“The relationships we form is the reason why we do what we do.” In the final episode of the Nebraska Wesleyan 4×4 7PEAT series, we sit down with the man that created it all, Director of Track & Field/Cross Country, Ted Bulling. Coach Bulling has been coaching at Nebraska Wesleyan for 40 years and has shaped it into the program that it is today. With over 800 All Americans, 139 National champions, and 65 Top 10 Team finishes across Track and Cross Country, Ted has made a legacy not only at Nebraska Wesleyan, but in Division III. However, our conversations never turned to the numbers. We focused on the type of person Ted is and the coach he wanted to be when he started 40 years ago. Ted began his career as a school teacher and wanted to have an impact on his students’ lives. The impact on student-athletes’ lives made that transition when he got into coaching. He admits he is a competitive person and loves getting them to perform, but actively helping his student-athletes become better people is his main coaching goal. Through our conversation, it’s clear Ted cares for every single student-athlete in his program. Ted provided his perspective on his career and the 7PEAT. He said he always respects his alumni as to not rank anyone/moment, but this 7PEAT was special to him. You’ll learn why as you listen but it goes back to one common theme of Ted: building positive relationships. We hope you enjoy the series finale with Coach Bulling. This was a blast to put together and share with everyone. As mentioned in the beginning of the show, we’re going to take a quick break to prepare for the Cross Country season. Stay tuned. A big thanks to Lincoln Running Co. for sponsoring today’s episode! Support their local running store and get your order for 15% off. Visit https://shop.lincrunningcompany.com/ – find what you want, call them at 402-474-4557. Mention D3 Glory Days and save 15%. As always, we really appreciate your support of this podcast. If you’d like to help spread the word, share the podcast with a friend, or leave us a review wherever you’re listening. If you would like to help support the podcast, please consider making a donation on the D3 Glory Days Venmo. This helps offset some costs and will go towards a new website soon. If you want to rep D3 Glory Days on your next run, head to our Merch Store. And finally, follow us on social media! We’re on Instagram, Twitter and Strava. Quotes: On his impact from his coaching mentor, John Homon: “With John’s influence, I could see how much impact a person can have on the life of a student-athlete.” On getting into coaching: “You have to get into (coaching) for the right reasons. As much as I love helping young women and men to run faster, throw farther, jump farther/higher, if that’s the only reason to get into coaching (competitiveness), I would advise against it. It’s gotta be more than that. Working with the young people makes it worth while.” On having an impact on other: “To have any an influence, possibly, even if it’s a little bit on their (student-athlete) life, that’s what its truly all about. I needed it to be more than the competitiveness for it to be my life’s work.” On why the fourth title meant a lot: “The fourth one proved to me we could do it without that same foursome. It meant a little more because it was more about the program. It wasn’t just a one time deal. And I thought: Okay, can we keep doing this now?” On making sure the rest of his team got attention: “I wanted to make sure that it (the 4×4) wasn’t the focus of the program. We had over 100 kids that needed and deserved the focus from myself and our coaching staff. I would go out of my way to not pay attention to make sure my time and attention would go around” On building relationships: “The relationships we form is the reason why we do do what we do.” On going into the final of Title #7 “I didn’t need to say anything more. They knew what they needed to do”
NWU 4×4 7PEAT – Part 3: Aspen Rolfes and Anna Frazier
Jul 13, 2021
“They showed me that they wanted me. To be able to go to a school where I would be viewed as an asset to the team, I thought was really cool.” In Part 3 of the series, we speak with Aspen Rolfes and Anna Frazier to learn how the streak continued. As you’ve learned in the previous two episodes, there were two big spots to fill with Abby and Katie graduating. These two women took different paths to be on the relay but had a major impact on the team. The recruiting process is the lifeblood of any program. One strong class can make the difference for a team’s culture. In this case, landing Aspen was instrumental in continuing The Streak. Coach McKenzie and the Twins alluded to how important it was to land Aspen. Aspen had different opportunities across all divisions but ultimately chose NWU for the people. The support the coaches and athletes showed Aspen was the tipping point for her to choose Nebraska Wesleyan as her home. She had an instant impact as she earned her spot on the relay in her first season. Anna’s route to the relay was a bit different. As a classmate of the Twins (in high school and college), Anna eventually became a 400 runner. Her volleyball background led her to try different field events, and the idea was born to try the heptathlon. When Katie and Abby graduated, Anna sat down with Ted to express her desire to be on the relay. She left the multis to help the team and it proved to be the right decision. A big thanks to Lincoln Running Co. for sponsoring today’s episode! Support their local running store and get your order for 15% off. Visit https://shop.lincrunningcompany.com/ – find what you want, call them at 402-474-4557. Mention D3 Glory Days and save 15%. We also appreciate the support from Anytime Fitness. Nebraska Runners, be sure to check out there locations in Beatrice, Hickman, and Lincoln! As always, we really appreciate your support of this podcast. If you’d like to help spread the word, share the podcast with a friend, or leave us a review wherever you’re listening. If you would like to help support the podcast, please consider making a donation on the D3 Glory Days Venmo. This helps offset some costs and will go towards a new website soon. If you want to rep D3 Glory Days on your next run, head to our Merch Store. And finally, follow us on social media! We’re on Instagram, Twitter and Strava.
NWU 4×4 7PEAT – Part 2: Elizabeth and Kaylee Jones
Jul 06, 2021
“I didn’t want to think of it as we always had to win. I didn’t want to take away the fun from this experience we were having with our friends.” We continue with the Nebraska Wesleyan 4×4 7PEAT with the backbone of the relay group. Referred throughout the series as the twins, Elizabeth and Kaylee Jones had the unique experience of bridging the gap between both groups to help bring NWU 7 straight 4×4 titles. A career that almost didn’t happen, Elizabeth and Kaylee were a package duo when it came to the college search process. Their conversations with Ted, the women on the team, and the clear balance of academics and athletics were key in their decision to go to NWU instead of the big state school. As you’ll hear throughout this episode, the twins were competitive but above all else, thoroughly enjoyed this experience with their teammates. Elizabeth and Kaylee were the role models and leaders to their teammates for their work ethic and dedication. They understood the importance of being great teammates and worked hard for their teammates. They were an influential duo of the team and reaped the benefits of their hard work by combining for 23 All American honors. A big thanks to Lincoln Running Co. for sponsoring today’s episode! Support their local running store and get your order for 15% off. Visit https://shop.lincrunningcompany.com/ – find what you want, call them at 402-474-4557. Mention D3 Glory Days and save 15%. As always, we really appreciate your support of this podcast. If you’d like to help spread the word, share the podcast with a friend, or leave us a review wherever you’re listening.
If you would like to help support the podcast, please consider making a donation on the D3 Glory Days Venmo. This helps offset some costs and will go towards a new website soon.
If you want to rep D3 Glory Days on your next run, head to our Merch Store.
“That’s one thing that made our women really special was that they never made the moment bigger than what it was”
The Nebraska Wesleyan’s 4×4 went on an historic streak of 7 straight 4×4 wins. Spanning from Outdoors in 2016 to Outdoors in 2019, NWU was on the top spot of the podium. Building a streak like that is difficult, doing it with 6 different women takes a special program. Through this series, we speak with the women and coaches that made this streak happen.
In part 1, we speak with Derrick McKenzie, the assistant sprints coach that came back to his Alma Mater in 2016 – right as the streak began. Coach McKenzie lays the foundation of the Nebraska Wesleyan track team, gives us an inside look of the makeup of the team, and helps us better understand how this all happened.
After Coach McKenzie, we’re joined by Katie Krick and Abby Hunke. Two integral members of this 4×4 team. They were on the team before the streak happened and were juniors when it began. They walk us through as to what the team the team was like before this streak happened and how their leadership was key in all of this. We learn about Abby’s injury her senior year and how the trust from Ted made all the difference. As the leader of the team, Katie filled us in on what it meant to be the anchor not on the relay but as the emotional anchor as well.
This is going to be fun. This 4 part series will be released each Tuesday, so make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it!
As always, we really appreciate your support of this podcast. If you’d like to help spread the word, share the podcast with a friend, or leave us a review wherever you’re listening.
If you would like to help support the podcast, please consider making a donation on the D3 Glory Days Venmo. This helps offset some costs and will go towards a new website soon.
