ONU Ranked 13th In Nation Heading into Nationals

news via this article from the USTFCCCA:

The latest Men's Division III National Cross Country poll was released today. Ohio Northern will head to nationals as the 13th ranked team in the nation. Mount Union finds itself in the 23rd spot, while Heidelberg is ranked 28th.

The Great Lakes non-OAC representatives--Calvin and Case Western Reserve--are ranked 4th and 31st, respectfully.

Former Mount harrier Joe Eby's Allegheny squad is 11th while former 'Berg harrier Dan Graber's Centre squad finds itself tied for 16th after upsetting Emory in the South Regional Championships Saturday. Graber is former Centre assistant/current ONU head coach Ryan New's successor in Danville.

OAC Trifecta Headed to Hanover!

For the second time in three years the Ohio Athletic Conference will be represented by three schools at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

#14 Ohio Northern grabbed their second consecutive automatic bid to Nationals after finishing in the top two at yesterday's Great Lakes Regional hosted to perfection by the OAC's Otterbein College. Ohio Northern was just two weeks removed from winning their second OAC cross country title. Northern celebrated the top two overall OAC individuals in the race--Senior's Jim O'Brien and Thomas Adam. Northern's entire top 5 garnered All-Region honors (top 35 individuals)

#22 Mount Union, who finished a close second to ONU at the OAC Championships, picked up where they left off, with an impressive third place showing yesterday. Mount, who was second overall to Case Western at All-Ohio (DIII) earlier in the season and has won several invitationals has put together quite the body of work heading into Saturday's race at Hanover.

Sophomore Ty Griffin and senior Dustin Ford lead Mount with top 10 finishes, coming in just behind OAC Champion Devin Butcher (Heidelberg). Mount's top 4 earned All-Region honors on the day.

Unranked Heidelberg defeated #27 Case Western and #35 Denison en route to their third consecutive NCAA Championship appearance thanks to great front-running by junior's Devin Butcher, Scott Lasch and freshman Jamie Martin. Heidelberg and Calvin were the only teams that could boast placing three individuals inside the top 15 (Calvin actually fit four there).

Recent trends:

This will be Mount's 18th trip in school history and 5th in 8 years,
Heidelberg's 6th overall, 6th in 12 years and third straight,
and Ohio Northern's 3rd overall and third straight.

(more historical info may be found here)

The OAC's History of Bids to NCAA XC Nats:

Otterbein has gone 9 times (last in 1995),
Baldwin-Wallace 8 (last in 1983),
John Carroll 3 (last in 1977),
and Marietta twice (last in 1971).

Looking to Saturday, there seems to be plenty of reason for optimism to the OAC faithful. All three teams show no signs of slowing down heading into Hanover--it could be a historical day for the conference. 2006 was the first time in OAC history that three teams were represented at cross country nationals at the same time. That year Heidelberg finished 20th, Mount Union was 24th and Ohio Northern was 32nd. This year it seems very possible that the conference could fit three teams inside the top 25 on a good day.

In terms of individual team success, Ohio Northern certainly has the potential to improve upon last year's 17th overall finish as does Heidelberg on last year's 27th place finish.

The conference also looks to have plenty All-American hopefuls, including Jim O'Brien (2007 All-American), Thomas Adam (6th overall @ Regionals), Devin Butcher (7th @ Regionals, 1st @ OAC), Ty Griffin (8th @ Regionals), Dustin Ford (9th @ Regionals) and several others.


2008 Great Lakes Region Results!

Sunday's NCAA At-Large Announcements!
Five in from the Great Lakes!

Mount Makes a Statement at All-Ohio

#24 Mount Union upset conference rivals #12 Ohio Northern en route to a second place overall finish (DIII) Friday at the 2008 All-Ohio Championships in Delaware.

The Purple Raiders fell short of regional rival #14 Case Western but defeated several other teams ranked within the Great Lakes Region's top 10 including an up-and-coming Denison team.

Baldwin-Wallace showed there could be a new face in the top three at the OAC Championships in three weeks after defeating Heidelberg and Otterbein.

Heidelberg's Devin Butcher continued his impressive form finishing 3rd overall in Division III--the first OAC runner to cross the line.

Overall team results here.

Overall individual results here.

Division III team results here.

Division III individual results here.

Whistler OAC's First Double ROW Winner

from this article via OAC.org:

Mount Union junior Dan Whisler (Ashland) finished 13th among 230 runners at the Hanover Pre-National Meet last week. Whisler completed the 8k course in a time of 26:09.7. The team finished third of 20 teams.

Other nominees: Devin Butcher (HEID)…James Castrillo (OTT)...Eric Stack (ONU)

Results from the weekend

With one month to go until the 2008 OAC Championships in Marietta the first weekend in October saw teams competing everywhere from Salisbury, Maryland to Louisville, Kentucky. Here is a recap of the weekend action -

B-W : Took the weekend off to rest up for next weekends All-Ohio Championships in Delaware.

Capital : Also took the weekend off to rest of for next weekends All-Ohio Championships in Delaware.

H-Berg : Heidelberg was in South Bend competing in the very competitive Notre Dame Invitational. The Gold Race (D2, D3, and small D1 schools) was won by North Central (# 7 in latest USTFCCCA DIII Poll) followed by Grand Valley State (# 10 in DII Poll) with Stevens Point (# 4) and Calvin (# 2) finishing 3rd and 4th. Heidelberg was led by Junior Devin Butcher who continues to show his leadership capabilities this year. Click here for the Heidelberg release.

JCU : John Carroll ran in the Great Lakes Long and Short Course Championships hosted by Adrian College in Michigan. I'm kind of confused by this event but apparently there is a 5k and an 8k and the combined score of the two events are used to determine the winner. Calvin (# 2) won the meet while JCU was led by Senior Daniel Diruzza who ran a 28:05 to place 15th in the 8k. The full John Carroll release can be found here.

Marietta : The Pioneers traveled over to Salisbury Maryland (home of ex-Heidelberg coach Kevin Lucas) for the Don Cathcart Invitational. East Stroudsburg University won the meet with 46 points while Marietta finished 7th with 181 points. They were led by Junior Josh Mickle who finished 8th covering the 8k course in 26:49. The Marietta recap can be found here.

MTU : Mount Union got a preview of the 2008 Nationals course as they traveled to Hanover Indiana for the pre-national meet. The 23rd ranked purple raiders finished 3rd to Allegheny (# 17) and Trinity (# 30). Junior Dan Whisler and Senior Dustin Ford ran impressive races finishing 13th and 14th respectively in a time of 26:09. The 1-5 split of Mount Union was 43 seconds. At the time this article was written the Mount Union website did not have a recap on the race.

Muskingum : The Fighting Muskies also rested up this weekend.

ONU : Ohio Northern sat out their top guys while the rest of the team ran at the Earlham Invite. The Ohio Northern website did not have a recap of the race when this article was written.

