BOULDER – Former University of Colorado cross country and track and field coach Jerry Quiller, who coached 15 years and hundreds of student-athletes at the school, has passed away after fighting a battle against multiple myeloma.  He was 69.

Coach Q started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Colorado State University and became an assistant with CU in 1970, holding that position for four years. In 1974 he took over the reigns as a head coach at Wayne (Mich.) State. After two seasons he came back to CSU (1976-80) before heading to Idaho State (1980-85). Quiller then took over the program at CU in 1985, replacing David Troy. He coached the Buffs until 1995 when he landed his final coaching post at Army (1995-2008).

“He had a resume of champions and All-Americans, but that is not why he was so loved,” Wetmore explained. “Simply, he was a great guy. He had a big smile, a nickname for everyone, and an arm around their shoulders. He made people feel happy, welcome, and at home. What greater measure of success could there be?”

During his time at CU, Quiller coached the Buffs to three Big Eight Conference titles and made a dozen (men and women) appearances at the NCAA Championships. He was named the league’s coach of the year five times in that span and directed 19 All-Americans (13 men and six women), including Olympians Adam Goucher and Alan Culpepper. In 1994, CU’s men placed second and the women were fourth at nationals, earning him national coach of the year accolades.

The program at CU was left to the very capable hands of Mark Wetmore, who was an assistant under Quiller. The two formed a strong bond and Wetmore has a great deal of respect for him.

“I’ve been lucky to know many people considered to be successful…athletic champions, Olympians, wealthy people, well known or influential people. But I’m not sure I ever knew anyone more successful than Jerry Quiller,” Wetmore said. “Everywhere I have traveled, people have asked me, “What do you hear from Q?”, “Can you get me Q’s phone number?”  We had a CU Track and Field reunion a year ago, with hundreds of graduates, going back forty years. Q was surrounded all night.

“He was also a coach up at CSU for a time. Just last year they had a similar gathering at one of their home track meets and the same thing happened. He moved around the meet like a celebrity, with an entourage following.”

“Our offices were side-by-side for over a decade, and I can’t recall a single day where he wasn’t always smiling,” said David Plati, CU’s associate AD for sports information.  “He was an ‘up’ person, even throughout his battle, a ‘glass is half full kind of guy.’  He left an indelible mark on those lives he touched.”

Coach Q was one of the most successful coaches in Army history. Quiller guided the Army men’s and women’s cross country and track teams to 37 Patriot League titles in 13 seasons on the job. He won a Patriot League title in either cross country or track and field in each of his 13 years at the Academy and was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year an astounding 22 times. He had two more athletes, Dan Browne and Anita Allen, become Olympians as they competed in the 2004 Athens Games.

As one of the most successful coaches in Army history, ‘Q’ went out on top, coaching the women’s team to their first outdoor Patriot League title in 10 years and earning 2008 Women’s Outdoor Track Coach of the Year honors from the Patriot League. He also earned one last trip to the NCAA Championships as distance runner John Mickowski advanced to the national competition under his leadership.

Quiller, a Fort Collins, Colo. native lettered in cross country, track and field and baseball at Fort Collins High School. He was a member of the Colorado State track and field team, graduating in 1964 with a bachelor’s of science degree in physical science. He earned his master’s in education in 1966, also from CSU. He was born on April 28, 1942 in Denver. He and his wife, Sandy, had three sons, Ryan, Rory and Robb, who were all pole vaulters.

Everywhere Coach Q went people could see what a genuine and amazing person he was. He left his mark on everyone he met, including Gary Ozzello, the Senior Associate A.D. for External Operations at CSU.

“I had the chance to know Jerry during his time at CSU and in his years since CSU,” Ozzello said. “He was very passionate about track and field and about his life and his family. I have nothing but great memories in all that Jerry did and every person he touched during his life.”

Quiller touched many lives in his nearly 40-year coaching career, including Idaho State coach Dave Nielson who served as an assistant for Quiller during his time at ISU.

“Coach Q has been a mentor to me and all whose lives he touched through his actions, style, and attitude.  In this very sad time, it is comforting to know that gifts to us in life are not lost in his passing,” Nielson said.

Coach Q was an assistant coach for the 2000 Olympic team which competed in Sydney, Australia. The team included two of his former athletes from CU, Goucher and Culpepper. He was the U.S. men’s team coach at the 1981 world cross country championships and the women’s team coach at the same meet in 1994. Quiller also served as the distance coach for the U.S. team at the 1987 track and field world championships.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Courtesy of CUBuffs.com

The book Running with the Buffaloes which chronicles the 1998 CU Cross Country team lead by Adam Goucher is under consideration of being banned in a middle school in Virginia. Its started when a 14 year old avid reader picked up the book from the library. His mom was glancing through it and found some curse words then called the school furious looking for answers. Here is the video.

The book has become a cult classic among high school, college runners and running fans alike. As author Chris Lear follows the team around during the tumultuous 1998 season on their quest for the national Cross Country title, he journals the conversations they have which at times are brash and juvenile yes, but remember this is who they are, young confident college students.

