Jeremy Scott - Jonesboro, Arkansas
Scott, currently living and training in Jonesboro, Arkansas, is a 2003 graduate of Allegheny College and graduated from Arkansas in 2006 with a master’s degree in exercise science. A former Nebraska State High School Champion, Scott graduated from Allegheny as one of, if not the, most decorated and accomplished pole vaulters in NCAA Division III history. As a freshman in 2000, he placed second at the NCAA Outdoor National Meet, clearing a height of 16-2.75. He followed that with a second runner-up finish in 2001 during the outdoor season before winning both the indoor and outdoor National Titles during the 2002 season, setting the NCAA Division III Indoor record by leaping 18-0.5, qualifying him for the United States Indoor Championships and earning NCAA Division III Athlete of the Year honors.
After graduating from Allegheny in 2003, Scott exhausted his eligibility at the University of Arkansas while working on his master’s degree. While at Arkansas, training under the legendary Earl Bell, Scott took fourth at the NCAA Division I National Meet, earning All-America honors while helping his squad to the National Title. Also in 2004, Scott reached the qualifying standard for the United States Olympic Trials. He has a lifetime best of 18-8.25, and has competed in numerous meets in Europe over the past year.
Andree Pickens - Jonesboro, Arkansas
Pickens, currently living and training in Jonesboro, Arkansas, is a 2004 graduate of the University of Alabama. While with the Crimson Tide, Pickens was one of the most decorated gymnasts in the country, winning the NCAA Top Eight Award, the Honda-Broderick Award for Gymnastics and was the NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of Alabama. She finished her career as the only gymnast in NCAA history to earn five All-America honors in two different seasons.
After turning her attention to pole vaulting, Pickens started quickly, breaking Alabama’s school indoor and outdoor pole vault records in her first season, while also qualifying for the NCAA Division I meet, where she placed ninth, narrowly missing All-America honors. Pickens, one of the top up-and-comers in the pole vault circuit, has continually increased her personal best throughout her career, as she vaulted to a height of 14-3 on April 18, her second highest jump of her career.
Ryan Bak - Gunnison, Colorado
Bak, currently living and training in Gunnison, Colorado, is a 2003 graduate of Trinity (Conn.) College. He was featured in the motion picture Five-Thousand Meters Nothing Comes Easy, a documentary in which film makers followed him around during the time leading up to the 2004 Olympic Trials. Bak’s impressive resume includes three NCAA Division III National Championships, one in XC, 1500m indoor, and 5000m indoor. In addition to his National Championships, he was a 10-time NCAA Division III All-American and a 2004 Olympic Trials Qualifier in the 5000.
800: 1:51.27
1,500: 3:43.75
Mile: 4:01.45
3,000: 7:53.92
5,000: 13:38.52
Ofer Barniv - Denver, Colorado
Ofer, currently living and training in Denver, Colorado, is a 2003 graduate of Kent State University. While at Kent State, Ofer qualified for the NCAA Division I Regional Championships in the 1500m two times. Additionally, Ofer traveled to Israel where he was the National Champion in the 800-meter dash. Last summer in Nashville, Tenn., Ofer narrowly missed the sub-four-minute mark in the mile, running a time of 4:00.15.
1,500: 3:44
Mile: 4:00.15
5,000: 14:32
8,000: 25:02
10,000: 31:42
Nick Cordes - Ashland, Ohio
Cordes, currently living and training in Ashland, Ohio, is a 2003 Ashland University graduate. He was a seven-time All-America and in 2002 was the national runner-up in cross country. He finished third in the mile at the national meet during the 2003 indoor season, and finished fourth in the 5,000-meter run during the following outdoor season. In 2001, Cordes placed fourth in the 10,000-meter run at the outdoor NCAA Division II National Championships. Since leaving Ashland, Cordes has been training with the Hanson-Brooks Distance Project. He posted a time of 2:20.32 at the 2003 Chicago Marathon, qualifying for the United States Olympic Trials.
1,500: 3:48
Mile: 4:04
5,000: 14:18
8,000: 23:30
10,000: 29:24
Half-Marathon: 1:05.40
Marathon: 2:17:17
Joe Eby - Meadville, Pennsylvania
Eby, who currently lives and trains in Meadville, Pa., is a 2004 graduate of Mount Union College in Alliance Ohio. He currently is an assistant coach at Allegheny College where he continues to train. Eby was a 2002 NCAA Division III All-American in the 1,500 and was the 2005 USATF Club Champion 1,500.
800: 1:52.18
1,000: 2:27.60
1,500: 3:45.60
Mile: 4:10.89
3,000: 8:31.23
5,000: 14:32
8,000: 24:48
Ryan Kleimenhagen - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Kleimenhagen, currently living and training in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a 2005 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. During his college career, he won 14 All-WIAC awards in cross country and track and field, in addition to earning ten NCAA Division III All-America Honors in Track & Field and three more in Cross Country. He won individual national titles in the 800 (2005 Indoors), 1500 (2004 Indoors), the mile (2005 Indoors) and in the distance medley relay (2004 Indoors). He was a 4-time UW-Platteville Athlete of the Year, and was named NCAA Division III Athlete of the Year in 2005. In 2005, he placed fourth in the 1500 meters at the USATF Indoor National Championships setting personal bests in the 800m (1:48.68) and in the 1500m (3:44.94) in the process. He competed in the 800 meters at the USATF Outdoor Championships in June, before running his first sub-4 minute mile by posting 3:59:00 at the Boston Indoor Games in January, 2006.
800: 1:48.68
1,500: 3:44.94
Mile: 3:59.00
5,000: 14:49
8,000: 24:28
10,000: 31:42
Leo Kormanik - Akron, Ohio
Kormanik, currently living and training in Akron, Ohio, is a 2006 graduate of Malone College. In the fall of 2006, he narrowly missed a B standard time for the Olympic Marathon Trials, coming up just 29 seconds short of the mark. He has also been a top competitor at the USATF XC Club championships and USATF 8k championships since his graduation. While at Malone, he earned six NAIA All-America honors, one in cross country (2004), three in the indoor 5,000-meter run (2003, '04 and '05) and two more in the outdoor 5,000 (2004 and '05).
1,500: 3:55
5,000: 14:24
8,000: 24:01
10,000: 29:56
16,000: 50:45
Marathon: 2:22:29
Aaron Rowe - Columbus, Ohio
Rowe, currently living and training in Columbus, Ohio, is a 2003 graduate of Edinboro University. After graduation he returned to his hometown of Columbus, where he currently runs for Columbus Running Company. At Edinboro, he was a six-time Division II All-American. He was also a Junior National All-American and was a member of the USA Junior National Team.
1,500: 3:52
3,000: 8:13
5,000: 14:10
10,000: 29:24