Otterbein : The Cardinals of Westerville also ran at Earlham on Saturday. Unlike ONU however they ran their top guys. Otterbein finished second to Rose-Hulman (32-35) but had a very impressive pack with a 1-3 split of 11 seconds, a 1-5 split of 21 seconds and a 1-7 split of 44 seconds. If Otterbein can keep that pack together but get just a little faster they can really surprise some people in the post season. The Otterbein website did not have a recap of the race at the time this article was written.

Wilmington : Junior Austin Stiles continued to impress this season leading the way for the Quacker team in the Greater Louisville Classic. Stiles finished 25th in the Blue race with a time of 26:31 as the team finished 5th with 195 points. A recap of the race from the Wilmington website can be found here.


Well there is your OACDistance.com recap of the action this weekend. I'll give the best performance of the weekend to Heidelberg Junior Devin Butcher who finished 20th at the Notre Dame Invite with a time of 25:27. The best team performance of the weekend goes to Otterbein for their awesome pack running at the Earlham Invite.

Next Friday, in my opinion, is when season really begins. The All-Ohio Chamipionships in Delaware will be our first look at exactly how the teams stack up against not only each other but the rest the schools in Ohio.

Devin Butcher Earns Week 5 ROW/Site Apologies

from this article via the new look OAC.org:

Heidelberg junior Devin Butcher (Bowling Green) finished third among 140 runners at the Otterbein Invitational last week. Butcher completed the 8k course in a time of 25:11.7. The team finished sixth of 21 teams.

Other nominees: Derek Hill (B-W)…Josh Mickle (MAR)…Dan Whisler (MTU)

More news coming soon on the two previous(ly missed) weeks of OAC action, including Mount's dominate performance this past weekend at Otterbein, Northern's battle with Case and Calvin the week prior and the 'Berg's major slip in the regional rankings (from 4th to 8th).

All this as well as updates concerning Fantasy OAC XC, the incredibly late Dominic Smith (Case) interview and more!

Sorry things have been slacking! It's been an incredibly exciting season thus far and you loyal OAC running fans out there deserve better coverage.

Also, stay tuned for Monday's unveiling of YSU junior Justin Dickman's "Running with the Penguins" teaser via his OAC Distance blog, Opinion of Penguin.

ONU's Bowsher, Earns Week 4's 'ROW'

from this article via OAC.org:

Ohio Northern junior Alan Bowsher (Cygnet/Elmwood) finished 14th among 187 runners at the Calvin Select Meet last week. Bowsher completed the 8k course in a time of 26: 04. The team finished third of 11 teams.


Other nominees: Austin Stiles (WILM)…Chris Fyock (OTT)

Happy 24th Birthday Tom Landis!

It's my site. I can do whatever I want.

Coming Soon: OAC Fantasy Cross Country!

That's right, starting the week of the 54th Annual All-Ohio Championships OAC Distance dot com will unveil the first ever game of OAC Fantasy Cross Country.

10 owners.

70 "signed" athletes.

Three races (All-Ohio, the OAC Championships and the Great Lakes Regional Championships).

One very entertaining way to cover OAC cross country.

More details soon to come!

Finally, the ONU Jukebox

Well, the title of the post is pretty self-explanatory, so I'll leave it at that. Hope you all enjoy it! To this point--though Eby certainly provided some good competition--this was the longest interview I've done. There was something close to an hour and forty minutes of recorded conversation (the majority of the cuts were just me rambling). Thanks to the ONU guys for being such good sports. It gives new meaning to the term "endurance athlete" I guess. In all seriousness, I hope we have more team/group interviews like this in the future.

In other news Case senior Dominic Smith's interview went very well and should be up by mid-week. I'm still putting the finishing touches on Mount alum/Allegheny Assistant Joe Eby's aformentioned full interview and I've yet to interview DePauw alum Dusty Kime (completely my fault) so feel free to still leave your questions for Dusty here if you have some!

Ford Named Week 3 Runner-of-the-Week

via this article from OAC.org:

Mount Union senior Dustin Ford (Canton/Massillion Perry) finished first among 131 runners, while the team took home the title at the Penn State-Behrend Invite last week. Ford covered the 8k course in a time of 27:14.

Other nominees: Devin Butcher of Heidelberg who finished first among a field of 91 runners, while the team took home the title at Marietta's Carl Broughton Invitational. Butcher covered the 8k course in a time of 27:45.

Ford became the second Mount Union Raider to earn Runner-of-the-Week honors after only three weeks of competition of this early 2008 season.

ONU Vid 2, Followed by Complete Series Jukebox

Episode 11, Part 2: ONU Senior Quintet
Uploaded by OAC_Distance

In part two each ONU harrier talks about their favorite memory or memories during their time as a Polar Bear to this point. The order in which they answer is as follows:
Steve Darmon
Jim O'Brien
Paul Lewis
Eric Porter
and finally, Thomas Adam who includes a little shout out to ONU alum Kevin Heckman.

Total runtime: 7 minutes.

Tonight all six ONU Quintet Episodes should be "jukeboxed" and posted to the Cellular Talk Shows page. Episode 12 - the complete Joe Eby interview will be boxed next. Time will tell if it makes tonight's deadline or not.

While Case Western senior Dominic Smith and DePauw alum Dusty Kime should be interviewed within the next few hours, it is very doubtful that their interviews will reach the front page tonight. Watch out for them within the next couple of days.

Week 3 Round Up

Marietta hosted #17 Heidelberg, Otterbein, Capital and Muskingum at Saturday's Carl Broughton Invitational--a preview of the 2008 OAC Championship course.

Though the 'Berg was without junior leader Scott Lasch for the weekend, freshman Jamie Martin (28:20) picked up the slack in his collegiate debut as the Student Prince's second man. Fellow freshman Keith Mrak (28:31) also finished in the top 5 for the 'Berg while junior Devin Butcher (27:45) continued his impressive start to this early season leading Heidelberg with an individual win.

The Otterbein men were lead by senior Chase Schneider (28:46) who was followed closely by a pack that included sophomore's Chris Fyock (29:00) and Matt Dixon (29:01) as well as junior Jim Castrillo (29:10) and freshman Tim Williard (29:11). While the OC finished just behind Heidelberg, the Cardinals boasted an impressive 1-5 pack of approximately 25 seconds on the day.

A much-improved Capital men's squad opened their season impressively, finishing fourth of nine teams. The Crusaders were lead by senior Bryan Deardo (29:36) who finished 16th overall.

Muskingum rounded out the conference schools represented at Marietta's home invite. They were once again lead by freshman Michael Besl (32:07).

#31 Mount Union continued to roll this weekend with a dominating victory at the Penn State-Behrend XC Invitational in Erie, PA. If you thought Otterbein's 25-second scoring pack was impressive, how about a 1-5 with less than a second of separation? That's what happened today as the first six runners to cross the finish line were Purple Raiders harriers. Three-time cross country national qualifier, senior Dustin Ford (27:14) lead the way followed by junior Bryce Basista (27:15), sophomore Tyler Griffin (27:15), Week 1 OAC Runner-of-the Week junior Dan Whistler (27:15) and senior Matt Dieterich (27:15).