If you want to rep D3 Glory Days on your next run, head to our Merch Store.
And finally, follow us on social media! We’re on Instagram, Twitter and Strava. A big thanks to Lincoln Running Co. for sponsoring today’s episode! Support their local running store and get your order for 15% off. Visit https://shop.lincrunningcompany.com/ – find what you want, call them at 402-474-4557. Mention D3 Glory Days and save 15%.
“I took a break (from responding to 300 texts) and I looked over at the trophy and put my hand on it and I just weeped. I just cried. And it was just an overflowing of joy” As you will learn in this episode, Coach Newsom is filled with passion. He’s won 8 national titles with his women’s program before this year’s title. However, he set out on a goal to win a National Title with both programs and he finally achieved it. The emotions of finally accomplishing his goal took over and he embraced this moment alone with the trophy. We are guilty of saying this before, but this may be our favorite conversation yet. This week on the program, we’re sitting down with the head coach of the 2021 National Champion Wartburg Track and Field program, Marcus Newsom. Over the last twenty-five years, coach Newsom has led over 500 All-Americans, en route to winning some sixty conference championships, and nine national championships between the men’s and women’s program. We begin this episode by recapping Newsom’s national meet experience, where he won his first national championship on the men’s side. From there we backtrack to a discussion of where he came from, influential figures in his life, and the origins of his coaching career. Coach Newsom also serves as the Diversity Issues Coordinator at Wartburg, and we have a discussion on the importance of a diverse program in a not diverse environment. Like us, you may be wondering what else a coach could possibly achieve, tune in to find out Newsom’s last remaining goal in coaching. Article we referenced when talking to Coach Newsom: https://knight-wire.com/2020/11/10/a-proud-black-man-newsoms-past-influences-his-coaching-legacy/
As always, we really appreciate your support of this podcast. If you’d like to help spread the word, share the podcast with a friend, or leave us a review wherever you’re listening.
If you’re inclined to support the show financially, leave us a tip on Venmo or check out the Merch Store.
On the Men’s team being ready to win a national title: “They believed in that dream that our men’s program would win a national title. When you get four classes that believe in that dream, they were willing to do the things that they needed to do, make the sacrifices they needed to make in order for that to happen.” On the team’s point total at Nationals: “Where the points came from, we expected to get those points.” On speaking to his 4×4 before the race: “Going over to those guys, they looked at me and they had a look in their eyes that told me they knew what needed to be done. I knew they didn’t need a message from me so I gave them all a hug and walked away.” On being a coach: “I would say over the course of the number of years that I’ve been blessed to be in this position as a coach, because I think coaching is truly a privilege, this is not my right. This is a privilege to be able to be a part of young people’s lives, and I don’t take that for granted at all. We get a chance to do something that a lot of people don’t as a coach, we get a chance to truly be able to see the overall development of young men and young women.” On his important relationship with his mother: “I told our team that I wish my mother could be here (at the national meet) because I owe this to her. She taught me what it was like to believe in my dreams outside of what my front doors showed me.” On what he’s looking for in recruits: “We tell our team you gotta dream big here and you cannot limit your dreams and you can not allow someone else to dictate what the outcome of your dream is going to be” On taking in the moment after winning his first title with the men: “I took a break (from responding to 300 texts) and I looked over at the trophy and put my hand on it and I just weeped. I just cried. And it was just an overflowing of joy” On his support system, his mom: “Even though we grew up in a very hostile, dangerous, tough environment, I had a mom that was always there and was always there to listen, always there to discipline, always there to guide me and direct me, but always there to support me and my sister and be our biggest fans.” On his coaching style: “One of the things I tell the team is that, I’m not going to always tell you what you want to hear. I’m going to tell you what you need to hear.”
Episode 45 – JP Vaught and Bailey Forsyth
Jun 08, 2021
“You can’t get by running slow in D3.” A called back race and an illegal wind separated us from seeing the Men’s 200m and Women’s 100m record get broken at the Outdoor Championships this year. Good news? Both JP Vaught and Bailey Forsyth will be back next year to go after those records. This episode features the fastest Man and Woman in D3 right now. Both JP and Bailey won the 100m/200m double at Nationals and almost took some records with it. Some heavy winds left JP just outside the Top 10 lists, but that won’t last long. In a breakout year, Bailey is now the 7th Fastest Woman in the 100 and 4th Fastest in the 200m. Both JP and Bailey took different paths to finding their current college, Centre and Pacific Lutheran. JP won a few state titles in high school, had a few D1 offers, but a pulled muscle in his back junior year, dried up those D1 offers. Coach Owens and Hagans of Centre stayed in contact with him and showed him that he can be special at Centre. Bailey wasn’t sure if she even wanted to continue running in college. With HS PBs of 12.61 and 25.76, her focus turned to academics in case she wasn’t able to find a place to run. Coach Frye made Bailey realize the opportunities she could have while running at Pacific Lutheran and that was enough to get her out for the team. Both runners are time focused individuals with goals of breaking records next year that brings a new perspective to this distance focused Podcast. As always, we really appreciate your support of this podcast. If you’d like to help spread the word, share the podcast with a friend, or leave us a review wherever you’re listening. Follow along with us on social media – we’re on Twitter, Instagram, and Strava. If you’re inclined to support the show financially, leave us a tip on Venmo or check out the Merch Store. Quotes
JP on finding the right fit in a college: “Don’t worry about the division, how big it is, or what other people would think about it. Worry about the coaching, the academics, and worry about if you can see yourself there. Talk to the coaches and see if people are running better than when they came in.” Bailey on her breakout year: “It was kinda wild. I ran a good time then I ran another good time. After I broke 12, I thought huh something is happening here” Bailey on coming back for a 5th year: “You know what, I’m never going to get to do this again. Why not take this extra year of eligibility and do it. This season was crazy but now I know I’m good and I know I can do it. Let’s see how fast I can be and how low these times can go.”
“It was a long discovery for me to realize what my priorities were in terms of running. I never strove for being the best or running a fast time, it was all about having fun. Eventually I came to the conclusion that running fast would be fun.” Emily stepped foot on the campus of SUNY Geneseo hoping to blend in. She wanted to be a part of a big team where the spotlight wouldn’t be shining on her. She wanted to enjoy her days as a college student while being on the team. That all changed when the pandemic hit. After she went back home, her priorities began to shift toward becoming a better runner. As her dad said, “you’re always one summer away from being a completely different athlete.” Emily took her dad’s quote into practice and came into this year as a changed runner. She went from wanting to make sure she was having fun each run to believing she could make the National meet. As the season went on, she kept chopping off time and that was fun to her. Eventually she got to the point where she and her coach, Dan Moore, came up with a race plan to break the D3 1500m record. While she had aspirations of doing well in the National Meet 1500/800 double, the plan called for a strike on the record in the prelim. As she got out hard, she knew the plan was working as each split was exactly what her coach planned out. 4:13.69 – a new D3 National Record. A time she couldn’t have dreamed of heading into this year. On top of the D3 Record, Emily walks away with the #4 All Time performance in the 800m. Emily hopes to lower her time again at this weekend’s Music City Track Carnival. As always, we really appreciate your support of this podcast. If you’d like to help spread the word, share the podcast with a friend, or leave us a review wherever you’re listening. Follow along with us on social media – we’re on Twitter, Instagram, and Strava. If you’re inclined to support the show financially, leave us a tip on Venmo or check out the Merch Store.
Stu sits down with former guests, Annie Rodenfels and Jordan Carpenter to recap the National Meet. We cover off on the highlights, upsets, team battle, and much more! Such an awesome weekend. Thanks for following along. Stay tuned for more episodes this week! Congrats to Jordan for winning the Prediction show Here is the rest of the Top 5: NWU Track Team Andrew Cummer Ryan Mitchell Henry Streib Here is the Twitter Thread mentioned: https://twitter.com/samwise_thebard/status/1398050141362393090 You can see the results of the National Meet here: https://tf.deltatiming.com/ncaa/2021-ncaa-d3-outdoor-championships As always, we really appreciate your support of this podcast. If you’d like to help spread the word, share the podcast with a friend, or leave us a review wherever you’re listening. Follow along with us on social media – we’re on Twitter, Instagram, and Strava. If you’re inclined to support the show financially, leave us a tip on Venmo or check out the Merch Store.
