Dan Glaz Has Buckeyes Focused on NCAA District Meet – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Nov. 7, 2002
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State men’s cross country runner Dan Glaz is not one to try steal the spotlight away from his teammates. Despite all the individual honors that have come his way throughout the season, he has made tremendous steps to establish himself as one of the top runners in the Big Ten Conference and the district.
During the season, the sophomore from Palos Hills, Ill., placed third in the All-Ohio Invitational. Following the All-Ohio Invitational, Glaz was awarded Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors. Glaz has also displayed strong showing at Pre-National meet and at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, Minn., one of the top meets in the country.
“Last year was very much a learning experience,” Glaz said. “We had one of the top recruiting classes in the country last season, but because of some injuries throughout the season we never really where able to perform at our highest level.”
Although Glaz escaped a freshman trend of getting injured during the 2001 season, he could not escape the fate of falling ill to anemia, which plagued the conclusion of his freshman year. He finished 55th at the conference meet.
At the Big Ten Championships last week, Glaz rebounded from that performance and was awarded Second Team All-Big Ten honors for placing 11th. He guided his team to a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, the highest finish at that meet for Ohio State since 1977.
“Dan is has truly grown as a runner,” Gary said. “He is an excellent racer who has learned the importance of sticking near the front at the beginning of the championship races.
After winning the U.S. Junior title in the 10,000-meter run, Dan has really set a goal of becoming one of the best runners in the nation. He has learned that resting is a crucial part of his training if he wants to be an All-American.
“Last year was an entirely different scenario,” Glaz said. “Making the adjustment to college life was not easy, practices defiantly took their toll and balancing time between studying and practice was also a challenge.” With last year’s season behind, Glaz and the Buckeyes will prepare for their next test, Nov. 16, at the NCAA District Championships. The meet will be held at Purdue University, which was the site of the 2002 Big Ten Championships.
“Dan is has truly grown as a runner,” Gary said. “He is an excellent racer who has learned the importance of sticking near the front at the beginning of the championship races.”
With Glaz leading the way, the Buckeyes will look to return to the NCAA championships for the second time in four years and for just the third time in school history.