The Baldwin-Wallace Yellow Jackets who were apparently without senior Derek Hill were lead by senior Nate Bowen (27:46) at Bowling Green's Mel Brodt Invitational. B-W easily won the DIII dual meet section of the race against Oakland.

The John Carroll men's cross country team continued its upswing as it placed third of four teams at the First Annual Walsh University Ric Sayre Invitational in North Canton, Ohio. John Carroll scored 84 points to finish ahead of Ohio Dominican, which accrued 111. Freshman Jacob Smith led the way for JCU with a 13th place finish in a time of 28:29. Fellow rookie Jeff Sigmund was next in line, placing 14th in 28:34. Seniors Nick Habursky (16th, 28:39) and Dan DiRuzza (23rd, 29:28) along with junior Michael Joseph (26th, 29:56) rounded out the top five for the Blue Streaks.

#9 Ohio Northern and Wilmington were the only inactive OAC teams this weekend. Northern will head to Calvin College on the 20th for a much-anticipated three-way battle between Great Lakes heavyweights #2 Calvin and #16 Case Western Reserve while Wilmington will travel to Cedarville.

DIII Week 2 Poll: Case Moves Big

via this article from USTFCCCA.org:

For the second consecutive week, the Cortland State Red Dragons have been named the top team in Division III men's cross country, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced on Wednesday.

Cortland State begins their quest for an NCAA Championship on September 13th when they travel to Oswego, New York for the Oswego Laker Invitational. The Red Dragons finished third a year ago at the national championships and return all seven runners from that team.

Calvin College moved up two spots coming in at No. 2 this week followed by Wisconsin's La Crosse and Stevens Point at Nos. 3 and 4 respectively. Carnegie Mellon is ranked fifth to complete the top five, which remained unchanged. Spots six through 11 (Williams, North Central, Amherst, Ohio Northern, Augustana (IL), and Haverford) also stayed true to form in this week's poll.

Case Western Reserve made the biggest move in the nation, improving eight spots from 24th to 16th after defeating last week's #14 team Allegheny head-to-head. Case jumped Heidelberg to become the new 3rd seed out of the Great Lakes.

Like ONU, #31 Mount Union remained idle this week.

Both Emory University Whitworth University made debuts this week in the poll; Emory at No. 32 and Whitworth at No. 33.

Complete DIII national rankings may be found here.

This Sunday = New Interviews & Playing Catch-Up

What better way to gear up for September 20th's exciting Calvin v.s. Ohio Northern v.s. Case Western showdown then a little hype?

Coming this Sunday; two great interviews with talented Great Lakes runners: Senior Dominic Smith of #24 Case Western Reserve (51st last year at the '07 NCAA XC Championships) and recent DePauw graduate Dusty Kime (44th @ XC Nat's).

Feel free to contribute any questions you have for either Dominic or Dusty by leaving comments to this article or listing them via this thread on the Historic OAC Forum.

Some of you might be asking, "shouldn't you worry about the rest of the ONU and Joe Eby interviews before starting a new project?" A legitimate question. Rest assured, the 'Northern Quintet,' interviews (as they've been called) as well as the remainder of the Eby interview will finally be up sometime Sunday as well.

New "Opinion of Penguin" Post

Well he's out of the District and back in the Buckeye State ready to start his third collegiate cross country season. Be sure to check out OAC Distance contributor and Youngstown State University harrier, Justin Dickman's newest post on his "Opinion of Penguin" blog.

O'Brien Awarded Week 2 Runner-of-the-Week

via OAC.org:

Ohio Northern senior Jimmy O’Brien (Pemberville/Eastwood) finished seventh among 156 runners at the Hanover Invitational last week. O’Brien completed the 8k course in a time of 26: 33. The team finished third of 13 teams.

Other nominees: Dan Whisler (MTU) who won his first collegiate cross country race leading Mount Union to a team win over John Carroll at Akron's Tommy Evans Invite.

Two week 2 standouts we feel also deserve attention are Baldwin-Wallace seniors Derek Hill and Nate Bowen who lead the Yellow Jackets to a 5th place team finish at Hanover with 4th and 5th place finishes overall.

Great Lakes Update (new top 10)

Official update by Kori Stoffregen, Depauw University

Great Lakes Region Men

"Case Leapfrogs Heidelberg,

Manchester Knocks B-W from Top 10"

1. Calvin

First race is Sept. 20 when they host the Knight Invitational.

2. Ohio Northern

The #9 ranked men’s team finished third at the Hanover Invitational on Sept. 6 to #4 ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point and NCAA Division II Bellarmine, who finished first and second in the team standings, respectively.

Ohio Northern finished with 88 points in the meet, 48 points behind first place and 10 points behind second place.

Top 7 Ohio Northern Finishers at Hanover Invitational:

7. Jimmy O’Brien, 26:33

9. Paul Lewis, 26:36

24. Eric Porter, 27:07

29. Thomas Adam, 27:15

30. Alan Bowsher, 27:15

38. Brent Hiser, 27:33

43. Nick Edmonds, 27:42

1-5 Gap – 42 sec.

1-7 Gap – 1 min., 9 sec.

Next meet: Sept. 20 at Knight Invitational

3. Case Western

#24 ranked Case Western debuted on Aug. 30 with a win at the eight-team Bill Sudeck Classic. They had four runners finish in the top ten and won the Sudeck Classic for the first time since 2003. Case finished ahead of second place #14 ranked Allegheny by 14 pts.

Top 7 Case Western Finishers at Bill Sudeck Classic:

1. Dominic Smith, 26:25

3. Austin Schmidt, 26:51

7. Reza Mohammadpour, 27:10

9. Ryan Gjoraas, 27:21

11. Mike Vaughn, 27:27

14. Michael Werneiwski, 27:42

16. Mike Petro, 27:46

1-5 Gap – 56 sec.

1-7 Gap – 1 min., 21 sec.

Next Meet: Sept. 20 at Knight Invitational

4. Heidelberg

On Aug. 30 the #16 ranked Heidelberg men competed against Tiffin University at home and placed five runners in the top 10.

Top 7 Heidelberg Finishes at Tiffin/Heidelberg Invitational:

2. Devin Butcher, 26:04

5. Jarrod Sailing, 26:46

7. Scott Lasch, 27:02

8. Keith Mrak, 27:07

9. Jake Lemon, 27:08

14. Beau Thompson, 27:58

16. John Gogle, 28:11

1-5 Gap – 1 min., 4 sec.

1-7 Gap – 2 min., 7 sec.

Next Meet: Sept. 13 at Broughton Cross Country Meet in Marietta, OH

5. Mount Union

#31 Mount Union traveled to Akron, Ohio on Sept. 6 to compete at the Tommy Evans Invitational. Four runners placed in the top 10 in the four mile race to lead the Mount Union College men to a first place team finish over Buffalo, Akron, Youngstown State, and John Carroll.

