KUTZTOWN,
PA (Oct. 15, 2009) – Kutztown University sophomore
Ryan Reich (Oley/Oley Valley) knows what it means when
actions speak louder than words. Before the Paul Short
Invitational on Oct 12, the men’s cross-country team wasn’t
ranked in the Atlantic Region. After the race, they earned the
No. 7 spot in the United States Track and Field Cross-Country
Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Atlantic Region rankings.
“We went in to that race knowing
we needed to prove ourselves and to earn respect from the rest
of our conference,” Reich said. “We left with the respect we
wanted.”
The men gained the respect they
were seeking after finishing 13th overall, and
becoming the first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)
school to cross the finish line. The Golden Bears are back in
action Saturday morning at the Lafayette Leopard Invitational.
The meet begins at 10 a.m.
“Our goal this weekend at the
Lafayette Leopard Invitational is to prove the Paul Short
Invitational was not a fluke,” Reich said. “We deserve to be
ranked seventh. We earned it and want to stay in the
rankings.”
Although Reich takes practices
very seriously, he finds time to add comic relief. Reich, who
likes to crack a few smiles, finished 38th overall at
the Paul Short Invitational. He was Kutztown’s second overall
finisher. Reich finished the eight kilometer course in 25
minutes, 55 seconds. Reich holds KU’s second fastest individual
time on the Lehigh University course. As a team, the Golden
Bears set a new record of 2:11:03.
“We usually try to run in a
pack, or at least try to stay within eye-distance of each
other,” Reich said.
Reich stayed with the pack for
the first mile, and then broke away for a couple of miles before
senior teammate
Ben Loht (Lewistown/Indian Valley) passed him to set the
school record for the fastest time on the course. Loht finished
in 25:50.
“This weekend, at Lafayette, our
goal is to keep or improve our ranking in the region,” Reich
said. “We need to come out strong in the race from the
beginning. This is not an individual sport. Earning that
ranking is a team effort, not one guy doing all the work.”
When he’s not running, Reich is
studying to become a secondary education history major.
“I’m most interested in
military history, such as World War II and Civil War,” Reich
said. “I think it’s an interesting and important part of our
history.”
In addition to competing in track
and cross-country in high school, Reich also played soccer.
However, he decided to put more effort into preparing for
cross-country and track. Now, he’s focused on his future. Reich
wanted to teach and coach track locally, until he realized the
multitude of endless opportunities while working as a counselor
at a cross-country camp at Millersville University.
“Working with the high school
kids, who were from all over, made me realize I can broaden
my horizons,” Reich said. “I can teach and coach, so I just
have to see what opportunities come after college. I don’t
have to limit myself.”
The Golden Bears have one more
meet, the Nevins Invitational at East Stroudsburg University on
Oct. 24 before the PSAC Championships on Oct. 31st at
Edinboro University.
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