University of Minnesota Athletics
Griak Feature: Matt Tegenkamp
8/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
The University of Minnesota will celebrate the 31st annual Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 24 at Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights, Minn.
Gopher Athletics has announced the second annual Roy Griak Invitational Hall of Fame class, including eight honorees. As the Griak Invitational approaches, GopherSports.com will highlight each of the honorees including this week's inductee -- Matt Tegenkamp.
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) – Some of life's greatest lessons can be learned through disappointments and the way those setbacks are viewed often hold the key for future success.
Matt Tegenkamp's approach allowed him to emerge as one of the greatest runners in the history of the Roy Griak Invitational and set him on a course to become one of the top distance runners in American history. One of just three men to win two Griak titles in the meet's Gold Division, Tegenkamp will be among eight people inducted into the Roy Griak Invitational Hall of Fame on Sept. 24 when the meet is held for the 31st time.
“The Roy Griak Invitational is a mainstay in our sport and a lot of great athletes have taken part in the meet over the years,” Tegenkamp said of his inclusion in the hall of fame. “Anytime I get put into a group like that it's humbling. It's always fun to pause and reflect on your career and the things you have accomplished along the way.”
Tegenkamp's disappointments began in his sophomore season as a member of his Lee's Summit (Mo.) High School track team. He nearly qualified for the state meet in a pair of events, but came up just short of appearing on Missouri's biggest stage and watched as his teammate went on to win the state title. But, the biggest disappointment would come months later and eventually change the course for things to come.
After finishing 52nd in the Missouri state cross country championship meet as a sophomore, Tegenkamp had some lofty goals heading into his second state meet appearance. Those goals would not be achieved that day as the talented Tegenkamp faltered in the last 300 meters and found himself as the sixth runner to cross the finish line.
“That turned out to be a turning point,” he recalled. “I was my biggest disappointment…I never wanted to feel that way again.”
Tegenkamp wouldn't experience that sort emotion again.
The following spring, he ran his way to state titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, and Tegenkamp's stardom was on its way to being realized.
He began his final high school season by running a then-Missouri state high school record when he was clocked in 15:26.7 to give him the state title. Just weeks later he would place second in the Midwest Regional meet and fifth at the Footlocker national cross country championship meet.
His star took on an added hue in 2000 when he capped his high school career by repeating in his two events at the state track championship meet. He ran 4:11.43 in the 1,600 and was clocked in (8.57.23) in the 3,200. His two titles helped Lee's Summit to the team title.
A large number of collegiate powers began to court Tegenkamp for his services. After narrowing his choices, he opted to compete at the University of Wisconsin. It proved to be the right choice for both Tegenkamp and the Badgers.
After redshirting in 2000 at Wisconsin, Tegenkamp star began to shine bright once again. He won his first Griak title in 2001 and was one of three Badgers to finish among the top eight as Wisconsin won the team title with 129 points. Runner-up Portland State tallied 167 points on the day, while Providence (189), Colorado State (192) and Duke (212) rounded out the top five teams.
Tegenkamp covered the picturesque course in 23:58 and placed ahead of a pair of Arizona State runners to win the title. Juan Reyes (24:12.6) and Fasil Bizuneh (24:13.7) were the top Sun Devils as they finished second and third, respectively. Tegenkamp's teammates Josh Spiker (24:17.2) and Isaiah Festa (24:23.1) joined the champion on the awards stand. Spiker, a rival of Tegenkamp while prepsters in Missouri, placed fourth and Festa ran his way to an eighth-place finish in the 2001 Griak.
The Griak champion would go on to win the U.S. Junior cross country championship meet and defeating two-time high school national champion Dathan Ritzenhein in the process. It was the first cross country loss in several years for Ritzenhein, who was competing for the University of Colorado at the time. The Buffalo would extract a measure of revenge a short time later when he finished ahead of Tegenkamp at the world championship meet when Tegenkamp placed fifth in the event.
Tegenkamp, the 2002 Big Ten cross country champion, added his second Griak title in 2004 and highlighted perhaps the most dominant team performance in the Griak's storied history. His winning time of 24:01.9 led seven Badgers who made it to the awards stand when the top 20 finishers were announced and set the pace as Wisconsin ran away with the team title with 21 points on the day. Only the perfect score of 15 put up by Iowa State in 1989 surpasses that mark. The 81-point margin of victory over second-place Butler (102) is the largest in Griak history.
Tegenkamp finished ahead of teammates Simon Bairu (24:06.9) and Chris Solinsky (24:10.8), who placed second and third, respectively, in the 2004 race. That trio was joined on the awards stand by Spiker (24:28.1), Tim Nelson (24:33.8) and Tim Keller (24:34.4), as well as Bobby Lockhart (24:49.8). Spiker, Nelson and Keller placed 7-8-9 in the race, while Lockhart ran his way to a 16th-place finish on the day.
Tegenkamp turned professional following his graduation from Wisconsin with a degree in consumer science and continued to live in Madison and be trained by Jerry Schumacher, his coach during his career with the Badgers. He posted personal bests in the 1,500 (3:35.96), 3,000 (7:34.98) and two mile (8:16.50) and capped the 2006 season with a bronze medal at the IAAF World Cup when he was clocked in 13:36.83.
The following year he won the USA indoor national 3K in a time of 7:46.08 and set a personal and American record in the two mile (8:07.07) at the Prefontaine Classic and better the existing record held by Allan Webb by more than four seconds. Tegenkamp, the first person to break the four-minute barrier on Wisconsin soil, when he ran 3:56.38, represented the United States in the 2008 Olympic Games and soon after moved to Portland to join Nike's Oregon Project and made a second Olympic appearance in 2012 in London where he finished 19th in the 10,000 meters in a time of 28:28.26.
He later competed in a number of road races and marathons across the country before announcing his retirement earlier this year. He and his wife, the former Michelle Carson, who has a Griak title (2002) of her own, while competing at Michigan State. Carson also won a Big Ten title in 2002 while with the Spartans and after finishing fourth the previous season and placed second in 2003.