Episode 42 – D3 Outdoor Championships Day 2 Recap
May 28, 2021
A quick recap of what we’ve seen so far from the first 2 days and what to look forward to on the final day. We’ve seen some amazing races so far, highlighted by a National Record in the Women’s 1500 by Emily Pomainville. We’re looking forward to her battle with Esther Seeland in the Women’s 800. You can find information about the National Meet here: https://tf.deltatiming.com/ncaa/2021-ncaa-d3-outdoor-championships As always, we really appreciate your support of this podcast. If you’d like to help spread the word, share the podcast with a friend, or leave us a review wherever you’re listening. Follow along with us on social media – we’re on Twitter, Instagram, and Strava. If you’re inclined to support the show financially, leave us a tip on Venmo or check out the Merch Store.
Episode 41 – 2021 Outdoor Championships Preview Show
May 26, 2021
Bonus Episode! Stu sits down with former guests, Annie Rodenfels and Jordan Carpenter to discuss the upcoming National Meet. We cover our predictions, what to look for in the meet, as well as an athlete and coaches perspective. We’ll see how our picks play out! Think you can predict the outcome of Nationals? Join our prediction contest! The winner will sit down with us to have a recap show and your choice of free merch. You can find information about the National Meet here: https://tf.deltatiming.com/ncaa/2021-ncaa-d3-outdoor-championships As always, we really appreciate your support of this podcast. If you’d like to help spread the word, share the podcast with a friend, or leave us a review wherever you’re listening. Follow along with us on social media – we’re on Twitter, Instagram, and Strava. If you’re inclined to support the show financially, leave us a tip on Venmo or check out the Merch Store.
Episode 40 – The Contenders – 2021 Outdoor Nationals
May 25, 2021
5:06 – Jared Pangallozzi 19:38 – Parley Hannan 37:13 – Ryan Cutter 51:43 – Esther Seeland 1:04:24 – Matt Wilkinson 1:18:43 – Kassie Rosenbum The D3 Outdoor National Championships start Thursday! We sat down with 6 contenders to cover their seasons so far and how they’re feeling going into the weekend. It was great to Welcome back Parley and Matt to D3 Glory Days as well as get new perspectives from current athletes. They cover off on their training, how they’ll handle the heat, and give a few predictions. Jared will be running the 10k and 5k. This season he ran 29:20 – which is #10 All Time in D3 History for the 10k and 14:27 for the 5k. He goes into the 10k with the #1 time and #12 in the 5k Parley will also be competing in the 10k/5k. She ram 34:12 and 16:17 for both events. 16:17 currently sits #6 All Time and she goes into both events ranked #1 Ryan had 3 qualifying times but opted for the 10k/5k double. He’s run 29:43 and 14:20 which is good for 4th and 5th heading into the weekend. Esther, the reigning 800m champ, looks to defend her title. She goes into why she’ll only be running the 800 after posting the top time in the 400 and #3 in the 1500. She goes into the weekend with a PB of 2:02 is #2 on the All-Time List Matt will be taking on the Steeple/5k double. He ran nation leading times of 8:44 and 13:58 which puts him #3 All Time by less than .3 seconds and his 5k sits 7th All Time. Kassie looks to be Parley’s biggest competition this weekend. She is the reigning 10k Champion and has run 34:19 and 16:45. She is #2 in the 10k and #7 in the 5k. Think you can predict the outcome of Nationals? Join our prediction contest! The winner will sit down with us to have a recap show and your choice of free merch. You can find information about the National Meet here: https://tf.deltatiming.com/ncaa/2021-ncaa-d3-outdoor-championships As always, we really appreciate your support of this podcast. If you’d like to help spread the word, share the podcast with a friend, or leave us a review wherever you’re listening. Follow along with us on social media – we’re on Twitter, Instagram, and Strava. If you’re inclined to support the show financially, leave us a tip on Venmo or check out the Merch Store.
“If you work at it and have a dream, you’re worth doing that dream. You’re worth chasing that idea. Especially if it’s something that it’s something you truly enjoy you’re not going to regret it the time you spent chasing that dream” Welcome to D3 Glory Days, a podcast telling tales of D3 greatness, brought to you by the Citius Mag Podcast Network. This week Stu and Noah are sitting down with Alex Burks, a graduate of SUNY Geneseo. More often than not on this podcast we’re talking through the journeys of D3 superstars, Alex doesn’t quite fit that mold. A zero time All American, Alex was a solid varsity runner on a national caliber team, but never racked up individual accolades. We’re talking to Alex because he believed in his potential as a runner and never gave up on his dreams. In early May, Alex won a small marathon in a breakthrough time of 2:16:51. Alex describes himself as an emotional runner, and that comes through in a video recorded at the race finish, as years of hard work pays off in a single moment. There’s plenty to unpack in Alex’s journey as a runner, and your hosts left this conversation truly inspired. As always, we really appreciate your support of this podcast. If you’d like to help spread the word, share the podcast with a friend, or leave us a review wherever you’re listening. Follow along with us on social media – we’re on Twitter, Instagram, and Strava. If you’re inclined to support the show financially, leave us a tip on Venmo or check out the Merch Store. You can follow Alex on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexander.burks/ Here was his race recap via Reddit – https://www.reddit.com/r/AdvancedRunning/comments/n4bcif/race_report_mckirdy_micro_marathons_rockland/ We’ll see you next Tuesday, until then, here’s to the Glory Days!
“I don’t need 20 trophies, I just need to see our program headed in that direction and make it more normal for Stevens Women to qualify and compete at that (national) level.” This week we sat down with Stevens Institute of Technology star, Amy Regan. Amy’s career at Stevens was something no one predicted. Her senior year travels in high school forced her to go out for the cross country team instead of her first sport, soccer. As she was looking for colleges, she asked the Stevens coach if she would be able to join the team. From there, Amy ramped up her training from 1 mile a day in high school to 60-80 miles a week in college. From her one season in high school to her first ear in college, Amy took a leap into the unknown. She was 68th at her high school conference meet, a year later she was 40th at D3 Nationals. Amy continued to progress throughout her college career while taking on a leadership role. While she enjoyed her national success, she wanted more than anything to run with her team at the national meet. By her senior year, Amy was at the line with her team when she won her second XC national title. All in all, Amy took home 6 National Titles (2 in XC, 4 in Track), 8 All America Awards (1 in XC, 7 in Track), and has 3 Top 10 times of All Time in the Indoor 3k and 5k as well as the 10k. Amy continued her passion for running by qualifying for the Olympic Trials Marathon in 2020. She did so after her debut marathon. She looks to qualify once again for the 2024 Olympic Trials. You can follow Amy on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amyregan/ If you’d like to support the podcast, here’s the link to our Venmo. Until next week, here’s to the glory days! D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Strava
“Kori was very strategic when he would tell me these things and give me the permission to accept it as reality where I wouldn’t have set that goal for myself.” Thanks for joining us for another episode of D3 Glory Days, a Citius Mag Network podcast. We’re keeping things in-house this week, as Stu guides Noah through a conversation about his college career. Noah never qualified for a state championship meet in high-school, but earned two All-America awards in cross country while running for DePauw. We cover a lot of ground here. What it’s like to cope with changing expectations and self-image, dealing with injuries, and aspiring to be a better leader for a sometimes struggling team. We also go through some great racing memories, the importance of strong coach-athlete relationships, and much more. You may have heard Noah on other podcasts before, but this episode examines his college career in the kind of detail you haven’t heard elsewhere. We’ll be running a contest for the next couple weeks – write a review of our show on your podcast app, take a screenshot, and tag us in your instagram stories – we’ll pick a winner at random, and send you a D3GD T-shirt. Thanks for spending some time with us, if you’d like to stay in touch follow along on social media. If you’d like to support the podcast, here’s the link to our Venmo. Until next week, here’s to the glory days! D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Strava
