McDougal is one of the top freshman in the nation today (Mark Foos)

1. You continued your unprecedented run with your fifth-straight individual title of the season at the North Carolina Collegiate Cross Country Championships. Did you expect this amount of success this early into your freshman year?

To tell you the truth I didn't. I did not expect to come into college and do quite this well. I expected I would be one of the top guys at all the races I was at, but I certainly didn't expect to win all of them, especially the way I have. I really feel that the only time I have had to go into the well was at Great American.

2. Liberty will compete in the Big South Cross Country Championships on October 30. How do you and the team feel heading into the meet?

I'm feeling pretty confident about this meet. I know that Terah Kipchiris has won the past few years, but I have handled him pretty easily so far this year. We will have to see though, anything can happen. As far as the team is concerned, we are optimistic. A few guys are really hurting right now, but we should still do very well as a team. High Point is going to be tough. It will take divine intervention to beat them this year.

3. You were home schooled all your life, along with your sister and three brothers, instructed by your mother and father who are both trained teachers. What has the transition been like now that you are attending college classes and the atmosphere of being away from home so far away?

The transition has been very smooth, almost completely effortless. It's all about time management in college, as long as you keep tabs on your time and balance things properly you will do fine. I have been trying to get all my homework done early enough to allow for about 8 hours of sleep. I don't always get 8 hours of sleep, but I usually make it up over the weekends. It is one of the most important aspects in improving your performance, or just staying healthy and maintaining fitness over a long season. Its also something that many student/athletes tend to overlook and not get enough of.

Classes are going well. I'm able to keep up with all the homework, and I am getting decent grades too. Some of my classes are pretty tough, especially Anatomy Physiology, but overall I am having an easier time academically than I anticipated.

4. What was the experience like of not having the structure of a school team, access to facilities, etc. in high school?

For the most part it was great. Everything was very flexible. I could run whenever I wanted, I really didn't have to be up at a certain time, and I could arrange my studies to fit my schedule best.

The biggest draw back was facilities. Whenever we wanted to do a track workout we would have to drive about 20 minutes to get to the nearest high school track and we would have to do our workouts late, because after school the high school team practiced on the track until about 5:30 or so.

Because of NY State Home schooling Laws, I was not allowed to compete in any sanctioned high school events until post season. That was also a draw back. I would have loved to race in some of the big invitational's.

As for the team, I always knew that I was missing something, but I was able to tell myself that I would have that experience in college. Besides, Jordan was always there to train with me, and the last few years of high school he was the only guy in our area who was able to train at my level. I would occasionally get together to run with some area high school guys, but that was usually when I had a 10 mile recovery run, and they had a distance run to do.

5. What are some of your goals and expectations for your freshman year?

I really just wanted to come into my freshmen year and run strong. I wanted to win Conference, and qualify for Nationals. I really thought I had a good shot at a top 40 finish there. As the season has progressed, Coach Tolsma, Coach Zealand and I have adjusted the goal concerning Nationals. We really feel that I have a great shot at an All American spot, and possibly even a shot at top ten. I really just want to qualify for Nationals, but most of all I want to go out there and run my own race to the best of my ability. That way when I cross the finish line I can be pleased with my season.

6. Looking ahead to the indoor season, how excited are you to start competing on the track and what events will you focus on?

I'm defiantly looking forward to indoor. With the shape I'm in now I know I could set some HUGE pr's right now. I'm not sure what events I will be concentrating on yet. I know that my indoor schedule is going to be limited. I will likely only race hard at IC4A's and then hopefully at NCAA's.

7. Describe the general training philosophy at Liberty under head coach Brant Tolsma.

Here at Liberty we have an extremely individualized training program. The coaches take so much of their time to talk with the athletes and get a feel for how they should be training. We have some guys and girls here who are very low mileage people, where others like myself run higher mileage. This is probably another reason why I have had such a smooth transition into college running. For the most part I'm training the same as in high school, just with some more specific interval training. The individualized program that we have here at Liberty is defiantly one of the huge bonuses. At some top schools in the country, all the athletes are thrown into the same highly intense training program, and only the strongest survive. Here at Liberty you are trained specifically to reach your top potential.

8. Of all the competitions you have ever been in, which one stands out the most in which you are most proud of and will look back as one you will never forget?

It is hard to say, there are just so many. I would have to say that, after three tough years, finally qualifying for Footlocker Nationals was one of them. Then just going to Footlocker, having a blast the entire weekend, and racing well made that trip unforgettable. I would also have to include both times I qualified for the World Junior Championships. It was an incredible experience. Between the two trips I got to spend a month in Europe this past year where I was able to face the best competition in the world, and gain valuable experience.

9. Considering all of the pressure that may be on you this season, how do you handle and prepare for each race every weekend?

I just try to give all my pressure to Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. It has worked extremely well so far, I really have not felt any pressure. Besides, pressure has never really been a detrimental factor in my life. I generally expect a whole lot more of myself than others do.

10. You were named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week back on November 18 after setting a 5 km prep course record at the 2003 New York Road Runners Cross Country Championships at Van Cortlandt Park. While winning the race by a 40-second margin over your brother Jordan, who was the runner-up, how is he doing so far this season and what kind of advice to you give him?

Although he just turned 17 over the summer, Jordan has adjusted well to college. He is doing excellent in classes, and socially. He is "red shirting" this cross country season because of his age. Based on early results he would easily be our number 2 guy right now, but after talking about it for a while, both Coach and Jordan felt it was in the best interest of our team a few years down the road that he "red shirt" this season. Now that we are in the final weeks of the season and there are no more open races, Jordan is taking a rest, and then he'll be starting to build up for indoor track, and likely a shot to represent the USA at the World Cross Country Championships this March.

I really don't give Jordan much advice, he has been running just as long as I have so there is nothing that I can really offer to him that he doesn't already know.

11. What the most enjoyable parts about being a student-athlete in college and what do you look forward to the most?

I enjoy just about every aspect of being a student athlete. I enjoy the camaraderie and team fellowship, and especially getting the chance to travel to meets. I am pretty close to most everyone on the team, but especially a lot of the younger runners. I have classes with a bunch of them, so we form our own study groups and everything. My brother and I are like best friends, but it has been nice now that we are at college to be plugged into the social aspect of things a bit more.

The Nation: How far can Josh McDougal go?