Top 7 Mount Union Finishers: 4 Mile

1. Dan Whisler, 21:00

7. Bryce Basista, 21:14

8. Ty Griffin, 21:17

10. Dustin Ford, 21:21

13. Scott Wolfe, 21:34

14. Matt Dieterich, 21:36

24. Harrison Markel, 22:29

1-5 Gap – 34 sec.

1-7 Gap – 1 min., 29 sec.

Next Meet: Sept. 13 at Penn State Behrend

6. Otterbein

Otterbein held their Alumni Meet on Aug. 29.

Their first meet of the season will occur at Marietta on Sept. 13.

7. Hope

Hope College debuted at the Vanderbilt Invitational on Aug. 30 with a team victory over second place Cornerstone by 22 pts.

Top 7 Hope Finishers at Vanderbilt Invitational:

1. Matt Wiersum, 26:27

2. Rob Bailey, 26:38

5. Seth Weener, 26:46

6. Paul VanderVelde, 26:51

10. Zachary King, 27:22

11. Nathan Love, 27:28

12. Kevin Hagan, 27:31

1-5 Gap – 55 sec.

1-7 Gap – 1 min., 4 sec.

Next Meet: Sept. 13 at GLCA Championships in Oberlin, Ohio

8. Kenyon

Kenyon men finished fourth place at the Queen City Invitational 5k Sept. 6 against several larger schools. Division I University of Cincinnati and Xavier finished first and second, respectively, while Northern Kentucky University, ranked 20th in Division II, finished third.

Top 7 Kenyon Finishers at Queen City Invitational: 5k

10. Jim Boston, 15:55

18. Matt Davis, 16:11

26. Matt Riley, 16:29

27. Kaleb Keyserling, 16:30

37. Pat Meyers, 16:43

39. Clint Kugler, 16:53

41. Clint Houser, 16:57

1-5 Gap – 48 sec.

1-7 Gap – 1 min., 2 sec.

Next Meet: Sept. 20 at Midwest Open

9. DePauw

The DePauw men competed at the 47th Wabash Hokum Karem on Sep. 6. They tied for second place in the team standings with Wabash College scoring 30 points in the 3 x 1 mile paired relay event. Indiana Tech won the team title with 9 points.

Top 3 DePauw Scoring Pairs at Wabash Hokum Karem:

5. Zack Weinberg/Nate Ellis, 29:01

14. Pete Richard/Joe Evans, 29:43

15. Jonathan Cripe/Nick Pucillo, 29:49

Next Meet: Sept. 19 at Indiana Intercollegiates in Bloomington, Indiana

10. Manchester

Manchester College traveled to the Hanover Invitational Sept. 6 and tied for fourth place with Huntington University in a field of 13 teams with 124 points. They finished 36 points behind third place team #9 ranked Ohio Northern.

Top 7 Manchester Finishers at Hanover Invitational:

15. Andy Williams, 26:49

28. Braden Nelson, 27:14

31. Alec Womboldt, 27:15

32. Kyle Pletcher, 27:18

36. James Kearney, 27:31

81. Cole Jackson, 29:00

87. Josh Miller, 29:17

1-5 Gap – 42 sec.

1-7 Gap – 2 min., 28 sec.

Next Meet: Sept. 19 at Indiana Intercollegiates in Bloomington, Indiana

others:

Baldwin-Wallace, Wabash

Week 2 Wrap-Up

#9 Ohio Northern University opened their season Saturday on the course they hope to make history on in a little over two months at Hanover. Northern finished 3rd behind the 4th ranked team in the nation, Wisconsin-Stevens Point and DII Bellarmine University. The Polar Bears were lead by seniors Jim O'Brien (7th) and Paul Lewis (9th) who finished in 26:33 and 26:36.

Baldwin-Wallace and Wilmington rounded out the trifecta of conference schools represented at the Madison-Kiwanis Invtational. B-W seniors Derek Hill (26:20) and Nate Bowen (26:27) impressed up front both defeating UWSP's third man en route to 4th and 5th place finishes overall.

The Quaker's were lead by junior Austin Stiles who finished 23rd overall in 27:04. Baldwin-Wallace finished 6th overall on the day and Wilmington was 9th, respectively.

#31 Mount Union College's Dan Whistler picked up where he left off last week with an overall win at Akron's Tommy Evans Invite. The meet was arranged to where the Division I schools that competed ran against each other, while the two Division III foes went head-to-head. Mount Union won the de facto 4-mile dual meet against conference rival John Carroll by a 15-50 score, as the top seven Purple Raiders claimed the first seven places.

JCU, who went into the meet with great news, welcoming back the OAC's defending indoor 1k champion, senior Daniel DiRuzza, was again lead by fellow senior Nick Habursky who finished 25th overall in a time of 22:35.

Muskingum College essentially opened their season Saturday (they had run their alumni meet the weekend before) at the Wittenberg Invitational. The Muskie men were lead by freshman Michael Besl (31:55) who was followed closely by junior Ian Hankins (31:58).

Capital, Heidelberg, Marietta and Otterbein all had the weekend off.

Mount's Dan Whistler Named Runner-of-the-Week

Mount Union junior Dan Whisler (Ashland) finished third out of 180 runners at the Buffalo State/Walker Invite last weekend. Whisler completed the 8k course in a time of 26:31 for his second-best personal time. The team finished second out of nine teams.

Other week 1 standouts included Heidelberg's Devin Butcher, who finished second overall at the Tiffin/Heidelberg Invitational in a personal course best of 26:04 as well as Baldwin-Wallace's Derek Hill who lead the way for the Yellow Jacket's last weekend finishing 4th overall at the Bill Sudeck Invite in 26:54.

More info including past OAC ROW's can be found here.

2008 OAC Cross Country Season Kicks Off!

This weekend marked the start of the 2008 OAC cross country season with eight of the ten conference schools competing.

Junior Devin Butcher of #16 Heidelberg opened his season on a positive note leading the way for the Student Princes at the unscored Tiffin/Heidelberg Invitational 8k placing 2nd overall in 26:04 to Tiffin University's Jason Bumb, while freshman Jordan Karnes won the 5k in 16:44.

#31 Mount Union was lead by junior Dan Whistler who finished 3rd overall at Buffalo State's Walker Invite with a time of 26:31. Mount finished just behind #18 SUNY Geneseo in 2nd place.

Baldwin-Wallace and John Carroll each competed at the Bill Sudeck Invitational hosted by #24 Case Western Reserve. 2008 OAC Outdoor 5k champion Derek Hill lead the way for the Yellow Jackets finishing 4th overall in 26:54. B-W finished third of eight schools. The Blue Streaks were lead by senior Nick Habursky and featured nine freshman among the 13 runners on their roster. Case edged #14 Allegheny 28-42 for the team win.