“They had normalized qualifying for nationals which I think really helped me. I think if that type of thing would have felt like a big reach, the pressure and nerves would have kicked in but because it was seen as a normal thing to qualify for nationals, I wasn’t surprised by it.” This week the staff here at D3 Glory Days is happy to welcome Washington University, and University of Colorado Boulder alum, Lucy Cheadle. A modestly successful, yet undertrained, high school athlete Lucy joined a Wash U cross-country team poised to win a national championship after a runner up finish the previous year. By the time she left campus, she had racked up 10 All-American awards, and three individual national championships. Lucy is one of just 14 women to earn four All America awards in cross country. Tripped and injured by her coach early in freshman season, Lucy would return in time to contribute her first all-American performance to Wash U’s national championship. All a part of Coach Stiles’ master plan that guides this conversation. We talk about the transition from blissful naïveté to the pressure that can come with success and leadership. Like many athletes Lucy navigated injuries during her career, but still showed up at the end of seasons when it mattered. We discuss the process of removing self imposed limitations, the importance of confidence, and becoming “someone who wins things.” We get into Wash U’s full hearted embrace of D3 team culture and tradition. Normalizing the expectation of qualifying for nationals. Navigating the traumatic loss of a teammate, as high performance was put on hold as the grieving process ran its course, and eventually toeing the line at nationals as an individual. The discovery of the steeplechase, and doing homework not only on the road trips to races, BUT THE MORNING BEFORE THE RACES. Later in her career she realized the less is more philosophy of reducing mileage, and increasing cross training because you can’t race if you’re not there. We wrap things up by hearing about Lucy’s 5th year, where she transferred to the legendary Colorado University Buffalo’s, and became a D1 athlete, and learning what she’s doing now with the Sunrise Movement, just in time for Earth Day. Thanks for listening. If you’d like to support this podcast, share it with a friend or rate and review on your podcast app. If you’d like to leave us a tip, here’s the link to our Venmo. Stay up to date with everything, and check out our merch store at www.D3GloryDays.com. We’ve recently launched a side project “The Double” on YouTube, check out our first interview with the men of John Carroll U. Please direct sponsorship inquiries to D3GloryDays@gmail.com Until next week, Here’s to the Glory Days! Instagram: @d3glorydays Twitter: @D3GloryDays Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/d3glorydays
“The entire time I was chasing the dream of being a professional runner, but actually I was living the dream.” Welcome to D3 Glory Days on the Citius Mag Podcast Network, on this week’s program we’re happy to welcome Haverford alum Charlie Marquardt. In a story familiar to Michael Jordan fans, Charlie didn’t make the varsity track team as a young high school athlete, but rose through the California high school ranks quickly before deciding to travel across the country to join the Haverford College Black Squirrels. Our conversation was anchored by Charlie’s journey to his first sub 4 minute mile. But we also discuss the influence great teammates have on a career. And the importance of getting out of your own head to break past performance barriers, among other things. This is a conversation you’ll want to hear all the way through, as Charlie gets a chance to reflect on a satisfying career, where he discovered potential he didn’t expect was there and understand the satisfaction that comes with the pursuit of potential. Charlie’s 3:55.9 mile PB ranks him third all-time amongst Division III alums. Thanks for listening. If you’d like to support this podcast, share it with a friend or rate and review on your podcast app. If you’d like to leave us a tip, here’s the link to our Venmo. We’ve launched an exclusive limited quantity shirt, featuring our favorite quote from our college coach, “What do you think this is? D1?” Grab yours here. We’ve recently launched a side project “The Double” on YouTube, check out our first interview with the men of John Carroll U. Please direct sponsorship inquiries to D3GloryDays@gmail.com Until next week, Here’s to the Glory Days! Instagram: @d3glorydays Twitter: @D3GloryDays Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/d3glorydays
“I know that being angry and pissed about it really isn’t going to get me anywhere, it’s not going to bring the national meet back so i just have to take it for what it is and move on.” Welcome to D3 Glory Days on the Citius Mag Podcast Network, on this week’s program we’re happy to welcome current Wartburg athlete, Joe Freiburger. In a year defined more by which races didn’t happen than those that did, Joe has quietly become a force in a pandemic year. Freiburger has had one of those legendary D3 progressions from a four mile run in Air Jordan’s, to aspiring national champion. We discuss his unique situation of being coach Ryan Chapman’s first recruiting class, and who really finished 263rd at Cross Country Nationals his freshman year. We also cover the process of learning how much pressure is productive, and at what point over-emphasis on a goal can be detrimental to performance. You might even hear about his unofficial track 5,000 duel with Cross-country champion (and former G3GD guest Patrick Watson). His head firmly planted on his shoulders, the senior will be back for a fifth year, and we suggest you pay attention. Thanks for listening. If you’d like to support this podcast, share it with a friend or rate and review on your podcast app. If you’d like to leave us a tip, here’s the link to our Venmo. Stay up to date with everything, and check out our merch store. Please direct sponsorship inquiries to D3GloryDays@gmail.com Until next week, Here’s to the Glory Days! Instagram: @d3glorydays Twitter: @d3glorydays Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/d3glorydays
“I don’t think they liked the little guys beating the big guys.” Welcome to D3 Glory Days on the Citius Mag Podcast Network, on this week’s program: Tori Neubauer. The UW – La Crosse alum racked up six individual titles during her D3 career. In Tori’s era, the winners of the D3 XC championships were invited to compete at the D1 Championship meet several days later. In 1983 Tori became one of a handful of D3 champions to also claim a D1 All-American award, finishing 11th. Tori claims her mental toughness as her greatest asset, and that shines through in this interview. We also get into a frank discussion of Tori’s struggles with “atypical eating” habits, and learning more efficient communication strategies. She pursued post-collegiate racing, qualifying for two Olympic Trials, but eventually lost the passion for running, and decided to hang up the shoes. Ultimately Tori could look back on her pioneering D3 career with tremendous pride. To this day, she goes back to UW-LaCrosse to meet with the current athletes, help out at meets, and hand out awards at the Tori Neubauer Invitational. Thanks for listening, if you’d like more D3 coverage in your life, subscribe now to our newsletter, the first edition hits inboxes worldwide on April 13th. If you’d like to support this podcast, share it with a friend. If you’d like to leave us a tip, here’s the link to our Venmo. Stay up to date with everything, and check out our Merch store to rep D3 Glory Days on your next run. Here’s to the Glory Days! Instagram: @d3glorydays Twitter: @d3glorydays Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/d3glorydays
Episode 32 – Shauneen Garrahan Werlinger
Mar 23, 2021
“I knew I was in a rut but at the same time I knew it wasn’t a bottomless pit I got sucked in to. I knew I still had it in me to do better and to get back to the type of performances I had my first two years” Joining us this week on D3 Glory Days, a CITIUS Mag Podcast Network show, is Shauneen Garrahan Werlinger. Shauneen wasn’t recruited to Amherst College, she had no idea how the process worked. But recognizing the strength of the program, committed to school thinking she’d figure it out along the way. She did. Shauneen finished 10th overall at her first National Championship cross country meet. For reasons we explore in our conversation, she would never improve that placing on the grass. Track was a different story. A natural hurdler, she took quickly to the steeple, winning her first national championship her sophomore year. Battling injuries her junior year, Shauneen had high caliber performances, but nothing that quite measured up to the standard she had set for herself early. After a drought those races came all at once. Over the course of one legendary weekend, Shauneen swept the distance events, and claimed national championships in the steeplechase, the 5,000 meters, and the 10,000 meters. Thanks for listening, if you’d like to support this podcast, share it with a friend. If you’d like to leave us a tip, here’s the link to our venmo. As mentioned at the top of the show, we’re launching a weekly Newsletter to cover D3 Running as a whole. Our first Newsletter hits your Inbox on April 13th. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out! Here’s to the Glory Days! Want to rep D3 Glory Days? Check out the Merch Store. Instagram: @D3GloryDays Twitter: @D3GloryDays Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/d3glorydays
“So, were you successful because you were cocky, or naive?” Welcome to D3 Glory Days, the podcast telling tales of D3 running greatness. Recently named a top 500 D3 podcast by Forbes Magazine. Thanks for joining us for our Citius Mag Podcast Network debut. This week we spoke to Wisconsin Platteville alum, and current Hansons-Brooks professional, Ian La Mere. In this episode, we document Ian’s evolution from running ten miles a week in high school, to eventual D3 national champion and record holder. We uncover the benefits running had on his life and in the classroom as it allowed to bring focus to his school work. Ian is a true grinder in every aspect of his life and his love for the sport is propelling him towards his goals of making an Olympic team and winning a Major Marathon. When the dust settled, Ian came away from D3 as a 6x National Champion, 6x All American and is one of two D3 Athletes to have broken 14 minutes in the 5k and 29 minutes in the 10k Outdoors. Follow Ian on IG: @GreenShortsKid In other news, starting now, we’ll be releasing new episodes every week, be sure to click the subscribe button, and check out our growing catalogue of episodes. If you’d like to support this podcast, help us grow by telling a friend, or leaving a review on your podcast app. If you’d like to help us keep the lights on at Glory Days HQ, you can donate by using Venmo! Or by visiting our merch store at D3GloryDays.com. Here’s to the Glory Days! D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Strava