Of particular interest to running fans are the trails they run including the Buff Ranch, the Grange and the fabled Magnolia Road which runners from all around have added to their bucket list.

The controversy has sparked many discussions throughout Facebook and the internets. Teammate Steve Slattery commented on twitter: “People want to ban running with the buffaloes because of my #jersey language. In the age of #jerzyshore you think they would be cool”

Adam Goucher on his blog Run the Edge felt compelled to say,

I know I am partly to blame for the language used in Running With the Buffaloes but that is how we talked. Chris wanted the book to be authentic so he took down our words verbatim. In that sense the book is honest and does a great job of portraying real people on a real team going through a real season. He did not water it down to make it appropriate for all ages.

Tim Catalano, also a CU teammate and Adam’s best friend in college added this:

I taught and coached in high schools for eleven years after I graduated from CU. I am not sure if I ever walked into a middle school bathroom where I did not see graphic illustrations of genitalia on the walls along with language that would have made the characters in Running With the Buffaloes blush. I did not use foul language as a coach because I knew I was supposed to set a standard of intellectual maturity. I was not always mature, but I did uphold those standards fairly well.

A library is the same thing. It sets a standard by what it carries on its shelves. Not carrying books such as these will not prevent kids from cursing. Just as not carrying books about violence and sex will not stop fights and teen pregnancies.

But both Adam and Tim added that Middle school libraries probably aught not to carry the book. “If young runners want to read it, they can find it on amazon, the community library, or at the bookstore.”

And finally author Chris Lear stated:

They (the readers) may surmise after reading it that running can provide an avenue by which they will gain a sense of fulfillment and a sense of self. They may even learn that this melting pot of folks on the team may become like kin should – through shared effort and sacrifice – they commit to chasing some big goals.

There are worse takeaways to be found all around in media accessible to middle schoolers everywhere.

Are there some f-bombs along the way? You bet. Try training like those men trained, and you’ll find it’s not all unicorns, butterflies and cotton candy.

—

–

Personally, as a father of a middle schooler, I am surprised that this mother didn’t take the time to talk to her obviously smart and well-read child about the context of these words within the story. The book doesn’t contain sex or drugs and is an honest chronicle about hard work, friendship, teamwork, and the twists that life can throw at you. This mother was quoted as saying “I know they hear it. I know they probably say some of them. It’s the age. They think it’s cool. But why should it be put under their noses in a book in the school library to read?” I think what she is forgetting is that her child had a choice to check out the book, and he has a choice not to read it.

Who knows, maybe this boy will connect in some way with the story and take up running himself. Now wouldn’t that be something?

CU Cross Country

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Senior Richard Medina raced to an eighth-place finish on the cross country course as the No. 6 University of Colorado men’s team placed third overall at the 2011 NCAA Cross Country Championships on Monday.

“Third is a very good run for the men,” coach Mark Wetmore said. “I can’t think of anyone who had a bad race. That is very nearly the highest we could have hoped for. We were just five points out of second, which is really just a blink of an eye in this race, so that was very good run for them.”

The men recorded 144 points in the team race and finished just five points behind No. 2 Oklahoma State (139) at the La Vern Gibson Championship Cross Country. No. 1 Wisconsin won the meet with 97 points. The No. 6 CU women finished 11^th overall with a team score of 335. Georgetown took the women’s title with 162 points and Washington was second (170)

Medina crossed the 10k finish in 29 minutes, 27.8 seconds for his first All-American cross country finish, improving from a 57^th-place finish in 2009. Medina led CU in four of the five varsity meets this season.

“Richard has looked very good since the middle of last spring,” Wetmore said. “He’s had no interruptions, just banking his training. I knew he was a top-10 guy here today. I’m not sure he knew it, but he found it out. It was a great run for him.”

“I’m happy to end my cross country career at CU on this note,” Medina said. “To do well individually and as a team is a great feeling. I’m so proud of my team and everything we have accomplished.”

Watch more video of Richard Medina on flotrack.org

Two other Buffs, Andy Wacker and Joe Bosshard, earned All-American honors as well. Wacker placed 20^th overall (29:44.8) and Bosshard was 24^th (29:53.7). This was the second honor for Wacker and Bosshard as both finished in the top-40 at last year’s championships. Wacker was 37^th and Bosshard was 26^th.

“You can’t argue with a guy like Andy who keeps getting better year after year after year,” Wetmore said. “Joe improved a couple of positions from last year. He had a viral infection that cost him five or six weeks early in the season so we knew that he was just doing team duty, but he bite the bullet and did a great job.”

Christian Thompson just missed his first All-American honor, placing 49^th in 30:22.3 as CU’s No. 4 scorer. Ammar Moussa was CU’s fifth harrier. He was 88^th overall (30:42.4) in his first NCAA meet.

The CU women were led by Shalaya Kipp and Emma Coburn. Kipp was 19^th overall to earn her second All-American cross country certificate and Coburn was 20^th to earn her first honor. Both finished the 6k course with a time of 20:08 but Kipp was just ahead of Coburn at the finish line. Kipp improved from a 40^th-place finish last season and Coburn improved from 53^rd a year ago.