Meanwhile Wilmington freshman Pat Carroll had an impressive opening to his collegiate career at the six-team Sodexho Grizzly Invitational as the Quakers second man finishing 9th overall in 28:03. Junior Brad Orr lead the way for Wilmington finishing fifth in 27:43. Wilmington finished just behind host Franklin College in 2nd.

Marietta competed in their Alumni Race and were lead by juniors Josh Mickle and Mike Siringer who ran the 6k course in 20:57 and 21:08, respectively.

Otterbein competed in their annual Alumni Race Friday evening but results have yet to be posted. Muskingum runs their own Alumni Race today.

#9 Ohio Northern and Capital each had the weekend off. Northern will begin their defense of the OAC title next weekend at the Hanover Invitational while Capital will begin their season September 13th at the Marietta Invitational.

ONU is NCAA Preseason Top 10 ('Berg top 20)

Ohio Northern University heads into the 2008 cross country season ranked an impressive 9th in the nation. Northern returns their top six runners from a team that was at one time ranked 10th in the nation in 2007 and finished 17th at the NCAA Championships.

Northern's not just an extremely talented and deep squad...they're experienced. Five of their aformentioned top six returners are seniors, while the lone "non-senior," Alan Bowsher, is a junior. Add a sub-31 minute 10k transfer from Purdue and a sensational freshman class to the mix and you have one dangerous team that just might have podium potential on the 22nd of November.

Heidelberg College (not Heidlberg...the USTFCCCA continually forgets there's an 'e' after that 'd') starts the year surprisingly high in the 16th spot. While this team certainly has the potential to place that high--perhaps even the top 15--they'll be largely dependent upon the health of freshman Jamie Martin. If the 'Berg is healthy when it matters, this will certainly be a dangerous team. However, last season's squad was a preseason 19th seed that finished 27th at nationals. The Student Princes must understand that, while fun, a good preseason rank won't punch their tickets to Hanover.

Mount Union College rounds out the trio of OAC teams beginning their 2008 campaigns on the NCAA Division III National Poll sitting in 31st. Mount returns a healthy amount of experience and talented youth and is more than capable of challenging Heidelberg within the conference. With Calvin (preseason #2) and ONU (#9) as the heavy favorites coming into the season, there should be an incredibly hard-fought battle between Mount and Heidelberg, as well as #24 Case Western Reserve for the remaining national qualifying spots at the 2008 Great Lakes Regional hosted by Otterbein, November 15th.

Read about early favorite, #1 SUNY Cortland and more HERE.

The Conference Coaching Carrousel...Continues

Complete story here:

John Carroll University has accepted the resignation of Mark McClure as its head coach of cross country and track & field, and has promoted two assistant coaches from within to handle those positions for the 2008-2009 school year.

Dara Ford, who spent last season as the program’s graduate assistant, will serve as the interim head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country teams this fall. Elmore Banton, the former head coach of Ohio University who has spent the last five years as an assistant under McClure at John Carroll, will assume the role of interim head coach of the school’s men’s and women’s track & field teams.

McClure stepped down from his post at John Carroll to accept the same position at his alma mater, Malone College.

Laurie Massa, the Director of Athletics and Recreation at John Carroll, cited timing, available talent and the need for continuity for retaining the services of Ford and Banton in new capacities.

“When you lose a cross country and track & field coach this late in the summer, you essentially have three seasons worth of positions to fill in a limited amount of time,” said Massa. “Mark McClure maintained a successful and well-respected program here at John Carroll. It is important that, for all the efforts that went into putting this team together, we kept as much continuity as possible. We have qualified people already on staff, and that made the decision to hire from within an easy one.”

Both Ford and Banton will serve as the top assistant coach for the program in which they are not the head coach this season.

Ford will begin her fourth year as a college coach, but taking over the reigns of the Blue Streaks’ cross country program will be the first head coaching job. Prior to her arrival at John Carroll, she was the assistant cross country and track coach at her alma mater, Mount Union, for two years.

A 2005 graduate of Mount Union College, she received a Bachelor's of Science in Biology. As a Purple Raider, she set four school records -- the indoor 3,000-meter run, and the outdoor 3,000-meter steeplechase, the 5,000-meter run and as a member of the distance medley relay.

A five-time national qualifier (three in cross country, two in track for the steeplechase), Ford received multiple Academic All-OAC accolades and was a two time Academic All-American. She was also honored with the Clyde Lamb Award.

Ford is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Biology at John Carroll.

Now in his sixth season at John Carroll, “Mo” Banton brings instant credibility to the Blue Streak programs as the mentor of the track & field programs and the assistant coach for the cross country teams.

Banton was the highly successful head coach of the cross country and track & field programs at Ohio University for 23 years. During his tenure, he collected 20 Coach of the Year awards, including nine Mid-American Conference and eight All-Ohio. Banton guided the Bobcats to 10 MAC titles, 14 All-Ohio championships, and six Central Collegiate crowns over the course of his 23 seasons at the helm.

When hired in 1980, Banton was the first African-American head coach of any intercollegiate sport at Ohio.

As a competitor for Ohio University, Banton made history when he captured the NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country championship in 1964. Not only was he the second Ohio student-athlete to earn national medalist honors, but he was also the first African-American to win the national title.

“We are excited that coach Banton and coach Ford have agreed to take on bigger roles within these programs.” said Massa. “Both have provided exceptional leadership for our student athletes and I am certain they will continue to do so.”

Episode 12, Part 1: Joe Eby

In part one Joe talks about his program at Allegheny and some of the successes and frustrations of his college career at Mount Union.

Episode 12, Part 1: Joe Eby
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Episode 11, Part 1: ONU Senior Quintet

In part one Thomas Adam discusses ONU's newly appointed head coach, Ryan New, Jason Maus's new full-time position and former ONU Assistant Jake Gleason's acceptance of the Muskingum head coaching spot.

Jim O'Brien discusses Northern's expectations returning 6 of last season's top 7 along with a great incoming class including Purdue University transfer Eric Hammond.

Paul Lewis and Eric Porter close part one by talking about the culture change in terms of distance running at ONU.

Episode 11, Part 1: ONU Senior Quintet
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2008 Men's Great Lakes Region Preview (Top 10)

Official preview by Kori Stoffregen, Depauw University

Great Lakes Region Men

1. Calvin - Suggested rank Top 4

2007 Nationals Recap: 4th with 214 pts.
2007 GL Region Recap: 1st with 27 pts.

Key Returners (5 of top 7):

*Jed Christiansen, SR- XC: 33rd Nationals, 1st GL Region/Track: 5th place Nationals 10k, 14:33.30 5k, 30:30.89 10k

*Erik VanKampen, SR- XC: 35th Nationals, 6th GL Region/Track: 14:48.17 5k, 30:38.61 10k

*Nate DeHaan, SR- XC: 146th Nationals, 15th GL Region/Track: 3:57.89 1500m, 9:10.49 3kSC

*Dan VandenAkker, SR- XC: 161st Nationals, 23rd GL Region/Track: 9:18.45 3kSC

*Tim Langenberg, SR- XC: 188th Nationals, 30 th GL Region

Other Notables:

*Jake Christiansen, SO- 15:26.71 5k

*Aaron Goodman, JR- 9:32.19 3kSC, 15:33.86 5k

*David Jaeger, JR- 15:27 5k

*Andrew Stutzman, SR- 15:16.46 5k

*George Visser, JR- 9:19.11 3kSC, 15:24.60 5k

Preview:

The Calvin Men return five of their top seven from a team that finished first in the Great Lakes Region and fourth nationally last year. They have been in the top four at nationals the past ten consecutive seasons with national titles in 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2006. The 2008 squad will feature nine seniors on a roster that includes three with All-American awards. They look to be lead by senior Jed Christiansen who is going after a fourth All-American award that has been previously accomplished by only 13 past individuals in NCAA Division III history.

