Big Red

By Rick Freeman

Daily Sports Editor

Some people are wrong.

She's always loved to run. Ever since she first exploded out the door of her South Euclid, Ohio, home when she was three years old, she's loved to run. The winning just comes with the territory.

It was running, not winning, that made her feel compelled to join her middle-school track team. One of her classmate's parents, though, felt differently on the subject. They told their daughter she had to beat McGregor, or else she wouldn't get a ride home from the race.

McGregor let the girl win. After all, McGregor still got to run.

Since then, she's come up against opponents whose lift home isn't contingent on victory. Not that McGregor would be so generous today.

Somewhere along the way, McGregor found out something about herself.

She can't stand losing.

"When I win," she said, "I feel like that was what I was supposed to do. But when I lose ... I just hate losing."

She doesn't spend evenings polishing her 3,000-meter run national championship trophy from this past indoor season. She doesn't even know most of her personal records.

Look at her eyes. They don't look like the eyes of someone who needs to win, who needs to grab life by the throat and win in every way possible.

They look more like the eyes of someone who needs a nap.

'Just doin' my job,' the look on her face seems to say, as she blows past a pack of runners.

Maybe it's her cool confidence that makes her such a leader on all three of her teams.

Whether it's cross country, indoor track or outdoor track, McGregor's the one runners find themselves rallying around - the one they call Big Red before a race.

"When Katie talks," teammate Elizabeth Kampfe said, "people listen."

But when she readies for the 5,000 meters in Buffalo, this won't be another day at the office.

This is for the national title. So maybe she can be forgiven if she seems a little, well, geeked.

"SheÕs pretty low-key about it right now," said Kampfe, who will be running in the 10,000 in Buffalo.

This, of course, might change once McGregor arrives in Buffalo. She might be laid-back most of the time, but come on, a chance to win two national titles in one year? Anybody would be a little excited, right?

"I think right before a race she gets pretty excited," Kampfe said.

OK, maybe she just picks her battles.

Wolverines to Watch

Maria Brown - 100 meters
Nicole Forrester - High Jump
Elizabeth Kampfe - 10,000
Tania Longe - Heptathlon
John Mortimer - 3,000 steeplechase, 5,000
Katie McGregor - 5,000
Kevin Sullivan - 1,500
Brian Thiesen - 110 hurdles

06-01-98