“I’m very happy with my race today,” Kipp said. “I’ve been working all year for this and to improve from last year is a great feeling. We would have liked to finish higher as a team, but I’m excited about the future since we will have a great team again next year.”

Lara Darco was CU’s third scorer, finishing 97^th in 21:00.3. Katie Cumming had her best finish at nationals, crossing the line in 137^th (21:17.8). Camille Logan rounded out CU’s score by taking 165^th (21:28.9).

“We aren’t ecstatic about the women finishing 11th,” Wetmore said. “We know they are a better team than that, but those two front women had real good runs. Despite Emma’s track credentials she has never been a stellar cross country runner, and also in her case she had a very long last 14-16 months. They both equaled our highest expectations. Behind them it wasn’t a great day. It is an inexperienced team. Some of them had never been here before. This meet is very intimidating from the time you arrive to the middle of the race.”

The Buffs did come away from the meet with the highest combined team score (14). The second best team was Stanford (15). The Cardinal men finished fifth and the women were 10^th.

CU graduates three men (Richard Medina, Andy Wacker and Christian Thompson) and two women (Emma Coburn and Lara Darco) from this year’s team.

2011 NCAA DIVISION I CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP

Monday, November 21
Lavern Gibson Cross Country Course
Wabash Valley Family Sports Center, Terre Haute, Ind.

MEN’S TEAM TOP-10 10K RESULTS (of 31 teams):

1. Wisconsin, 97; 2. Oklahoma State, 139; 3. Colorado, 144; 4. BYU, 203; 5. Stanford, 207; 6. Oklahoma, 213; 7. Indiana, 257; 8. Portland, 259; 9. Iona, 265; 10. North Carolina State, 282

MEN’S TOP-10 INDIVIDUAL FINISHERS:

1. Lawi Lalang, Arizona, 28:44.1; 2. Chris Derrick, Stanford, 28:57.5; 3. Leonard Korir, Iona, 29:02.5; 4. Cameron Levins, Southern Utah, 29:04.8; 5. Mohammed Ahmed, Wisconsin, 29:06.7; 6. Luke Puskedra, Oregon, 29:09.3; 7. Diego Estrada, Northern Arizona, 29:24.7; 8. Richard Medina, Colorado, 29:27.8; 9. Henry Lelei, Texas A&M, 29:29.1; 10. Colby Lowe, Oklahoma State, 29:31.4.

OTHER COLORADO FINISHERS:

20. Andrew Wacker, 29:44.8; 24. Joseph Bosshard, 29:53.7; 49. Christian Thompson, 30:22.3; 88. Ammar Moussa, 30:42.4; 173. Martin Medina, 31:26.9; 183. Blake Theroux, 31:31.4.

WOMEN’S 6K RESULTS (of 31 teams):

1. Georgetown, 162: 2. Washington, 170; 3. Villanova, 181; 4. Florida State, 189; 5. Oregon, 281; 6. Vanderbilt, 282; 7. Iowa State, 290; 8. West Virginia, 297; 9. New Mexico, 322; 10. Stanford, 332. 11. Colorado, 335.

WOMEN’S TOP-10 INDIVIDUAL FINISHERS:

1. Sheila Reid, Villanova, 19:41.2; 2. Jordam Hasay, Oregon, 19:41.8; 3. Abbey D’Agostino, Dartmouth, 19:42.9; 4. Emily Infeld, Georgetown, 19:44.3; 5. Alex Banfich, Princeton, 19:45.0; 6. Bogdana Mimic, Villanova, 19:45.7; 7. Katie Flood, Washington, 19:47.9; 8. Kate Harrison, West Virginia, 19:49.5; 9. Betsy Saina, Iowa State, 19:50.7; 10. Tara Erdmann, Loyola Marymount, 19:51.3.

OTHER COLORADO FINISHERS:

19. Shalaya Kipp, 20:08.1; 20. Emma Coburn, 20:08.6; 97. Lara Darco, 21:00.3; 137. Katie Cumming, 21:17.8; 165. Camille Logan, 21:28.9; 169. Rachel Viger, 21:33.5; 170. Rachel Baptista, 21:34.3

Image courtesy of Pac-12.org

LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. — The University of Colorado cross country teams won the first ever Pac-12 Conference titles in any sport on Saturday morning, sweeping the men’s and women’s races at the Wigwam Golf Course.

The No. 6 CU men recorded 46 points in a very exciting race to defeat No. 4 Stanford by a narrow margin of seven points (53). The women entered the meet with a No. 16 national ranking and tallied a score of 50 points. No. 2 Washington was the runner-up with 73 points and No. 8 Stanford had 75 points in the team race.

“I would give each team an ‘A’ for today’s performance,” head coach Mark Wetmore said. “They came out and raced what they were capable of and some even exceeded expectations. It was a good day and we couldn’t have asked for much more from either team.”

Senior Richard Medina led the Buffs in the 8-kilometer race with a third-place finish, crossing the line in 22 minutes, 54 seconds. He was quickly joined by teammate senior Andy Wacker who finished sixth overall in 23:24.