2. Ohio Northern - Suggested rank 10-12

2007 Nationals Recap: 17th with 448 pts.
2007 GL Region Recap: 2nd with 114 pts.

Key Returners (6 of top 7):

*Jimmy O'Brien, SR- XC: 34th Nationals, 5th GL Region/Track: 4th place Outdoor Nationals 1500m and 800m, 1:48.45 800m, 3:47.97 1500m, 15:07.72 5k

*Thomas Adam, SR- XC: 97th Nationals, 14th GL Region/Track: OAC Indoor 5k champ, 15:23.33 5k, 32:02.90 10k

*Alan Bowsher, JR- XC: 107th Nationals, 21st GL Region/Track: 15:27.50 5k, 31:47.76 10k

*Paul Lewis, SR- XC: 168th Nationals, 41st GL Region/Track: 15:42.18 5k

*Eric Porter, SR- XC: 190th Nationals, 33rd GL Region/Track: 4:04.42 1500m

*Brent Hiser, JR- XC: 237th Nationals, 64th GL Region

Other Notables:

*Nick Edmonds, JR- 33:10.52 10k

*Ben McPheron, JR- 15:49.50 5k

*Jacob Schoenlein, SO- 15:52 5k, 33:12.74 10k

*Eric Thatcher, SR- 9:54.28 3kSC

Key Additions:

*Eric Hammond, SR (Purdue University transfer) - 8:38 3k, 15:07 5k, 30:49 10k, 25:02 8k

*Nick Baker, FR- 4:27 1600m, 9:29.94 3200m, 16:24 5k

*Kevin Stack, FR- 4:26.08 1600m, 9:48 3200m, 16:40 5k

Preview:

The Ohio Northern Men return six of its top seven from last year’s 17th place national qualifying team and nine of its 10 runners from last year’s OAC Championship squad. They look to be lead by reigning OAC Champion and All-American Jimmy O’Brien, who has garnered five All-American awards on the track. The addition of a solid recruiting class provides the Ohio Northern Men with valuable depth.

3. Heidelberg – Suggested rank 15-20

2007 Nationals Recap: 27th with 555 pts.
2007 GL Region Recap: 4th with 128 pts.

Key Returners (6 of top 7):

*Devin Butcher, JR- XC: 180th Nationals, 20th GL Region/ Track: 15:31.80 5k

*Scott Lasch, JR- XC: 95th Nationals, 24th GL Region/ Track: 4:00.17 1500m, 15:18.02 5k

*Jake Lemon, JR- XC: 186th Nationals, 25th GL Region/ Track: 9:59.82 3kSC

*Jarrod Saling, SR- XC: 185th Nationals, 47th GL Region/ Track: 15:38.88 5k

*John Distler, SO- XC: 271st Nationals, 57th GL Region/ Track: 33:58.66 10k

Other Notables:

*Jamie Kuess, JR- 9:53.71 3kSC

Key Additions:

*Jamie Martin, FR- XC: 25:58.45 Unattached BGSU Inv./ Track: 4:16.98 1600m ’03 HS

*Keith Mrak, FR- 9:40.84 3200m, 15:55.35 5k XC

Preview:

The Heidelberg Men only lost one out their top five from last year’s team that finished fourth in the region and 27th at Nationals and gain a solid freshmen class for the 2008 season. An addition to the team that could make an immediate impact is freshman Jamie Martin, who as a member of the high school class of 2003 finished third in the 1600m at the Ohio Division II Track State Championships with a time of 4:16.98. A healthy end of the season could reap rewards for this squad.

4. Case Western – Suggested rank 20-25

2007 GL Region Recap: 8th with 193 pts.

Key Returners (6 of top 7):

*Dominic Smith, SR- XC: 51st Nationals, 8th GL Region/ Track: 9:31.45 3kSC, 14:57.35 5k

*Mike Petro, SR- XC: 26th GL Region/ Track: 15:15.28 5k

*Austin Schmidt, JR- XC: 37th GL Region/ Track: 15:33.59 5k

*Ryan Gjoraas, SR- XC: 40th GL Region

*Michael Werneiwski, SR- XC: 82nd GL Region/ Track: 10:25.72 3kSC

*Ethan Kleinbaum, SO- XC: 106th GL Region/ Track: 16:02.97 5k, 32:43.52 10k

Other Notables:

*Reza Mohammadpour, SO- in top seven early last year, sidelined with injury as season progressed

*Josh Ward, SR- 9:56.88 3kSC

Preview:

Case Men will have six of their top seven back from the 2007 regional meet in which they finished 8th. They look to be lead by senior Dominic Smith, who qualified for the national meet last year as an individual placing 51st. The 2008 squad made great strides during the outdoor track season.

5. Mount Union – Suggested rank Top 30

2007 GL Region Recap: 5th with 143 pts.

Key Returners (3 of top 7):

*Dustin Ford, SR- XC: 115th Nationals, 16th GL Region/ Track: 4:07.13 1500m, 15:34.22 5k

*Bryce Basista, JR- XC: 43rd GL Region/ Track: 4:05.01 1500m

*Ty Griffin, SO- XC: 179th GL Region/ Track: 3:58.45 1500m

Other Notables:

*Matt Dietrich, SR- Track: 10:00.12 3kSC

*Justin Meeson, SR- diagnosed with asthma and mono, 3rd in 10k at OAC Championships ‘07

*Dan Whisler, JR- Track: 9:46.44 3kSC, 15:52.55 5k

*Scott Wolfe, SO- Track: 15:49.84 5k, 33:00.27 10k

Preview:

The Mount Union Men only return three of its top seven from last year’s fifth place regional team, but feature a good mix of experienced seniors and talented underclassmen. They look to be lead by senior Dustin Ford, who is eyeing a fourth cross country nationals appearance.

