"Redshirting is something I was planning on doing, but just not this early (in his career)." - Dathan Ritzenhein
Well, Ritz, Redshirting is like pregnancy. Sometimes you plan for it. Sometimes you don't. drew/armiger wrote: > >http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/cu_cross_country/article/0,1713,BDC_2450_1364848,00.html > > Buffs dealt big blow as Ritzenhein redshirting > Fourth-place finisher in NCAA meet nursing stress fracture in femur > > By Michael Sandrock, For the Camera > September 3, 2002 > > The chances of the No. 1-ranked University of Colorado men's cross country team >repeating as NCAA champions took a hit Monday when head coach Mark Wetmore said >sophomore Dathan Ritzenhein is going to redshirt in the 2002 season because of a >stress fracture in his right femur. > > Ritzenhein, a two-time Foot Locker high school national champion, was fourth in the >NCAA championships last fall. He teamed up with Jorge Torres, who placed second, to >lead the Buffs to a one-point victory over Stanford and CU's first men's team title. >CU also has All-Americans Steve Slattery and Ed Torres back from last year's squad, >enough to make the Buffs one of the preseason favorites to win the national title, >along with Stanford and Arkansas. > > On Monday, Ritzenhein was walking with crutches. He said his leg started getting >sore the first week of August, something at the time he attributed to a sore >iliotibial band. He sat out Saturday's alumni/open/time trial, and then a bone scan >Sunday showed the stress fracture. It is expected Ritzenhein will miss between five >to 10 weeks of running. He said he will do about two hours of cross training a day, > starting with running in the pool during the next two weeks before beginning >bicycling. > > Wetmore said Ritzenhein, 19, is talented enough to come back and help the team even >after taking time off. However, it is in the runner's long-term interest to redshirt >the season. "Dathan and I both know he could probably work hard in the pool, move on >to the stationary bike, and with five weeks of running be in the top 20 (at the Nov. >25 NCAA championships)," said Wetmore. "But with the magnitude of what he can do in >his remaining three years of eligibility if he is completely healthy, it seems a >waste to run this season, even though it significantly jeopardizes our team attempt." > > As a high schooler, Ritzenhein took home the bronze medal at the 2001 World Cross >Country Championships in Dublin, Ireland, then came within a second of breaking the >all-time high school record for 5,000 meters. > > On the track last spring, he clocked 13:27.7 for 5,000 meters, one of the fastest >times by an American this year. > > "I am going to try and stay fit so that it won't be too horrible when I get back," >said Ritzenhein. "Redshirting is something I was planning on doing, but just not this >early (in his career). Our team is looking great this year. We had four >All-Americans, and now we will have three. We still have the best top three runners >in the nation." > > Despite the loss of Ritzenhein, some Buff fans remained optimistic that CU can still >defend its title. "They still have a chance," said marathoner Brad Hudson, pointing >to the young runners on the team. They include returning team members Jon Severy and >Jared Scott, recruits Brett Schoolmeester, Billy Nelson and Payton Batliner, and >walk-on Casey Burchill. > > =========== > "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a >trail." > Ralph Waldo Emerson > > --- "Post, Marty" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >Dathan Ritzenhein will miss the 2002 cross country season because of a > >stress fracture in his right femur. His leg began getting sore the first > >week of August, which at the time he attributed to a sore iliotibial band. > >He sat out CU's season-opening time trial on Saturday, then had a bone scan > >Sunday that showed the stress fracture. > > _____________________________________________________________ > Sign up for a 6mb FREE email from > http://www.spl.at > Join the buzz, chat with us! > http://chat.spl.at > > _____________________________________________________________ > Promote your group and strengthen ties to your members with [EMAIL PROTECTED] by >Everyone.net http://www.everyone.net/?btn=tag