“It means a lot to win the first Pac-12 Championship,” Wacker said. “In a conference that has the history that this one does (being the old Pac-10) and that has such great competitors with so many nationally ranked teams, it means an incredible amount to show them what we have and what we bring to the table.”

“We’ve really been working really hard for this,” Medina said. “It’s so exciting to be able to say that we are the first team to win. It is a great feeling.”

Junior Joe Bosshard ran in his first cross country race this season and recorded a top-10 performance by coming in ninth overall. He completed the race in 23:30. Senior Christian Thompson was 13^th (23:37) and freshman Ammar Moussa rounded out CU’s team score by taking 15^th. He finished in 23:43.

Medina is the only member of the men’s team that has won a conference title. He was on the last team that won a championship in 2007 when the Buffs were a member of the Big 12 Conference.

“Everything was so new then and I didn’t realize how special it was to win a conference title,” he said. “So to not have it for three years and then come back and win my senior year was pretty amazing.”

Sophomore Shalaya Kipp was the top female to finish the 6k course for the Buffs. She took fourth overall and had a time of 19:54. Senior Emma Coburn was fifth overall and finished one second behind Kipp (19:55). The pair ran the entire race together and helped pull each other along. Coburn was also competing in her first cross country race this season and was able make it a memorable one with her top-five performance.

Senior Lara Darco recorded a ninth-place finish as she finished in 20:18. Freshman Rachael Baptista was 14^th overall (20:25) and senior Katie Cumming was the fifth harrier for the Buffs (20:30), placing 18th.

 “We are so excited,” Coburn said. “We thought we would have a good chance if we came out and raced today like we know we can. Shalaya and I really played well off of each other and our third, fourth and fifth runners really did well today.”

The sweep by the Buffs marks the 13^th time in school history that the men and women have won both titles at the conference championship since the inception of a women’s program in 1976. This is the first time CU has won both titles since the Big 12 Championships in 2007.

After the men won their title, the women were given a little boost heading into their race.

“We all got chills watching the men’s race and were so excited for them,” Coburn said. “The mood was lightened and we got a better perspective on what this meet is about. Seeing the men win you understood what kind of occasion this is and how special it would be if we won too.”

The Buffs will be back in action at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships on Nov. 12 in Provo, Utah.

2011 INAUGURAL Pac-12 CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP

Wigwam Golf Course (Litchfield Park, Ariz.)

Men’s 8k Team Results

1.  Colorado , 46; 2. Stanford, 53; 3. Oregon, 93; 4. UCLA, 122; 5. California, 140; 6. Washington State, 148; 7. Washington, 153; 8. Arizona, 190; 9. Arizona State, 195.

Men’s 8k Individual Results

1.  Lawi Lalang, UA, 22:37; 2. Chris Derrick, SU, 22:45; 3. Richard Medina, CU, 22:54; 4. Jake Riley, SU, 22:55; 5. Luke Puskedra, UO, 22:58; 6. Andy Wacker, CU, 23:24; 7. Parker Stinson, UO, 23:28; 8. Kent Morikawa, UCLA, 23:29; 9. Joe Bosshard, CU, 23:30; 10. Brendan Gregg, SU, 23:32; 11. Collin Jarvis, Cal, 23:34; 12. Erik Olson, SU, 23:36; 13. Christian Thompson, 23:37; 14. Andrew Kimpel, WSU, 23:39; 15. Ammar Moussa, CU, 23:37.

Other CU Finishers:

22. Martin Medina, 23:52; 28. Blaker Theroux, 24:04; 36. Jonny Stevens, 24:45; 40. Dillon Shije, 24:30; 50. Matt Biegner, 24:44.

Women’s 6k Team Results

1.  Colorado, 50; 2. Washington, 73; 3. Stanford, 75; 4. Oregon, 89; 5. Arizona, 104; 6. Arizona State, 168; 7. California, 190; 8. Utah, 205; 9. Oregon State, 249; 10. UCLA, 288; 11. Washington State, 291; 12. USC, 384.

Women’s 6k Individual Results (top 15 Individuals)

1. Katie  Flood, UW, 19:32; 2. Kathy Kroeger, SU, 19:40; 3. Jordan Hasay, UO, 19:50; 4. Shalaya Kipp, CU, 19:54; 5. Emma Coburn, CU, 19:55; 6. Jennifer Bergman, UA, 20:00; 7. Stephanie Marcy, SU, 20:13; 8. Shelby Houlihan, ASU, 20:15; 9. Lara Darco, CU, 20:18; 10. Amanda Mergaert, UU, 20:21; 11. Jessica Tonn, SU, 20:23; 12; Christine Bobcock, UW, 20:23; 13. Elvin Kibet, UA, 20:25; 14. Rachel Baptista, CU, 20:25; 15. Claire Michel, UO, 20:25.

