University of Minnesota Athletics
Golden Gopher Men's Cross Country Season Outlook
9/4/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
The Golden Gopher men's cross country team kicks off the 2007 season on Friday, Sept. 7, at the Wisconsin-River Falls Triangular. The meet gets underway at 5 p.m.
2007 Minnesota Men's Cross Country Season Outlook
There is a different sense of urgency in the air as the Minnesota men’s cross country team begins its preseason training for the 2007 season. After nine consecutive trips to the NCAA Championships, the Golden Gophers’ 2006 squad fell short and snapped the streak.
After some soul-searching and plenty of rededication, this close-knit pack of Gopher harriers enter the fall vowing to work as hard as they can to return Minnesota to the national meet. Leading the pack is All-American and Big Ten champion Chris Rombough, who will be instrumental not only on the course but in his role as a team captain this season.
“We are a determined group, said Golden Gopher head coach Steve Plasencia, who has guided Minnesota to the NCAA Championships in nine of his 11 years at the helm. “Our captains have already put those expectations out there. We did take a look at ourselves after the region meet last year where we didn’t make the NCAA field. We made some mistakes and we are more than motivated not to make them again.”
Rombough ran to All-America honors with a 14th-place finish in the 2006 NCAA Championships, coming off a runner-up performance at the NCAA Midwest Region Championships. His run to the medalist honors at the Big Ten Championships would have to be termed an upset, but he is mentally prepared and even looking forward to running with a bulls’ eye on his back in his junior season.
“This will be a different year for Chris,” explains Plasencia. “He’s the defending champion and that carries some weight. Chris has a level-headed demeanor and he’s smart with his running. His running IQ is high. He fully prepares himself for the challenges each run represents.”
Although the Gophers’ return five runners from their Midwest Region Championships lineup of a year ago, the addition of Stanford transfer Forrest Tahdooahnippah and Minnesota high school phenom Hassan Mead will provide the team with plenty of firepower to mold into a solid top seven.
Junior Ben Puhl tops the list of returning runners and is coming off a confidence-building track season last spring. Puhl was the Gophers’ number-three runner at both the Big Ten and Midwest Region meets and provided a consistent performance in the middle of the lineup. After a 2007 track season where he excelled in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, placing third in the Big Ten and advancing to the NCAA Midwest Region Championships, Puhl is expected to take a step forward in cross country as well and could very well be one of the keys to a successful season for the Gophers.
“Ben is putting a real emphasis on cross country this season and he’s had a good summer of training,” said Plasencia. “He made some big strides on the track last spring and we expect to see some of that talent blossom on the cross country course this fall.”
Sophomore Mike Torchia experienced a solid true freshman season in 2006, but missed the track season with a calf injury that required surgery over the summer. The prognosis is good for Torchia to be ready for the beginning of camp and to get even stronger as the season progresses. Last fall, Torchia made an early splash in his first collegiate race, finishing as the Gophers’ number-four runner in the Roy Griak Invitational. He ran into some bad luck, suffering a nasty fall at the Big Ten Championships, but returned two weeks later to finish 42nd at the NCAA Midwest Region Championships.
“Mike is a key guy for us,” Plasencia added. “We don’t need him to be a top-seven guy; we need him to be a top-three guy for us to be the best we can be.”
Rick Furseth, a senior, and Matt Barrett, a sophomore, are important pieces to the puzzle this fall. Furseth came on strong in the championship portion of the season to garner the number-four spot among Gopher finishers at both the Big Ten and NCAA Midwest Region Championships after transferring to Minnesota from South Dakota State. Barrett struggled with some injuries throughout the season but posted some solid performances nonetheless. He finished as the Gophers’ number-three runner, 25th overall, at the Roy Griak Invitational, then earned a spot on Minnesota’s NCAA Midwest Region team and finished as the Gophers’ sixth runner.
Sophomore Ben Kampf is another Gopher with an eye on the top seven. Kampf has shown continued improvement and is expected to make a statement this fall. Senior Justin Grunewald is an experienced runner in the Gophers’ lineup, but he will likely redshirt the 2007 season to prepare for medical school entrance exams.
The addition of Tahdooahnippah and Mead to the roster injects an unknown element of excitement to the upcoming season. Tahdooahnippah was the Cardinal’s number-three runner on the squad that placed fourth at the NCAA Championships last fall. The question to be answered with Tahdooahnippah is how he will handle the stressful demands of law school with those of competitive running.
Mead is perhaps the most talented prospect in several years to stay home and run for the Golden Gophers. As a senior at Minneapolis South High School, Mead captured the state title in a record time of 15:10.7. He later finished fourth at the 2006 Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals.
“Hassan’s high school credentials are top shelf,” said Plasencia. “He’s had a great summer of training and I expect him to be a strong competitor once he gets his feet under him in college.”
The Gophers will count on several runners for experience and depth. Junior Seijen Takamura will join Rombough as the team captains this fall. Completing the senior class is Eddie Kibira and Michael VanBeusekom. David Krueger is a sophomore using cross country as training for the track season. The Gopher roster contains redshirt freshman Tim Bruhn and Mike McFarland, as well as true freshmen Paul Hilsen, Joe McFarland and Sean Olson.
Players Mentioned