Episode 30 – Alison Wade – Creator of the Fast Women Newsletter
Mar 02, 2021
We’re back with Alison Wade – the Creator and Founder of Fast-Women.org. You may be subscribed to the Newsletter or see her coverage on social media, but did you know she went to a D3 College? A graduate of Bowdoin College, Alison always envisioned running after high school. She was eager to be a part of a strong program that competed at the national level. While she didn’t have the college career she hoped for, she was still able to be the 5th runner of a Bowdoin team that finished 7th in the nation. Injuries plagued the remaining years of her college career, but she stayed involved with the team by helping time workouts, taking pictures at meets, and calling recruits. Her love for the sport never wavered throughout her time in college and she brought that love for the sport wherever she went. After college, she worked with Girls on The Run in New York City, wrote for the NYRR, and had coaching stints at Tufts, Amherst, and Wellesley. Her connections with D3 Athletes was something she always cherished and thought working with them was the peak of running. Despite leaving the coaching world, she still had connections with running by working for Runner’s World. However, she wasn’t covering Elite distance runner and in 2019 brought back to life Fast Women from 2006. She turned her coverage of Women’s Elite Distance running into a prominent voice in the running community. Her Newsletter has grown quickly and steadily since 2019 and her coverage on social media is hard to beat. We cover her days at Bowdoin, her career progression in the sport, and her views on current matters in Running. We encourage you to subscribe to her Newsletter and follow her on Twitter and Instagram. If you are able and willing, please consider Buying us a Coffee. This helps production costs and website fees. If you want to rep D3 Glory Days on your next run, check out our merch. If you’re interested in joining D3 Glory Days, read more about it. D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Strava
Episode 29 – Jeff Metzdorff – Co-Owner of Mill City Running
Feb 16, 2021
To continue our unofficial mini series of “Life after D3” we brought on the show, Jeff Metzdorff, the co-owner of Mill City Running. Don’t you dare put “company” at the end of it. Before Jeff opened a running store with his wife, he began his D3 journey at Hamline University. A high school hockey player with one season of track experience, Jeff joined the team with a 5:09 mile PR and a laissez faire approach to running. It wasn’t until a come to jesus talk with his coach that sent him down a path of becoming more serious with the sport. That talk and a 2:00 4×800 split made him realize his potential. He left Hamline as a two time All-American, 30:19 10k PR, and the drive to continue running. He tried his hand at post-collegiate running but when he began focusing more on work, running took a back seat. However, running was always at the forefront of his mind as he would work part-time at a running store. Finally, he and his wife gave it go at their own store and opened Mill City Running. It was a fantastic conversation, and one that we think you all will find relatable. Our goal of this unofficial mini-series is to bring stories of those who are doing cool things after D3 and Jeff is certainly doing just that. Check out Mill City and Saint City Running. They have tons of cool apparel and overall a good thing for the sport. If you are able and willing, please consider buying us a beer. The funds will help with production costs. D3 Glory Days Merch D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Strava
D3 Glory Days National Replacement Meet
Feb 08, 2021
We were bummed to hear about the cancellation of the 2021 Indoor National Championship. This marks the 4th straight cancellation of a national championship, an event that provides so much joy to the sport. We want to provide an opportunity for ALL teams to compete. With opportunities scarce around the nation, the opportunity to rally behind a common event became clear. Enter: D3 Glory Days National Replacement Meet. A two weekend experience to give an opportunity for all current D3 athletes to compete. Whether you have a meet scheduled, or you plan to run an intrasquad meet, we’ll take those times/marks. All schools are allowed to submit 1 time/mark per athlete and 1 relay time for the 4×2, 4×4 and DMR. When: The weekends of March 5th and 12th Who: All current D3 Athletes Where: Your Track More info to follow!
We’re joined by Peter Bromka today. His story is veers of the path that we have been telling. He wasn’t an All American nor a National Champion. While he had a solid career at Tufts, he transformed his running after college by taking his 3 hour marathon debut and cutting it down to 2:19. Peter is known for being the fastest to not qualify for the 2020 US Olympic Marathon Trials. Peter has offered great perspective on his journey and credits a lot of his mentality and will to be better from his time in Division 3. He is a big advocate for D3 running as well as promoting the sport of running as a whole. There is a lot to take away from this conversation especially the notion of letting yourself care a lot about running after you graduate. Peter has gone all in on running throughout his life and plans one more attempt at hitting the Olympic Marathon Trials Standard. We mentioned Peter’s writing. If you want to read more about his journey head to his website. He also has great short stories posted to his Instagram and is a great follow on Twitter. As always, we appreciate the support all of you have shown to the podcast. If you want to help us keep the costs down of running the podcast and are able, please consider buying us a coffee. Rep D3 Glory Days with some Merch D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Strava
Episode 27 – Deb Vercauteren and John Zupanc
Jan 20, 2021
We have a great one today! Coaches Deb Vercauteren and John Zupanc of UW Oshkosh. Both coaches have transformed Division 3 running and have left lasting impact on the sport and division. Deb Vercauteren may sound familiar as it is the name of the Women’s Program of the Year of Award. Deb boasted an impressive Resume with 18 total titles and 43 podium finishes across Cross Country and Track during her time at Oshkosh. Not only that, Deb literally started the UW Oshkosh from scratch as she convinced her administration to start cross country in 1981. Her Husband, John Zupanc, had a storied career as well winning 6 total titles and 13 top 4 finishes in cross country and track. He was the first coach to lead their team to 3 peat in cross country. After taking 8th at his first WIAC conference, he vowed to never be that low again. And his team weren’t. Their coolest accomplishment happened in 1988 when both Deb and John led their teams to a team title on the same day. But to them, the titles and trophies weren’t the reasons they got into coaching. They enjoyed forming relationships and pushing their student-athletes to be the best they can be. We learned how they got into coaching, the early days of their programs, and what they love about the Division. We thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and we hope you do too. If you willing and able, you can support the podcast by buying us a Coffee. Rep D3 Glory Days D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Strava
Welcome back to Season 3 of D3 Glory Days. We’re thrilled to be bringing you more episodes this year. To get things started we’re joined by Maya Weigel of Pomona-Pitzer. She was a 3x All American in Cross Country, 4x All American in Track and capped her career off with a National Title in the 5k. After college, she continued to run post collegiately with Peninsula Distance Club where she has numerous PRs. Most recently, Maya went down to the Sound Running Track Meet where she ran 32:14 to qualify for this summer’s Olympic Trials. We learned how Maya got her start in running, where it flipped for her that she could be a serious contender in the D3 landscape, and what is keeping her going today. This was a fantastic conversation and we hope you enjoy. If you are able and willing, please considering supporting the podcast by “Buying us a Beer.” This will help continue to produce quality episodes and bring more D3 content to you. D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Strava D3 Glory Days Merch
Welcome to the last episode of 2020! Thank you all so much for the support and listening to this podcast. We never thought we’d get this many of you listening and engaging with us. In this year in review episode, we go over the origin story, Noah and Stu give their top 3 episode choices, and give hints as to what’s to come in the future. Thank you for sticking with us! This is just the beginning. D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Strava D3 Glory Days Merch Support D3 Glory Days
Your favorite D3 Running Podcast is back with the last interview of 2020. Thank you all so much for the growing support and we’re extremely excited to bring you more in 2021. Today, we’re joined by the 2019 1500m National Champion, Aidan Ryan. Aidan would be a senior at Williams College but decided to defer his semester and used this time to train out in Boulder, CO. Aidan shed light on his progression as a runner and how Williams was always going to be his preferred school, no matter his times in High School. We talked about the impact the pandemic has had on his college career, his love for running, and hints at what’s to come when he finishes out his college career next year. Aidan was due for a stellar outdoor season as he finished the indoor campaign running 4:05 in the mile, 8:08 3k (7th all time in D3), and ran the anchor leg of a DMR that had the second fastest time in D3 History. We hope you enjoy this one. If you do, please leave a review and follow us on social media! D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Strava D3 Glory Days Merch