Other CU Finishers:

18. Katie Cumming, 20:30; 26. Camille Logan, 20:49; 35. Rachel Viger, 21:07; 51. Elizabeth Tremblay, 21:28; 69. Diana George, 21:55; 70. Courtney Bouchet, 21:56

Courtesy of CUBuffs.com

CU Cross Country

Senior Richard Medina and sophomore Shalaya Kipp led the University of Colorado cross country teams to victory at the 26th Annual Rocky Mountain Shootout at the Buffalo Ranch on CU’s South Campus. Both Medina and Kipp took first place overall to earn their first Rocky Mountain Shootout crowns.

Medina won the 8-kilometer race with the fourth fastest time ever in course history, crossing the finish in 24 minutes, 39 seconds. The Grand Junction, Colo. native redshirted last season, so this was his first cross country race in almost two years.

“It’s really special to me; I’m so blessed,” Medina said. ‘I’m so thankful for everything: my coaches, my teammates, God, my family. I was really looking forward to this race after this big block of training, and it was really nice.”

Medina defeated teammate Andy Wacker, who was the runner-up with a finishing time of 25:00. Wacker’s time ranks 22^nd overall on the all-time Buffalo Ranch course record book.

Colorado head coach Mark Wetmore was very happy with Medina’s performance as well as the team as a whole.

“Some of those times (in the record book) were performed here when the course was in immaculate condition, so that’s a very, very nice run for Richard,” he said. “Plus, he’s had so many little interruptions that, believe it or not as a fifth -year senior, he’s inexperienced on this course.

“And it was a good run for Andy. Andy was a little bit impetuous, I would say. But his training has been great and he’s just burst into race because he hasn’t raced since June, and I think he was just a little optimistic earlier.”

The No. 7 ranked Buffs also took fourth and fifth overall. Christian Thompson was third with a time of 25:20 and Martin Medina was fourth in 25:32. Jonny Stevens rounded out the score for CU. He was eighth overall with a time of 25:48.

The men showed how much depth they have this season with Blake Theroux taking 10^th (26:04), Dillon Shije placing 12^th (26:16) and Matt Biegner coming in 15^th (26:35). Aric Van Halen and Hugh Dowdy also had top-20 finishes. Van Halen was 17^th overall with a time of 26:40 and Dowdy was 20^th, finishing in 27:00.

The women’s race was also full of excitement. Kipp’s time of 20:29 tied for 10^th in 5.8k course history with teammate Laura Tremblay who recorded that mark at the 2010 shootout. Kipp had a decent lead on the field after the first half of the race and defeated the runner-up, Kristen McGlynn, by 27 seconds (20:56). The time was a personal best for Kipp as she bettered her mark of 20:42 from the 2010 meet.

“It didn’t feel like I had a huge lead the whole time, because I knew the girls were fast behind me,” Kipp said. “They ran a lot faster than last year; I was pretty excited. It definitely made me feel like I was in good shape.”

Lara Darco was the second Buff in the black and gold to cross the finish, doing so in 21:15. Right behind her in sixth was Camille Logan (21:19) and Katie Cumming was seventh (21:26). Diana George rounded out the team scoring with an 11^th-place finish, crossing the line in 22:17.

The Buffs had several other great finishers, also showing that they have a great deal of depth this season which has given then the fourth-place ranking in the nation. Staci Foster was 14^th overall (22:28), Courtney Bouchet took 18^th (22:52), Liz Tremblay was 19^th (22:54) and Kelly King placed 21^st (23:01).

“I am super excited,” Kipp said about the way the team performed. “Last year at this time, we didn’t have nearly as much of the depth, and this year, it was exciting that we had seven or eight girls running faster than four of us last year.”

Wetmore was pleased with the women’s finishes, but acknowledged there is some work for them to do between now and the next race.

“Frankly, I would say the women were a little behind what coach Burroughs and I had hoped for,” Wetmore said. “It was a very nice run for Shalaya, kind of out front the way with not a whole lot of help. I think we need to rest a little more. We didn’t rest much today. The rest of the women were good but not excellent so we have to get a little better rest.”

Overall CU won both men’s and women’s team titles. The men recorded 15 points, placing 1-2-3-4-5. Wyoming was the runner-up with 52 total points. Air Force placed third overall with 76 and Northern Colorado was fourth (112). Garden City Community College won the non-Division I team part of the meet with 34 points (1-3-7-11-12).

The women also defeated Wyoming for the title, taking 16 points (1-2-3-4-6) to UW’s 49. Air Force was third (91), Northern Colorado placed fourth (108) and Nebraska-Omaha was fifth (135). Colorado Mesa University, formerly Mesa State, won the non-Division I team meet with 33 points (1-4-7-9-12).

The Buffs will be back in action on Oct. 16 at the Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind.

RESULTS

(for complete results go to CUBuffs.com/crosscountry)

26th Annual Rocky Mountain Shootout

Buffalo Ranch, CU South Campus

MEN’S 8K DIVISION I TEAM SCORES
1.Colorado, 15; 2. Wyoming, 52; 3. Air Force, 76; 4. Northern Colorado, 112.

MEN’S 8K NON-DIVISION I TEAM SCORES
1. Garden City CC, 34; 2. Western State, 54; 3. Fort Lewis, 70; 4. So. Dakota School of Mines, 86; 5. Western New Mexico, 143; 6. Colorado Mesa, 176; 7. Regis, 178.

