged 00:01:58.000 --> 00:01:62.000 and fully involved with the team and I thought this is the moment. 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:08.000 Every person in the building was focused on the two individuals coming down the home stretch. 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:10.000 The crowd was on its feet. 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:15.000 I look over to the side and Josh and AJ are just looking at the stands. 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:19.000 And they're paying no attention whatsoever to David's leg. 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:21.000 They just can't handle the tension. 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:25.000 The last lap of the race was actually the only lap of David's race that I watched. 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:28.000 David has about a lap and a half left at this point. 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:32.000 I look over at David and then I look over at AJ and Josh 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:35.000 and I just remember saying look back at the track. 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:38.000 Watch David because we're about to win a national championship. 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:40.000 I looked up, saw it, 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:43.000 and just started screaming Josh, Josh look up there at the scoreboard. 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:50.000 When David crossed the finish line I just felt so relieved immediately. 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:52.000 I was just like we did it. 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:55.000 And then even after that we were like well that could change. 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:60.000 But seeing the clock up there was so amazing. 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:05.000 Going into 30 meters to go I could hear him. 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:07.000 And I knew he was going to try to swing wide on it. 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:10.000 I never looked over my shoulder because I never really wanted to see where he was. 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:13.000 If he was getting dropped that was great. 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:17.000 If he was right on me, I was still going to do the same thing. 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:19.000 Maybe I wouldn't have still tried to dive across the line 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:21.000 if I would have known he was right next to me. 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:26.000 But all I knew is I just wanted to get across the line first for the three guys that raced it 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:30.000 and all the people back home that I knew were watching it. 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:34.000 The fall definitely hurt but in the interview with the NCAA 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:36.000 they asked if I'm going to heal up alright. 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:39.000 And I said I'll heal up a lot better now knowing that we won. 00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:43.000 music 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:47.000 We've won a national championship. We've set a national record. 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:50.000 But I don't think any of us is just content with that you know. 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:55.000 Most of the guys are returning next year. Where can we go from here? What can we achieve next year? 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:60.000 Bringing home this national title with a national record to a small Division Two school in Oregon 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:03.000 kind of in the valley of death between all the big schools 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:04.000 It just shows that we're ready to game. 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:07.000 And that we're ready to compete to our fullest. 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:10.000 And it doesn't matter the division or the classification. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:13.000 We're going to put it all out on the line and do it. 00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:16.000 For us, our teammates, and for Western Oregon. 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:21.000 music