Stephan Shay Finishes Ninth At U.S. Cross Country Championships
2/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Feb. 22, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State freshman Stephan Shay (East Jordan, Mich.) recently competed at the U.S. Cross Country Championships in Vancouver, Wash., on Feb. 13. Shay earned a spot on a U.S. junior national team after placing ninth in the men's 8K junior race with a time of 26:03.7.
"Stephan ran really well at the U.S. Junior Championships," said MSU head coach Walt Drenth about the freshman's performance. "He followed his race plan, stayed patient early in the race and gave himself a chance to get in the top six."
Shay will compete with the U.S. junior national team on March 6 at the NACAC Cross Country Championships, held at the USA National Training Center in Clermont, Fla. The team is comprised of the top-10 finishers at the U.S. Junior Championships.
"The opportunity to run for a U.S. team is difficult to achieve and a great honor," Drenth added. "His training is back to normal, and I believe he will run very well in two weeks."
Shay finished his inaugural cross country season for Michigan State as the No. 2 runner in three meets. He was MSU's lead runner at the 2004 Spartan Invitational and helped the Spartans to their first appearance at the NCAA Championships since 2002 last November.
"With the solid workouts I have been having, I think I can do some good things at the NACAC race in March," Shay said. "I'm not only representing the U.S., but Michigan State as well."
Players Mentioned