6. Otterbein

2007 GL Region Recap: 11th with 315 pts.

Key Returners (6 of top 7):

*James Castrillo, JR- XC: 50th GL Region/ Track: 15:49.17 5k, 32:54.14 10k

*Chase Schneider, SR- XC: 55th GL Region/ Track: 9:49.63 3kSC, 15:47.18 5k

*Chris Fyock, SO- XC: 74th GL Region/ Track: 15:50.46 5k

*Matt Dixon, SO- XC: 119th GL Region

*Michael Jacoby, SO- XC: 155th GL Region

Other Notables:

*Alex Simko, - 4:05.33 1500m, 10:23.15 3kSC

*Tim Weaver, SR- #1 runner sophomore year, oft-injured

7. Hope

2007 GL Region Recap: 18th with 487 pts.

Key Returners (6 of top 7):

*Robert Bailey, SR- XC: 65th GL Region/ Track: 9:09.89 3kSC

*Paul VanderVelde, SR- XC: 75th GL Region/ Track: 15:40.99 5k

*Zach King, SR- XC: 117th GL Region

*Eric Anderson, JR- XC: 130th GL Region/ Track: 10:14.59 3kSC

*Lucas Wolthuis, JR- XC: 136th GL Region/ Track: 10:00.90 3kSC

*Matt Wiersum, JR- XC: 163rd GL Region/ Track: 10:04.76 3kSC, 15:44.41 5k, 32:51.57 10k

Other Notables:

*Ryan Jara, JR- 15:46.17 5k, 33:04.42 10k

*Chris Mauney, SO- transfer from Saginaw Valley

*Daniel Sultz, SR- XC: 133rd GL Region ‘06

*Seth Weener, SR- XC:’06 national qualifier/ Track: 3:55.17 1500m

8. Kenyon

2007 GL Region Recap: 10th with 290 pts.

Key Returners (7 of top 7):

*Jim Boston, SR- XC: 41st Nationals, 11th GL Region

*Matt Riley, JR- XC: 42nd GL Region/ Track: 15:23.32 5k, 32:03.81 10k

*Kaleb Keyserling, SR- XC: 52nd GL Region/ Track: 15:42.22 5k

*Rob Carpenter, JR- XC: 81st GL Region/ Track: 16:06.58 5k

*Chris Houser, SR- XC: 104th GL Region/ Track: 4:08.19 1500m

*Chris MacColl, SO- XC: 118th GL Region

*Ken Noguchi, JR- XC: 186th GL Region/ Track: 10:17.68 3kSC

Other Notables:

*Two freshmen runners who should crack the top seven. Both have run in the low 4:20’s for the 1600m in high school.

9. DePauw

2007 GL Region Recap: 6th with 184 pts.

Key Returners (4 of top 7):

*Zack Weinberg, JR- XC: 34th GL Region/ Track: 15:53.46 indoor 5k

*Nate Ellis, SR- XC: 35th GL Region/ Track: 15:28.40 indoor 5k

*Nick Pucillo, SO- XC: 48th GL Region/ Track: 10:09.86 3kSC, 15:33.07 5k

*Eric Hawley, SO- XC: 76th GL Region/ Track: 16:03.77 5k, 33:30.99 10k

Other Notables:

*Steve Clark, JR- Track: 10:11.29 3kSC

*Joe Evans, JR- 16:03.60 5k

10. Baldwin Wallace

2007 GL Region Recap: 16th with 476 pts.

Key Returners (5 of top 7):

*Derek Hill, SR- XC: 49th GL Region/ Track: OAC Outdoor 5k champion, 15:05.02 5k

*Nate Bowen, SR- XC: 66th GL Region/ Track: 3:58.64 1500m, 15:47 5k

*Jimmy Eberts, JR- XC: 113th GL Region/ Track: 9:45.65 3kSC

*Jeff Bonezzi, JR- XC: 138th GL Region/ Track: 10:15.67 3kSC

*Mark Buhoveckey, JR- XC: 143rd GL Region/ Track: 15:57.15 5k

Other Notables:

*Drew Beck, FR- 4:25.87 One Mile, 9:55.66 3200m

*Brian Gibbons, SO- 15:59.60 5k, 32:59.82 10k

*Zach Szablewski, FR- 9:59.09 3200m, 16:37.44 5k XC

*Tom Wilkin, FR- 4:28.39 1600m, 16:42.98 5k XC

*Transfer from Akron that should be top three on the squad.

#12 Preview: Joe Eby's Six Degrees of Separation

Current Allegheny Assistant/Mount alum Joe Eby spilled his guts for well over an hour, covering everything from his experiences at Mount (Joe was a 4-time OAC Champion, 13-time All-OAC performer and All-American), a summer full of traveling (and running with the likes of Olympian Brian Sell, Ryan Bak, Josh Rohatinsky and others), building a premiere track & field meet from scratch (the new, very successful Allegheny Gator Invitational), how the current state of OAC distance running compares to his time at Mount way back at the turn of the century and so much more.

Expect Joe's complete interview (Talk Show #12) along with Ohio Northern's Senior Quintet (#11) to be posted within the next week.

For now, feast on some of the quotes from the interview. After you're done reading some of this stuff the title of this post might start to make a little more sense. Also notice the first Let's Run-style OAC Distance quote to grace the top of the front page taken from Joe's interview (they say imitation is the highest form of flattery...they can sue us if they don't like it).

On his experiences/travels this summer to the U.S. Olympic Trials, etc:

*When I knew the Trials were going to Eugene, He (Ryan Bak) lived in Eugene so I called him up and said, "Hey, I'm looking for a place to stay." I've hosted him a couple times for different meets and he always said, "if I can refurn the favor let me know," so he let Becky and I--my wife--stay with him out in Eugene for the Trials.

*I run for Brooks and we were hanging out at the Brooks house a lot and he came out for one of the morning runs and the end of the run came down to myself, Brian Sell's and my rep from Brooks and Zach Ross--it was just the four of us, and that was like the last 45 minutes, so we just got to run with him and talk with him which was a pretty cool experience...

*The Trials was an amazing time. I would compare it with being at Fantasy Camp. I mean everywhere you went, we went out to dinner and Jen Rhines is there with Terrance Mahon, and Adam Nelson's sitting a couple tables away from us. We'd go out on a run and see Amy Hastings or Anna Willard or, I saw Gabe Jennings, Leo Manzano...everywhere you went you're running into people.

*...then went to Portland to visit one of my friends from high school out there. I stayed with him and I got to go to the Adidas Headquarters because he works at Adidas and he knows Josh Rohatinsky real well so we went over to his house and played Wii with him and he was going for a run so I just jumped in with him and went for another easy run with him.

*...Bernard Lagat actually sat in front of my wife on our plane flight from Eugene to Seattle. When we were in Seattle we went and visited the Brooks Headquarters and kind of took in sights up there and then went to a wedding in San Antonio and I think last Saturday was the first time I'd slept in my own bed since January. So yeah, it was a lot of traveling, but it's been a lot of fun.

*I met Pat Tyson randomly just walking with my buddy. I was just trying to help him with some Adidas stuff, I was carrying some Adidas posters and stuff and I dropped something on the ground and Pat Tyson happened to be walking behind us and he was like, "oh here, let me help you carry that," so everywhere you go you're always running into someone who's done something or run really fast.