Thank you to everyone who submitted workouts! If you want to be on the next part, call us and pitch your workout: 765-276-7870. We plan to release episodes scattered throughout the feed. In part one, we feature workouts from University of Mary Washington, SUNY Geneseo, and Carleton College as told by their alums, JT, Shane, and Alison. Their unique stories provides a reminder of what makes college running so dang memorable: the people you run it with. While their times and the details are interesting to hear, a common theme of what they remember about these workouts is how they felt running it with their teammates. D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Strava
Introducing: Chasing the Crown
Nov 02, 2020
Call Us! 765-276-7870
Every collegiate distance team runs workouts. Most were easy to wrap your head around, 400m repeats on the track, tempo runs around the soccer fields. But some meant a little more, caused you to pause for a second when it appeared on the schedule. In our Chasing the Crown series, we seek to highlight workouts as unique as the teams that ran them. If your program has/had a traditional, mythical workout, that maybe wouldn’t have made sense to an outsider (think The Michigan), we want to hear from you. Especially if this workout happened on a unique loop or course. Give us a call at 765-276-7870 and leave your pitch on our voicemail. Submissions should be around two minutes long. We’ll pick a few of the best to feature on the series. We’re looking forward to hearing from you, here’s the Glory Days. Again, call us! 765-276-7870 D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Strava
Episode 23 – Jeremy Hernandez
Oct 20, 2020
Your favorite D3 Running Podcast is back! Today, we’re joined by Jeremey Hernandez of Ramapo College. Jeremy is the first D3 Athlete to break 4 minutes in the mile indoors. We should note Karl Paranya of Haverford was the first to do it outdoors in 1997. It was great to chat with him to hear how he’s progressed through the sport, how he handles championship racing pressure, and he even showed us his national championship ring. Jeremey embodies the spirit of D3 running by consistently showing up and giving it your all. We hope you enjoy this one! Jeremy is currently running professionally for Hoka One One with the NJNY Track Club. Read More about Jeremey at the Hoka NJNY Website. D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Strava
Welcome back! We’re thrilled to have Al Carius join us for this episode. It was great to hear about his personal philosophies, mentors, and what it took to build North Central to the power house that is today. In Al’s time, NCC have won 19 XC Team Titles, earned 127 XC All-America Awards and finished in the top four 42 of the 47 XC national meets. Simply incredible. Al’s passion for the sport and his care for his student athletes is clear. Read about Al’s career here. He bring so much energy and wisdom to the episode that we hope you enjoy it.
SUNY Cortland Dynasty Part 4 – Jack Daniels
Sep 15, 2020
Surprise! We are so fortunate to conclude this series with the legend himself, Dr. Jack Daniels. If you don’t know Jack, google him right now and buy his book to learn his training methods. It was simply incredible to have a conversation with Dr. Daniels to understand his coaching philosophies, hear about his time at Cortland and various stories in between. It is clear throughout why his athletes admired him so much. During his time at Cortland, he saw 7 XC Team Titles, 4 Individual XC Champions and over 150 All America performances in cross country and track. Dominance. We hope you enjoy! D3 Glory Days Gear D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Strava D3 Glory Days Website
D3 Glory Days Merch
Sep 10, 2020
We’re so excited to launch our first merch. Live for 1 week only!
Julie Donnelly – 1:25 Cindy Lauzon – 50:21 Mickey Kelly – 1:33:29 If you haven’t listened to Part 1 or 2, pause right now and go listen! Part 3 features Julie Donnelly, Cindy Lauzon, and Mickey Kelly and how they balanced their individual success while the team success was beginning to fade. They shed light on the shift in mentality on the team, the joys of running for Jack Daniels, and the immense pride they had for being a member of the SUNY Cortland Dynasty. This is our longest episode to date, so please use the time stamps to jump back in. We truly hope you have enjoyed this series. Please pass it along to a friend, teammate or coach to listen or better yet, share it on Social Media. We want to thank all 9 women we’ve interviewed during this series. It was amazing to bring their stories to life and to get more context about their impressive stretch during the 1990s. Thank you SUNY Cortland! D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Strava D3 Glory Days Website
SUNY Cortland Dynasty Part 2 – The Peak
Aug 19, 2020
Michelle LaFleur – 2:02 Heather Swarts – 42:40 Heidi Swarts – 1:20:52 If you haven’t listened to Part 1, pause right now and go listen! The SUNY Cortland Series continues with the Peak of the program. The three women we spoke to, Michelle LaFleur, Heather and Heidi Swarts, each won 4 team titles when they were at Cortland and each earned 3 All-America Honors. They brought the Cortland Dynasty to new heights and helped set the Division III record of scoring 18 points at the 1992 National meet. These three women went into depth about their experiences, their setbacks and what it took to stay on top. Their stories can resonate with anyone and we’re so excited to bring you this series. If you enjoyed please share it on your social media! D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Strava D3 Glory Days Website
SUNY Cortland Dynasty Part 1 – The Rise
Aug 04, 2020
Judy Sparks – 2:07 Vicki Mitchel – 38:24 Tammie Miller – 1:21:20 During a period of dominance seldomly seen in any sport on any level, the women of the SUNY Cortland Cross-Country team amassed an unprecedented seven team championships from 1989 to 1999. Led by legendary distance coach Jack Daniels, a group of runners composed not of star recruits, but largely of women who weren’t recruited at all began to win championships. And then they just kept winning. Over a ten year stretch, SUNY Cortland finished off the podium only three times, and never finished lower than ninth. Over a three part series we document the rise, peak, and fall of Division III’s first Cross Country dynasty, as told by the women who were there. In Part 1, The Rise, we’re joined by Judy Sparks, Vicki Mitchell, and Tammie Miller. These three women were the keys to igniting this Dynasty. In cross country, these three combined for 7 All-American performances and 4 Team titles. They didn’t see themselves as runners but evolved into champions. We cover how they found Cortland, the impact being apart of the team had on them, stories about Jack Daniels, and much more. Their stories can resonate with anyone and we’re so excited to bring you this series. If you enjoyed please share it on your social media! D3 Glory Days Instagram D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Strava D3 Glory Days Website
Episode 17 – Cassie Funke-Harris
Jul 07, 2020
*at 42:35, our question was edited out. We asked Cassie her thoughts on what can be done to help promote and retain women in coaching. We referenced a stat that of all sports, XCTF has the smallest percentage of women coaches.* Hello again everyone, we’re back and happy to announce season two of D3 Glory Days, the podcast telling tales of D3 greatness. The reason for the break was two fold. One, we wanted to take some time to pitch ideas for future shows, and sketch an outline of guests and stories to bring you over our second season. There are some shows in our pipeline we’re really excited to share and we’ll provide more information in due time. Second, our national consciousness shifted quickly and dramatically to conversations surrounding social justice and how we must improve our communities and society to be an equitable place for people of color. It’s a serious time to be an American, and our podcast didn’t fit into that conversation. We also recognize the need for diversion. It’s OK to take issues seriously, but also leave some space to recharge. So here we are again, and we’re excited to learn from, and be inspired by our guests right along with you. Thanks for sticking with us, and enjoy D3 Glory Days, season two. This was a great conversation with Cassie Funke-Harris. We discussed her transition from rural Kansas to Carleton College. She was a big catalyst in helping them begin a long streak of qualifying for the national cross country meet. We discussed her coaching career at Amherst and bring together both the men and women’s team. We touched on Women in coaching that was inspired by another podcast discussion with Allison Wade of the Fast Women Newsletter. Cassie has had great experiences within the division and offers a lot of insight. Be sure to follow us on social media: Instagram Twitter Strava
Episode 16 – Kirk Reynolds – Coach and D3 Historian
May 26, 2020
Today we’re joined by Head Women’s XCTF Coach at Pomona-Pitzer, Kirk Reynolds. Coach Reynolds has been a resident of D3 since his College Days at Lewis and Clark. He transitioned into coaching after college while getting his Master’s at Claremont McKenna. In 1989, he took a short walk across town to become the Head Coach at Pomona-Pitzer and has been there ever since. Reynolds has stacked up the coaching accolades by guiding 35 All-Americans, and 10 XCTF Conference titles.
