DISTANCE RUNNERS OF THE MONTH
September 2003
DISTANCE RUNNERS OF THE MONTH
September
2003
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Senior at |
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College Choice |
"Minster Star Trains with the Best!"
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When Minster’s Sunni Olding runs, people watch!
The senior running star has built up an impressive fan base.
Family members, friends, college coaches, and hundreds of cross
country and track fans flock to see the All American run and with good
reason. Her running resume is as impressive as any runner in the nation.
Olding is the owner of four state track championships (three 1600
titles and one 3200 title), state records in the 1600 and 3200, two state
cross country titles, a top 10 national Foot Locker Cross Country finish,
and a National Addidas Outdoor Track championship in the 2-mile.
Olding has also helped lead the Minster Wildcats to two state cross
country titles and three consecutive track titles. Sunni’s race to stardom began in junior high. “Girls growing up in Minster dream about becoming part of the rich women’s running tradition,” stated the senior. She inherited that tradition and more. Her mother, Jackie, was a state runner-up in the mile in high school and her father (Kurt), a chiropractor, was a standout athlete for the Wildcats as well. Olding also credits much of her success to the tremendous support she receives from her family. “My parents and family have been very supportive, as well as my coaches and teammates.” Olding entered her junior year on a mission. It began with her most thrilling victory to date. At the 2002 state cross country meet, Sunni and Barnesville’s freshmen phenom, Jenny Morgan, battled every inch of the 5000 meter course. “I just wasn’t having the best day. I just wanted to stay close till the end,” she stated. Olding used an impressive kick to nab the title in dramatic fashion. According to Sunni her running took off from there, “Things just started to fall into place after the state meet.” Did they ever! She followed up her cross country title with a 6th place finish at the Foot Locker regional cross country meet in Kenosha, WI, which qualified her for the national meet in San Diego, CA. Two weeks later Olding turned in one of her top performances at nationals. She finished with a time of 17:52, good for 10th place overall and All-American honors. During track season she helped the Lady Wildcats win their third consecutive state track title while taking the 1600 and 3200 titles in state record fashion. A couple weeks later Sunni won the 2-mile run at the Addidas Outdoor Track Championships. However, the highlight of her year occurred a few weeks after the Addidas meet. Her accomplishments helped her earn a trip to the Olympic Training Center in San Diego for a two-week running camp. Eighteen of the country’s best female high school runners were selected to train under current Olympic Director of Endurance Events and BYU cross country coach Patrick Shane. “It was an amazing experience,” Olding informed Alliance Running. “It was awesome to be around people who share the same passion for running as you do.” Olding, also an outstanding student (4.0 gpa), will attend the University of Notre Dame next fall. Good Luck Sunni. |
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Senior at |
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College Choice |
| Versailles’ Tyler Barga made one
of the state’s biggest comebacks last fall.
Barga (pronounced Bar-gee) developed a stress fracture in his foot
during pre-season training. The
injury put Tyler of shelf for most of the cross country season.
Mid-season he slowly began to work his way back into shape.
Tyler finished 5th at the regional meet.
A week later Barga blistered the final two miles to finish 10th
at the state meet, making it his second consecutive all-state finish.
His performance was a remarkable accomplishment after missing most of
the season. Barga made the comeback complete during track season. After winning the 1600 at the regional meet, Tyler looked to improve on his sixth place finish in 1600 the previous year. “I just wanted to be in the teens at state,” said the senior captain. “I stuck with the leader (Chris English-Rocky River) through the first 800. We hit it at 2:06. I had never gone out that fast.” Barga didn’t panic and continued to hang with English. “If I could stay close I knew I could out-kick him,” he added. Barga blazed the final 200 meters in route to a state title and the fastest 1600 time in the area for all divisions (4:15) and completing his comeback. Ironically, Tyler began his running career as a sprinter in junior high. His coaches kept increasing the distances he raced and Tyler continued to excel, “I started beating most of the high school kids in junior high, so my coach sent me to train with them instead.” He quickly began breaking several of Versailles’ track records. Many of them set by former running standout John Wood. “I always wanted to break John Wood’s records. I really looked up to him as a kid,” the senior added. Wood still holds the school record in cross country at 16:15. As a sophomore Tyler recorded a 16:16 at the regional meet. Injuries kept him from the mark during his junior season. Tyler took it easy with his running over the summer (15-20 miles per week) choosing to work on building strength in the weight room, “I worked hard in the weight room this summer. I wanted to get stronger.” A healthy Barga will make the Versailles a serious threat for a run at the state title. The Tigers have over 90 runners (high school and junior high combined) out for cross country this year, and five of the top seven are back from a team that finished 4th at the state meet in 2002. Barga has decided to run track and cross country for Youngstown St. Good luck Tyler! |