MEN’S FINISHERS (Top 15):

1. Richard Medina, CU, 24:39; 2. Andy Wacker, CU, 25:00; 3. Christian Thompson, CU, 25:20; 4. Martin Medina, CU, 24:32; 5. Glen Randall, 25:41; 6. Amma Moussa, unattached, 25:47; 7. Matt Tebo, unattached, 25:58; 8. Jonny Stevens, CU, 25:48; 9. Garrett Zans, unattached, 26:00; 10. Blake Theroux, CU, 26:04; 11. Kevin Batt, unattached, 26:07; 12. Dillon Shije, CU,  26:26; 13. Brandon Johnson, unattached, 26:21; 14. Wesley Cheruiyot, Gillette, 26:34; 15. Matt Biegner, CU, 26:35.

Other CU Finishers: 17. Aric Van Halen, 26:40; 20. Hugh Dowdy, 27:00; 23. Garrett Ward, 27:06; 26. Mike Goodger, 27:16; 31. Steve Kasica, 27:36; 38. Ryan Savercool, 27:51

WOMEN’S 5.8K DIVISION I TEAM SCORES
1.Colorado, 16; 2. Wyoming, 49; 3. Air Force Academy, 91; 4. Northern Colorado, 108; 5. Nebraska-Omaha, 135.

WOMEN’S 5.8K NON-DIVISION I TEAM SCORES
1. Colorado Mesa University, 33; 2. Black Hills State, 52; 3. Fort Lewis, 114; 4. Regis, 125; 5. Western New Mexico; 129; 6. CSU-Pueblo, 166; 7. So. Dakota School of Mines, 183; 8. Garden City CC, 202; 9, New Mexico Military, 223; 10. DU-Club Team, 231

WOMEN’S FINISHERS (Top 15):

1. Shalaya Kipp, CU, 20:29; 2. Kristen McGlynn, unattached, 20:56; 3. Rachel Gioscia-Ryan, 21:04; 4. Rachel Baptista, unattached, 21:10; 5. Lara Darco, CU, 21:15; 6. Cami, lle Logan, CU, 21:19; 7. Katie Cumming, CU, 21:26; 8. Brooke Hughes, Wyoming, 21:44; 9. Kara Lubreniecki, unattached, 22:03; 10. Alexis Skarda, Colorado Mesa, 22:03; 11. Diana George, CU, 22:17; 12. Kristin Johansen, unattached,22:20; 13. Amanda Scott, unattached,, 22:25; 14. Staci Foster, CU, 22:28; 15. Megan Horsch, unattached, 22:34.

Other CU Finishers: 18. Courtney Bouchet, 22:52; 19. Liz Tremblay, 22:54; 21. Kelly King, 23:01; 65. Becky Popiel, 24:44

Courtesy of CUBuffs.com

CU Cross Country

The University of Colorado’s cross country season got off to a great start on Saturday morning at the CU Time Trial with strong performances from the No. 4 ranked women and No. 7 ranked men’s teams.

It’s a CU tradition to let a freshman runner cross the finish first at the time trial and this year the winners were Rachel Baptista and Ammar Moussa. Baptista won the women’s 5.8-kilometer race in 21 minutes, 44 seconds and Moussa won the men’s 8k in 26:06.

“Rachel Baptista is a very pleasant surprise,” coach Mark Wetmore said. “We knew that she was good or we never would have recruited her, but to run that far up and to finish with the varsity group is a pleasant surprise. Ammar was one of the best high school runners in the country and it was no surprise that he was up there at that pace. We will have to see in a few weeks when they are going two minutes faster if he is at the front.”

The men crossed the finish in an extremely close pack. Moussa was running unattached, but the next six runners to cross the finish were wearing the black and gold and all finished within a second of each other. Christian Thompson, Martin Medina, Richard Medina, Jonny Stevens and Andy Wacker all finished in 26:08, while Blake Theroux crossed in 26:09.

“We’ve already been pushing ourselves quite a bit,” Thompson said. “We had a really good summer. The team and everyone was meeting and doing a lot of good workouts, a lot of good runs and just a lot of group running. The team is definitely fit.”

The women ran very well. Behind Baptista was another CU freshman Jana Stolting who was also competing unattached. She finished in 21:45. Shalaya Kipp was the first CU uniformed finisher, crossing the finish line in 21:45 for third. Katie Cumming, a senior on the squad, was fourth overall and Lara Heigis took fifth. Both earned a time of 21:45.

“I think it’s looking like a really good season,” Kipp said. “This is much faster than we have run in the past [at the time trial]. We have a lot of fast freshmen and good transfers. I am excited about this season.”

Wetmore was happy with the day’s results for both squads, but knows the team has work to do.

“Today the times looked very good and the conditions were better than usual,” he said. “I have to be a little careful of those fast times. These are relatively excellent conditions. The course is never in brilliant condition this time of year, but I think the weather was a little conducive. So when I evaluate these performances I will have to do so with a grain of salt.”

Emma Coburn, who recently returned from competing at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, did not compete but was there to cheer on her teammates. Wetmore said the decision on whether Coburn will race this cross country season will be determined later this season.

