Current Athlete Feature: Michael Krisch (C’08)
Though 5th year grad student Mike Krisch struggled his first couple of years on the Hilltop with injuries, he has since earned himself a spot right alongside Georgetown’s best cross country and long distance runners ever. This past fall he put together an excellent cross country season, culminating with a 33rd place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships to earn All-America honors. He also earned All BIG EAST honors for the second straight year with his 5th place finish. He also became one of only a few Hoyas ever to earn All Mid Atlantic Region honors 4 times after finishing 3rd this year.
Mike has also established himself as one of Georgetown’s best 10k runners of all time. In the spring of 2008 he ran 29:10 and qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he finished 23rd. Then, in the spring of 2009, he lowered his personal best to 28:58.48, the 6th best time in Georgetown history, but came up 2 places short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships. He also performed the ironman double at the BIG EAST outdoor championships, finishing runner-up in both the 10k and the 5k. After having the best cross country season of his career Mike is ready for a monster indoor and outdoor track season. He will be looking to run a personal best in the 10k at Stanford for the 3rd straight year as well as qualify for the NCAA championships again. Keep an eye on Mike as he attempts to move higher up Georgetown’s all-time lists in his last two seasons as a Hoya.
Personal Bests:
3000 i – 8:10.68 #34 GU All-Time
5000 – 14:00.71 #18 GU All-Time
5000 i – 14:07.43 #11 GU All-Time
10000 – 28:58.48 #6 GU All-Time
Former Athlete Feature: Stephen Stageberg (F’69)
One of the greatest cross country runners in Georgetown history, Stephen Stageberg was the NCAA Cross Country runner-up in 1968. Prior to his 2nd place finish he finished 14th in 1966. Both years earned him All-America honors. His 3rd All-America honor came in the spring of 1968 when he finished as the runner-up in the 5000m at the NCAA Championships. Stephen was also an IC4A champion in the outdoor 3 mile run in 1967 and 1968 and still holds two school records, the outdoor 2 mile run and outdoor 3 mile run.
Stephen was well-known for his duels on the track with the legendary Steve Prefontaine and George Young. Stephen’s favorite race, in fact, is the Olympic Training meet in 1968 at Mt. SAC where he challenged George Young in the 5000 meters. Though George Young eventually won the duel, Stephen ran a personal best of 13:41, a time that still stands at the 6th fastest time in Georgetown history.
Stephen has numerous good memories from his time at Georgetown. All of the people he was good friends with and the great experiences he shared with them. One specific memory that stands out for him is Prof. Carroll Quigley’s Development of Civilizations class freshman year. Stephen says, “It was an eye-opening experience from a dynamic lecturer. Even Bill Clinton fondly remembers that class.” As the 1969 winner of the Robert A. Duffey Scholar-Athlete Award it seems fitting that one of his best memories comes from the classroom.
One of the greatest competitors in Georgetown history, and Georgetown’s 1969 winner of the James M. Gallagher Memorial Award for Outstanding Track & Field Competitor, Stephen has some great advice for current Hoyas. He advises them to never lose their focus, be consistent in their training, and make sure to make every opportunity count because you never know when an injury might set you back. He also says to run with confidence, “which is at least 50% of the battle in distance running.”
Now Stephen is an economist at the University of Mary Washington, where he’s been for 28 years. He commutes there from D.C. where he’s lived the past four years. He cites the most significant development in his life since graduating from Georgetown as coming to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. “Everything now looks wonderfully different. Praise the Lord!”
Personal Bests:
2 mile outdoor – 8:56.9 School Record
3 mile outdoor – 13:15.0 School Record
1500m – 3:45.2 tie #27 GU All-Time
Mile relay – 3:59.8 #7 GU All-Time
5000 – 13:41.6 #6 GU All-Time
DMR yds – 9:40.3 #26 GU All-Time
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1 comment:
Before invitational road races were commonplace, Steve ran in the Springbank Road Races in a park in London, Ontario, where he was invited to run in the 4.5 mile race. A 12-mile race was also on the agenda in those days. People from all over the world were invited, but especially the top distance runners from the US and Canada frequented these events. The year Steve ran, I was also entered in the 4.5 mile race and we warmed up together. I was wearing a Georgetown sweatshirt, and Steve and I were of similar height, build, and coloration (brownish blond hair). I mentioned to Steve that we would blanket the field with his finishing first, and I would bring up the rear. Well, he upheld his end of the bargain and he won easily. I beat a few people, so we didn't exactly cover the field. The funny point of this comment is that, as I was approaching the finish line, a couple of teenage track fans were visibly disappointed with me, because they had seen Steve and me warming up, and they thought I was the great runner Steve Stageberg. I don't know how they missed Steve, when he finished first...Don Betowski
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