At the Collegiate Club Championships with Wisconsin's Team: A look at the camaraderie, coaching and choices faced by club runners
At 10P.M. on Friday night November 12, 2010, bearded Bryan Barker leaned over the second floor rail of a barebones roadside motel in Bloomington, Ind., that had been described by one of his buddies as a place where "lice is a given," and looked out at his University of Wisconsin Track Club (WTC) teammates gathered in the parking lot below. The two-time defending champions anxiously waited for Barker's pre-race pep talk leading up to the 2010 National Intercollegiate Running Club Association (NIRCA) cross country nationals the following morning...
Spartan runners take to the track for the first time ever.
After several years of existing as a club exclusively devoted to the cross country fall season, MSU Running Club competed in several indoor and outdoor track meets in what is hopefully the first of many successful spring seasons.
A core group of distance runners began training together after NIRCA Nationals last November with their sights set on the Illinois Club Relays, a premier indoor club running relay race. Sending only a small contingent, the four competitors each ran a minimum of three events to give MSU as much representation as possible.
Steadily improving, MSU RC mixed it up with varsity competition at premier meets hosted by Saginaw Valley State University, Central Michigan University, Michigan State University, Eastern Michigan University, and Hillsdale College.
By the time outdoor meets rolled around, the number of Spartan tracksters had grown to include more than just distance runners. Newcomer Jeremy Bebber fills a much needed role in the hurdles and sprints, with a PR of 1:00.9 in the 400m Hurdles. The club meet at Bowling Green State University where Bebber took first place in the intermediate hurdles drew competition from all across the nation. Michigan State's men took 5th place with only six competitors.
Mid-distance specialists Mark Hoyer and Mike Jaisle augment the squad. Next year we hope to have them fill out solid relay teams all running mid 50s for 400m and sub-2:10 for 800m.
Eric Loveland particularly excels at 5000 meters, having posted a personal best of 15:43.4 at the Hillsdale "Gina Relays." Jeff Girbach and Colin Riley run 16:21 and 16:52 respectively. They both also run the 1500 (4:23 & 4:26) with Girbach trying his hand at the 3000 Steeplechase (11:12) and Riley the 800 (2:09). Eddie Roginski is MSU's long distance hoss, braving the 25 laps of the 10,000 (34:53).
Two of Michigan State's women, Sarah Parks and Rebecca Dow, stepped up to compete this track season; both run the 800m and 1500m. The duo scored enough points to beat two much larger teams and place 10th at Bowling Green. They hope to return next season with a much larger squad of Spartan ladies.
Needless to say, Michigan State Running Club has its work cut out for them. Ready for anything, the Spartans are excited to continue their success at NIRCA cross country meets in the fall!
Cal Poly Distance Club Races at Cal Poly Track & Field Invitational.
Cal Poly Distance Club ran on its home track in San Luis Obispo, California on Saturday for this year's Cal Poly Invitational hosted by Cal Poly's NCAA Track and Field program. The first-year club competed alongside NCAA teams such as UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, and Pepperdine along with USATF club teams such as the Asics Aggies.
Cal Poly Distance Club's third meet of the season featured four of its runners in the 1500 meters including Mike Marlin, Andrew Ariey, Andrew Ray, and Peter Van Beurden. Ariey finished second in his heat for Cal Poly DC with a time of 4:03.10. Ariey's teammates Andrew Ray, Mike Marlin, and Peter Van Beurden finished 4:15.20, 4:17.25, and 4:27.30 respectively.
One of the club runners, Chris Sandstrom, represented Cal Poly DC in the men's 5000 meters, who finished in a time 15:53.02 three seconds behind one of the Cal Poly runners.
photo: Chris Sandstrom