We're certainly going to have to call Joe in the future for a sequel interview. Stay tuned for Episodes 11 & 12, coming soon!

Camp Week Countdown & Episode 11

I know what you're thinking: finally some activity, right?

As most OAC teams gear up to report back to campus on Monday we hyped the occasion by picking the brains of five Ohio Northern seniors. Can the Polar Bears fight for a spot on the podium this November? Will they battle Calvin for a Great Lakes Championship? How do they feel about their recent head coaching hire?

After nearly an hour and thirty minutes of recorded interview time you can expect to see quite the ONU jukebox grace the front page sometime next week. Until then, we'll leave you with a little preview.

Episode 11 Preview: ONU Senior Quintet
Uploaded by OAC_Distance

Also coming soon, a couple good reads courtesy of contributor/B-W alum Tim Budic as well as Talk Show #12 featuring Allegheny Assistant/Mount alum Joe Eby.

At Long Last, ONU Announces 'New' Head Coach

Less than a week out from the start of cross country camp, the Ohio Northern Athletic Department officially announced today that it will be former Centre Assistant Coach Ryan New who will take over the reigns for the Polar Bear harriers this fall.

New will inherit what is without a doubt the most talented Ohio Northern cross country team in the history of the program, fresh off a 17th place finish at Nationals in '07--a team that was at one time ranked within the top 10 nationally.

Expectations are very, very high at Northern this season, and for good reason.

Full story via ONUSports.com:

ADA — Ryan New has been named head coach for both the Cross Country and Track & Field programs at Ohio Northern.

New comes to Northern after spending the past three years as an assistant coach at Centre (Ky.) and running for the program from 2001-2004.

The 2004 graduate earned his dual degree in classical studies and history from Centre.

New was a sprinter for the Colonels, competing in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes as well as the 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays.

At the end of his career, New held or shared seven school records in track.

New was named Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Runner of the Year and Centre Athlete of the Year as a senior in 2004 while running an NCAA Provisional time of 48.33 in the 400-meter dash.

“I am very excited about the chance to come to Ohio Northern,” said New. “This does not necessarily seem like a job but rather a great opportunity that has been given to me.”

After completing his undergraduate work, New earned his master’s degree in history from Eastern Kentucky.

New resides in Ada with his wife, Andrea.

(a) Blast from the Past/Brief Intermission

There's a good chance that "Episode 10" might be the last piece of original content added to the site for nearly 3 weeks. The reason? I'll be making the move to Ohio tomorrow morning and while living back home in the boons will have extremely limited access to the interweb (which is probably a good thing for this guy...it's got to be unhealthy to be on a computer for the amount of time I have been recently).

I move into my new home on August 11th so by that time I should be able to re-start the interviewing process as well as preparing for other 2008 OAC cross country goodies.

Until then the other load of contributors and I will still be able to add content in the form of coaching updates, conference news and the like...just in terms of video there will be a little gap in the action. No big deal right?

In the meantime, I'll try to post odds and ends such as this--the steeple from the 2003 NCAA DIII Track & Field Championships, featuring site contributor and Baldwin-Wallace alum Tim Budic as well as Mount Union alum Bryan Less. The OAC had some great individual talent in the steeple that year as Heidelberg alum (and yet another OAC Distance contributor) Brendon Moody was, I believe, the last individual not to qualify to the national meet running a PR and Heidelberg SR (9:13).

During this "intermission period" before the start of the cross country season be sure to frequent the forum. I'll be back in action soon. We're going to have one awesome fall!

Eberts Tells All in This Milestone 10th OACDTS!

Don't call it a comeback, we've been here for nearly a month! Now that's staying-power.

We can't afford digital confetti, strobe lights or fancy alarms...but if we could, it'd be happening because this is the 10th OAC Distance Talk Show featuring B-W harrier James/Jim/Jimmy Eberts. We talk John Mayer, Jerry Seinfeld and so much more with this All-OAC steepler. We hope you like it.

Talk Show 9: JCU's Nick "the Quick" Habursky

"We're the smartest team in the OAC, bar none."

That's how John Carroll senior Nicholas Habursky answered the phone when I called him to do this interview. Seriously.



Nick discusses his past (being molded by former JCU harrier greats), present (training daily in the heat and studying for the LSAT) and future (being an elder statesman on a very young JCU team) in this, our 9th OAC Distance Cellular Talk Show.

Heidelberg Names Keith Roberts Head Coach

It's been quite a busy week for OAC AD's.

via Heidelberg.edu:

Director of Athletics Matt Palm has announced the appointment of Keith Roberts (far left) as interim head cross country and track and field coach of both the men’s and women’s programs at Heidelberg College. Roberts will begin his second season at the Berg, having served as an assistant coach last season.

Roberts replaces Kevin Lucas, who resigned after four years at the helm to take the head track and field coaching position at Salisbury University in Salisbury, Md.

“We are confident that Keith will continue to build on the success of our cross country and track and field programs at Heidelberg,” stated Palm. “He played an integral part in the overall success of the program a year ago, and has the determination to continue to keep Heidelberg among the leaders in the OAC as well as the nation.”

Roberts looks forward to the opportunity to continue to build on the winning tradition at Heidelberg. “I would like to thank Matt Palm and the entire athletic administration for allowing me the opportunity to coach a program that has such a high commitment to excellence both in competition and in the classroom. Coach Lucas built a strong program and I plan to continue to take Heidelberg to the next level.”

A season ago, Roberts worked primarily with the sprinters and hurdlers on both the men’s and women’s teams. Between the indoor and outdoor track, Roberts helped to bring home 12 individual Ohio Athletic Conference honors, as well as seven relay All-OAC accolades. Sprinter Judy Bataille won the indoor 55-meter National Championship and All-American honors, while the men’s indoor 4x400-meter relay team just missed All-American honors at the national championships.

Prior to arriving at Heidelberg, Roberts was head coach for the Logan County Elite Track Club in Bellefontaine, Ohio. He also was an assistant coach for Bellefontaine High School and the Summit Academy in Herman, Pa. for the 2006 season and from 2005-2006 assisted at the University of Pittsburgh.

Roberts attended Kent State University and was a member of the track and field team. He won the Mid-American Conference Championship in the indoor 60-meter hurdles, and currently holds the indoor 55-meter hurdles record. Roberts also placed 11th in the nation in Division I in the indoor 60-meter hurdles in 2003, and was named a Freshman Verizon All-American in the outdoor 110-meter hurdles.

A native of Bellefontaine, Ohio, Roberts attended Bellefontaine High School, and graduated in the fall of 2005 from Kent with a bachelor’s degree in interpersonal communication, and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in education.

Roberts has stressed that building on a winning tradition takes a lot of hard work and dedication, all of which he is ready to do. “We have a good core of returners from the cross country teams to the track and field athletes. As a coach I stress the importance that all distance runners, sprinters, throwers and hurdlers all merge together to form one cohesive team that will welcome a strong recruiting class to strive for a conference championship this season."