Beyond coaching, Coach Reynolds has brought a lot to Division 3 Running. He holds the role as Historian on the USTFCCCA Exec committee and has created the Historians Report that houses everything you need to know about Division 3 history. It’s truly a comprehensive report that recounts the origins of D3 and can be a source of motivation. Our favorite section is the list of 3x and 4x All American. We encourage you to check it out. We had a blast asking Coach Reynolds questions about the history of D3 Running as well as learning about his sabbatical to Kenya.
Help spread the history of D3 by sending this episode along to a friend. If you’re feeling extra generous, leave us a review and rating. As always, here’s to the Glory Days.
Today’s guest is about as D3 as it gets. Esther Erb Atkins was better known as a cello player in high school, running only her senior year. She chose case western for their strong academic programs, going on to earn degrees in music and cognitive science. But one day her freshman year, the cross country coach spotted her on the treadmill at the gym, and encouraged her to join the cross country team. The rest is as they say, history. Esther would go on to lead Case Western to two top ten finishes at the national cross country meet, and her senior year became the individual champion over 10,000m, winning by .4 seconds. Esther has gone on to a successful professional career, highlight by a national championship in the marathon in 2014, which earned her the right to represent the United States at the 2015 world championships. Esther recounts more from the 10k: And I remembered something else going through my head in that final straight. Toni Wiszowati had run under 34:00 (top seed by over a minute) to qualify that year after being injured in the fall and being the first person to miss qualifying for indoor nationals in the 5k. I felt so bad for her when she missed out on qualifying that I found her email on her school directory and reached out. So the night before the 10k, at the banquet I saw her and gave her a hug and she told me that she was there to receive her regional athlete award, but she was injured. And then she told me that she wanted me to win for her. I took her words very seriously, and in that last 100m, I remembered what she had said, and was just repeating her name in my head because I knew that if I made it that far and didn’t try, I’d be sad that I had let her down again after a really hard year. I think that’s where god gear truly came from – when you do something for someone else, it pulls out so much more than you could possibly do for yourself alone. Thanks for joining us again, as always feel free to leave a rating or review of the podcast wherever you’re listening, and if you really want to be a hero, introduce the show to a friend. We’ll be back with more episodes every other Tuesday – until then, here’s to the glory days. Esther on social media: @erbyatkins D3 Glory Days Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/d3glorydays D3 Glory Days Twitter D3 Glory Days Instagram
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Episode 14 – Lauren Reich Loeffler
Apr 28, 2020
Hey everybody welcome back to D3 Glory Days, hope you’re staying safe and getting some runs in. Before we jump into the episode description – a couple exciting announcements for you. First off, D3 Glory Days has started a Strava running club, be sure to join us there, we’ll put a link in the show notes. Over 300 past/present/and future D3 runners joined this week, and we’re excited to continue growing the community. Along those lines, we’re also excited to announce the inaugural D3 Glory Days virtual 5k Road race on Thursday, May 7th. Head over to the strava group, and you’ll see the event listed there. Please sign up, plan out a road loop, and relive your glory days with us. We’ll bring you an exclusive interview with the top finishers after. Ok, moving on. For episode 14 of the podcast we’re excited to welcome 8 time all American, DePauw University alum, and current Trinity University assistant coach Lauren Reich Loeffler. The Arizona native topped out at 15 miles per week in high school before moving across the country to Greencastle Indiana, and joining a cross country squad shouldering the weight of a strong tradition of excellence. Lauren is a testament to the level of improvement that can happen in a division 3 program, and the epitome of a team player. Lauren was a senior my freshman year at DePauw, and watching her fourth place finish at the national cross country meet allowed me to dream of being there myself. It was fun to have Lauren on and get a chance to tell her how much her successful career inspired us as collegiate athletes. Enjoy the episode, as always please take a moment afterward to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss anything, and leave us a rating or review, it helps us grow the podcast. Until next time – Here’s to the glory days. Strava Group: https://www.strava.com/clubs/d3glorydays
Episode 13 – Matt Wilkinson
Apr 14, 2020
Heading into the indoor national championships that never were, Matt Wilkinson was ranked first in both the 3k and the 5k. It was the next logical step for the cross-country runner-up. Wilkinson was a credentialed high school athlete out of Minnesota with a division one or nothing mentality. After becoming familiar with the accomplishments of fellow Minnetonka High School alum, Will Leer, he opened his eyes to Division three institutions. Feeling a strong connection with Coach Dave Ricks, he committed to Carleton. He struggled in his freshman campaign, experiencing a period of stagnation for the first time in his young career. It didn’t take long to right the ship. He captured his first All-America award the following year in cross country, finished 6th indoors in the 5k, and 4th place outdoors in his breakthrough event – the steeplechase. We covered Matt’s progression in his training and his racing, his life outside of athletics (he’s sings in an ‘Australian punk’ band), and how he’s handling this unprecedented time in athletics. Thanks for tuning in! Please like, leave a review and subscribe for more. It really helps us grow the podcast. As always, here’s to the glory days!
As athletes from around the country put the finishing touches on their Indoor National Championship preparations, the COVID-19 pandemic was ramping up in earnest. Just before championships were scheduled to begin, the NCAA took the unprecedented step of canceling all spring athletics. Just the like, the season was over. No championships were held. No one got the chance to show themselves on the sport’s biggest stage. In our next series of episodes, we’ll talk to the athletes who ended their seasons on top of the leaderboard. When Coach Chabot of WPI saw Sydney Packard run at the state meet of her senior year of HS, he thought he was looking at a well of untapped potential. He was right. Sydney began to improve immediately and steadily. From missing the 800m final indoors her freshman year, she would have stepped on the line in Winston-Salem NC with a 206 PB, this year’s number one seed. We talked with Sydney about her progression as a runner, what being a well rounded student-athlete means to the chemical engineering major, what it was like to have the season cancelled, and her plans for the future. If you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe, and leave a review. We really appreciate and helps the podcast grow! As always, here’s to the glory days. You can follow Sydney on Twitter and Instagram – @sydney_packard
Episode 11 – Missy (Buttry) and Andrew Rock
Feb 26, 2020
This week on D3 Glory Days, we had a fantastic conversation with Missy and Andrew Rock. Two of the greatest D3 athletes of all time. Between them, they collected 35 All-America honors, 23 Individual Titles, 9 Team Titles, and 1 Gold Medal. Both have set D3 All Time Records in the 5k and 400m. We talked with them about their decision to go D3, stay in D3, what they’re professional careers were like, and everything in between. They both are still in D3 as they coach at Bethel University in St. Paul Minnesota. You can follow their team @bethelxctf. Thanks again for listening to the show. As always, tell your friends, teammates and coaches about D3 Glory Days. And if you’re feeling kind, leave a review! Here’s to the Glory Days.