The Buffs’ next action is the 26^th Annual Rocky Mountain Shootout on October 1. Meet information is available at cubuffs.com/crosscountry.

University of Colorado junior Emma Coburn and five former Buffs are set to compete at the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Athletics Aug. 27-Sept. 4 in Daegu, South Korea.

Coburn will compete in the steeplechase, one of the first events of the meet on Aug. 27 at 10:35 a.m. in Daegu. She is the 2011 Big 12, NCAA and USATF Champion and owns the fastest time by an American this season. On Aug. 6 she raced to a time of 9 minutes, 37.16 seconds at the London Grand Prix. The time is a personal record and ranks 13^th on CU’s all-time list.

Billy Nelson, an assistant coach and former standout for the Buffs, will also compete in the steeplechase at the championships. He won the men’s 2011 USATF steeplechase crown in June. His prelim is set for Aug. 29 at 10:40 a.m.

Other former CU greats competing include Jenny (Barringer) Simpson, Kara Goucher, Tera Moody and Jeremy Dodson.

Universal Sports will televise the meet and will also stream the meet online although a subscription is required. The complete package is $14.99 and single-day bundles (morning and afternoon sessions) can be purchased for $3.99 per day.

(http://www.usatf.org/events/2011/IAAFWorldOutdoorChampionships/mediaCoverage.asp)

IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Daegu, South Korea

Female Competitors:

Emma Coburn: 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:37.16PR)
Kara Goucher: 10,000-meter run (30:55.16PR)
Tera Moody: Marathon (2:30:53PR)
Jenny Simpson: 1,500-meter run (3:59.90PR)

Male Competitors:

Jeremy Dodson: 200-meter dash (20.33PR)
Billy Nelson: 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:17.27PR)

Courtesy of CUBuffs.com

DES MOINES, Iowa — The third time is a charm, or at least that is the case for University of Colorado junior Emma Coburn who won her first NCAA 3,000-meter steeplechase title on Saturday afternoon at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Coburn, the 2010 and 2011 Big 12 champion, won the title in 9 minutes, 41.14 seconds. She was the runner-up to Penn State’s Bridget Franek in 2010 and was 11^th as a freshman in 2009. The Buffs have won the NCAA steeplechase title four times in the last six years as former Buff Jenny Barringer won it in 2006, 2008 and 2009. Coburn becomes just the second female CU athlete to win the steeplechase at nationals.

The race started out normally for Coburn as she went to the front from the gun, but she did have company for the majority of the race from Virginia’s Stephanie Garcia. With two laps remaining Coburn started to put some distance, about 15 meters, between her and Garcia. Coburn really turned in on heading into the last lap and won easily as Garcia could not match her kick. Garcia ended up finishing second in 9:47.29.

“It was a good experience to have someone pushing me,” Coburn said. “I hadn’t had that really all year in the steeple. That was really great that Stephanie Garcia was on my shoulder and a little ahead of me too. I wouldn’t have ran that fast if she hadn’t been pushing me.”

CU coach Mark Wetmore was also happy with Coburn having some company for the majority of the race.

“We knew that the Virginia woman would go with her,” he said. “She is coached by people that don’t like to get second, so we knew she would be there. She lasted a long time and kept Emma on pace. Emma needed that since she hasn’t had anyone to push her this season, so actually we wanted that.”

This has been quite the season for Coburn who is one of 10 NCAA female athletes on The Bowerman watch list, the top athletic honor in the track and field world. She ran a personal best time of 9:40.51 at the Cardinal Invitational on May 1, which at the time was the fastest in the world. That time is now 13^th overall and is the second fastest time by an American. Coburn’s time today was the fastest that she has run since May 1.

“I was really excited,” Coburn said. “I didn’t think I’d be able to run 41 in the heat like this – especially because I’m a wimp when it comes to hot weather. I was really proud of myself that I kept my poise even though I had someone on my shoulder and it was warm.

“I knew that even if I got second, I was still going to run a good time. It was definitely a mental fight with four laps to go, three laps to go, and she was still there. I just had to tell myself, ‘relax, relax.’ If it came down to it, I was getting myself ready for a big last 150 (meters).”

Coburn wasn’t the only Buff to do well in the steeplechase as teammate, sophomore Shalaya Kipp, raced to a third-place finish. Kipp over took two runners in the final lap to move from fifth to third and crossed the finish in a personal record time of 9:56.37. She improved two positions from her fifth-place finish last year as a freshman. Kipp was ranked fifth on the form chart heading into the finals.

“She was fifth a year ago and we were confident that she could be higher than that,” Wetmore said. “She ran a sound race technically and followed our race plan and we are very proud of her finish.

“I’m very happy with how Emma and Shalaya ran. Both of them did very well and what we expected them to do.”

As a team Coburn and Kipp recorded 16 points for Colorado and helped the Buffs to a 17th-place overall team finish, tying Central Florida. Texas A&M won the women’s team championship with 49.00 points. This is the best team finish for the women since 2005 when CU placed 12^th.  The Aggies also won the men’s championship with 55 points. CU tied for 64^th with one point.

