University of Minnesota Athletics
Hassan Mead Named Richard "Pinky" McNamara Student-Athlete Achievement Award
4/25/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
April 25, 2012
On Monday night at the sixth annual Golden Goldy's Student-Athlete Award Gala, senior Hassan Mead was presented with the Richard "Pinky" McNamara Student-Athlete Achievement Award. This award is given to a student-athlete who has inspired all by making an extraordinary effort to succeed despite difficult circumstances, preserving during a time of tremendous adversity and/or overcoming a great challenge.
During Mead's first three years as a Golden Gopher cross country/track and field runner, he was on top of the world. He was the first runner in Gopher history to become an All-American in his freshman season. He also captured the NCAA Midwest Region title in his sophomore seasons, which led the Gophers to a top 25 placing in the NCAA championship.
In 2010, in what was supposed to be Mead's senior season, he suffered an Achilles tendon injury and lung problem just before the start of cross country season. Mead was forced to red-shirt and miss out on the cross country and most of the track & field season. However he did make a comeback in the 2011 outdoor track season and captured a Big Ten title in the 10,000 meter run, along with a third place finish in the 5,000 meters.
This past fall Mead was back in action for the cross country season and won the NCAA Midwest Regional title and helped send the Golden Gophers to their 14th NCAA championship appearance. Mead would finish up the cross-country season as an All-American.
Players Mentioned