Episode 10 – Bobby Van Allen
Feb 11, 2020
This week, Noah and Stu sat down with Johns Hopkins Coach, Bobby Van Allen. Bobby is the first D1 Graduate to be on the pod but winning 6 national titles makes up for it. Bobby was initially hired as a part-time coach and later was named Full-Time in 2002. He covers his background in Maryland, the decision to leave Physical Therapy school, and relives some of Johns Hopkins National Titles. He gives great insight into how he built Johns Hopkins up, talked about training, and even tried to pitch Noah and Stu to join Hopkins. All this and more on Episode 10 of D3 Glory Days. Follow Johns Hopkins XCTF programs @HopkinsTFXC on Twitter and Instagram
Episode 9 – Jordan Carpenter
Jan 07, 2020
Hello everyone, happy new year and welcome back D3 glory days. We started this podcast last year, and it’s been a lot of fun for us to share some of the stories of Division three running, and to relive our own glory days. We’re excited for what this year is going to bring to our young podcast, and we really appreciate all of you who have been listening all along. As always, we’d love to hear your feedback. Please take a moment to subscribe to the show, and review our podcast wherever you found it. Today on episode 9 of D3 glory days, were happy to welcome former d3 all american, national champion coach, and current elite distance runner Jordan Carpenter. Jordan was an unheralded high school athlete who improved every year on a diet of high mileage and 4.0 GPAs at UW Oshkosh, ultimately finishing as high as 13th at xc nationals, and national runner-up in the steeplechase. While continuing his running career after graduation, which has included a 64 minute half marathon, Jordan also launched his coaching career. Just three years into his job as the head cross country coach at Pomona College, he led them to their first ever national championship, Jordan is currently training in Boulder Colorado eyeing an olympic trials qualifier in the marathon before the collegiate track season ramps up. Enjoy the conversation, and heres to the glory days. Jordan on Twitter: @_jcarpenter_ His team on Twitter: @sagehenrunning
Episode 8 – Parley Hannan
Dec 10, 2019
At first glance, Parley Hannan from Ithaca College came out of nowhere to win a national championship in just her second year of cross country. That much is true. But spend a little time with self proclaimed ‘open book’ Parley Hannan, and you’ll see that the 2019 champion’s story runs much deeper. Three universities, a leave of absence, learning to cope with anxiety, depression, and disordered eating, to becoming the best division three runner in the nation. From a dark place to the national limelight we’re glad to welcome Parley to Episode 8 of D3 Glory days. We cover a lot of ground in this one. Parley’s story shows the path isn’t always linear, and we think a lot of runners will find pieces of her story relatable. As she stormed into the lead before 3k, and capped a nearly perfect season with a national championship – Parley announced herself as a contender in every race she enters. Will she be back to defend next year? That answer and more coming right at you. Thanks again for joining us. We really enjoy doing this podcast, and seeing the support for it continuing to grow has been really cool. Please take a moment to subscribe, and if you’re feeling generous, leave us a short rating or review. We’ll be back before you know it. Until then, here’s to the glory days. Parley on Instagram: peafunkk
Episode 7 – Patrick Watson
Dec 02, 2019
4:55 in the 1600, and 10:09 for 3200, those were the high school PRs of Stevenson University’s Patrick Watson, the 2019 Division 3 Cross Country Champion. From not qualifying for the meet his freshman, to finishing 15th there his Junior year – Patrick had been visualizing this win for the last 12 months. He began to pull away effortlessly at 5k, and never looked back. In our first interview with a current D3 athlete, Patrick walks us through how he went from an unheralded high school athlete, to division three national champion. He gave us insight into how his race played out, and filled us in on where he’s going from here. We enjoyed this one, and hope you will too. Please take a moment to subscribe to the podcast to catch future episodes, and leave us a quick review – that’s the biggest thing you can do to help grow our audience. We’ll be back soon with a full interview with the women’s champion, Parley Hannan, until then – Here’s to the glory days! Patrick on Instagram: @patrick_watson1
Episode 6 – Bijan Mazaheri and Ryan Root
Nov 19, 2019
The inspiration for today’s show comes from Charlie Marquardt, specifically a tweet he put out after this years Chicago marathon. In that tweet he compares how three runners fared in the 2012 NCAA XC championships in Terre Haute, with how they finished this year’s Chicago marathon. The runners who did both are myself, Ryan Root, and Bijan Mazaheri. Most striking was the pace comparison between the two. While my marathon pace was a few seconds slower per mile compared to that 8k in 2012, Ryan (2:17:00) and Bijan (2:15:26) ran as fast or faster per mile in the marathon than they did in 2012. You can find the tweet in the show notes. That compelled us to call them up, hear about the rest of their collegiate careers, but almost more importantly, hear how their Division Three experience created a love of running that continues to this day. Both these men are a case study of the progression a D3 athlete can make over the years, and it was really cool to get them on record together. Charlie’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/cmarqq/status/1183505005048946689 Ryan Root on Twitter: @RyanAndrewRoot Bijan has a website dedicated to D3 XC Predictions: https://bijanmazaheri.wordpress.com/d3-regional-cross-country-rankings/
Episode 5 – Kori Stoffregen
Oct 08, 2019
Hello everyone, nice to see you again here on episode 5 of D3 Glory Days. I’m Noah Droddy joined as always by my friend and co-host Stu Newstat. We’ve got a fun one for you this week, and a first for this podcast. In our previous four episodes we’ve interviewed recent D3 alums. Today we switch it up a little bit, bringing you the first installment of D3 Glory Days, Coach’s edition. Stu and I sat down with DePauw University head coach Kori Stoffregen, our college coach. We enjoyed having Kori as a guest, we obviously have close connections to Kori, both running in his program all four years, and in Stu’s case subsequently serving as his assistant coach for the last two years. Before Kori was a D3 head coach, he was a Division three athlete at Wartburg College in Iowa. We learn how Kori got into running, and his experience in the early glory days of Division three. From there we move on to his beginnings in coaching, his move to DePauw University (where he’s been since 1996), and what he’s learned in his extensive career in Division three. An all-American himself at Wartburg, Kori has gone on to coach 35 All-American’s at DePauw University, and has been named Conference coach of the year 28 times. We hope you enjoy the hour with Kori as much as we did. Before you go, please be sure to hit that subscribe button, and leave us a quick review, it’s much appreciated. Alright, here’s to the glory days. Follow @DePauwXCTF on Twitter and Instagram
Episode 4 – Emily Richards
Sep 24, 2019
Joining us today is Emily Richards, Delaware Ohio native, and Ohio Northern University graduate. Emily had a really exciting collegiate career, collecting 9 national championships and 13 All-American honors. But Emily is perhaps most notable for her range. With registered PRs from the javelin throw and 200m dash, all the way up to a top-ten finish at NCAA Cross Country. She found the most success over the middle distances, and is currently competing as a professional athlete over 800 and 1500 meters for Hoka ONE ONE and the NJNY Track Club. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did. If you do, please take a moment to subscribe to the podcast, and if you really want to be a hero, write us a short review – this really helps us grow the audience. Alright, until next time, here’s to the glory days. Follow Emily on Twitter and Instagram @e_rich2one
Episode 3 – Dhruvil Patel
Aug 15, 2019
Thanks for tuning in again, we’re glad to be back on the microphones and bring you another D3 story. Today on the pod, 13x All American and 6x National, Dhruvil Patel. Patel was the headliner for the historically dominant North Central College Cardinals under Al Carius. We covered a lot of ground with Dhruvil, including overcoming tragedy early in his running career, and finding his ‘why’ at a young age. We talked about his college search, and got into detail on what it was like at NCC, where he was always competing for national titles. We capped it off by hearing his plans now, as he tries to jumpstart a pro career. As always if you’re enjoying the content please subscribe to and review our show, it helps a lot. Here’s to the glory days. You can follow Dhruvil’s journey on Twitter and Instagram – @dhruvil1114
Episode 2 – Annie Rodenfels
Jul 26, 2019
Hosts Noah Droddy and Stu Newstat welcome 7x All American, 3x National Champion, and new member of the Asics Greenville Track Club, Annie Rodenfels. Annie competed for Centre College in Danville, Kentucky and is coming off of a historic track season. She became the first woman in D3 history to break 10 in the steeplechase, the 2nd woman to win Back to back Steeple Titles and was the 2nd woman to win the Steeple and 5k at the same National meet. We really enjoyed this conversation which follows Annie’s progression from being a brand new cross country runner her freshman year of college, to her national championship victories and plans for a pro-career. As we release this podcast, Annie will be stepping onto the track for her first USA championship – good luck Annie! As always, we really appreciate your support of this podcast. If you’d like to help spread the word, share the podcast with a friend, or leave us a review wherever you’re listening. We hope you enjoyed hearing Annie’s story as much as we did, follow her on instagram: @andrearodenfels.
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Episode 1 – Will Leer
Jul 19, 2019
In the inaugural Episode of D3 Glory Days, Hosts Noah Droddy and Stu Newstat sit down with Will Leer to hear about his experience at Pomona College. Will covers his transition from High School to College, discusses his college decision process, offers advice to high school athletes, and talks about his college “rivalry” with Nick Symmonds. Be sure to subscribe and leave a review. As always, we really appreciate your support of this podcast. If you’d like to help spread the word, share the podcast with a friend, or leave us a review wherever you’re listening.
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