Redshirt sophomore Joe Bosshard raced in the men’s 5,000-meter run less than 20 hours after placing eighth in the 10k on Friday. Bosshard gave the race a good effort and finished 13^th overall, finishing in 13:55.67.

“Joe has had way too many meters of racing in his legs the last month, but he came out and ran an honorable race which we knew he would do and we are proud of him,” Wetmore said.

Some of the Buffs will compete at the USA Track & Field Championships June 23-26 in Eugene, Ore.

NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Des Moines, Iowa (Drake Stadium)

Track Events (CU Athletes Only)

Women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase (Finals): 1. Emma Coburn, 9:41.14; 3. Shalaya Kipp, 9:56.37
Men’s 5,000-Meters (Finals): (1. Sam Chelanga, Liberty, 13:29.30) 13. Joe Bosshard, 13:55.67

Source : CUBuffs.com

University of Colorado sophomore Joe Bosshard will do double duty at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships as he qualified for the finals of the 5,000-meter run, just two days after advancing in the 10k, at the NCAA West Preliminary.

The Crested Butte, Colo. native advanced to the finals of the 10k on Thursday night after finishing eighth overall in 29 minutes, 15.57 seconds. Bosshard completed the 5k on Saturday afternoon in a personal best time of 13:34.44, the 11^th best time in CU history.

Bosshard started the race out in the back of the pack, but by the midway point he was in eighth. Bosshard kept up his pace and was able to move into fourth after 3k. He had worked his way to third as they entered the bell lap and then he took the second position. Bosshard gave it everything he had and powered down the homestretch, only dropping back one place to third, to automatically qualify for the finals in two weeks.

The 10k finals will be on June 9 at 8:50 p.m. CT and the 5k finals are on June 11 at 1:21 p.m. CT.

Bosshard will be joined by a pair of female Buffs at nationals. Emma Coburn and Shalaya Kipp advanced to the championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday night. The semifinals for the steeplechase are on June 9 at 7:30 p.m. CT and the finals are on June 11 at 12:54 p.m. CT.

Andy Wacker, Richard Medina and Matt Tebo also ran in the men’s 5k semifinals. Wacker finished 22^nd overall (14:01.13) and Medina took 31^st (14:13.13). Tebo was 38^th overall, crossing the finish in 14:30.74.

Laura Thweatt led CU in the women’s 5k. She finished 16^th overall in 16:25.63. Camille Logan placed 18^th (16:27.96) and Katie Cumming was 26^th (16:41.89).

Joe Morris finished his sophomore season at CU with a 15^th-place finish in the 200 quarterfinals. He crossed the finish in 21.37. Dane Chobanian competed in the discus, the final event of the meet, and placed 28^th overall with a toss of 165 feet, 7 inches.

Volunteer assistant coach Emily Pearson was also competing this weekend. She won the heptathlon at the NACAC Combined Events Championship in Kingston, Jamaica with 5,585 points.

NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY CHAMPIONSHIP

Eugene, Ore. (Hayward Field)

Track Events (CU Athletes Only)

Men’s 200-Meters (Quarterfinals):  (1. Rakieem Salaam, Oklahoma, 20.62) 15. Joe Morris, 21.37

Women’s 5,000-meters (Semifinals): (1. Megan Goethals, Washington, 16:02.64) 16. Laura Thweatt, 16:25.63; 18. Camille Logan, 16:27.96, 26. Katie Cumming, 16:41.89

Men’s 5,000-meters (Semifinals): (1. Lawi Lalang, Arizona, 13:30.64) 3. Joe Bosshard, 13:34.44; 22. Andy Wacker, 14:01.13; 31. Richard Medina, 14:13.13; 38. Matt Tebo, 14:30.74

Field Events (CU Athletes Only)

Men’s Discus (Finals): (1. Leif Arrhenius, BYU, 196-05) 28. Dane Chobanian, 165-07

Source: CUBuffs.com

Colorado’s Emma Coburn has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after she set the world lead in the 3,000m steeplechase at Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford University on Sunday.

The former American Junior record holder took the lead from the start of the race and never relented, putting more than 40 meters between her and the rest of the field. Coburn clocked a 9:40.51 to shave 11 seconds off her PR. She became the 11th fastest on the U.S. all-time list and earned the Olympic ‘A’ standard.

After her race, Coburn told Flotrack, “My goal was to get the [Olympic] standard and break 9:40. So I got one big goal, and I’m getting close to the other one.”

The Crested Butte, Colo. native’s award comes on the heels of Coburn earning both the Big 12 and CU Athlete of the Week honors. Coburn ranks second on CU’s all-time performers list and the time is the 13th best ever recorded by a Buff. She shaved 11 seconds off of her previous PR of 9:51.86 which she recorded at the 2010 NCAA Championship en route to a runner-up finish.

Colorado is off this week but will be back in action May 13-15 at the 2011 Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championship in Norman, Okla. Coburn is the reigning Big 12 Champion in the steeplechase as she won the event in 2010.

Source: USATF and CU Buffs

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