Colorado University Athletics
Wetmore-Wednesday Top Races: Holland and Saarel Set School Records
December 16, 2020 | Cross Country, Track and Field
BOULDER – The Colorado track and field and cross country program has a special history, one that began to hit full-stride under head coach Mark Wetmore.
CU track and field and cross country will take a look back at every year under Wetmore and recap the best races and teams of every calendar year.
A pair of CU athletes, Ana Holland and Ben Saarel, took to the record books with three different school records in the final couple of months of the 2016 outdoor season.
HOLLAND SPRINTS TO TITLES
A Colorado-native, Holland had a fantastic redshirt-sophomore season in the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Coming off an indoor season where she became the second-fastest sprinter in the 60 with a time of 7.46, she also scored at the MPSF championships in the 200 with the second-fastest time of 23.95. She also ran at the US Indoor Championships, placing 18th in the 60 with a 7.56.
Heading to the outdoor season, it took just one race to rewrite history. At the CU Invite she clocked in an 11.63 100-meter dash performance, breaking a 21-year-old school record. She was also a part of the second-fastest 4x100 that afternoon. Holland would trim her record down to 11.61.
Her final record book reset came at the Mt. SAC Relays where she lowered her own 200 record to 23.45.
SAAREL DOWNS CULPEPPER'S RECORD
It's not often that a CU athlete runs just two races in an academic year and still finishes as an All-American in cross country and takes down a 20-year-old record from a former National Champion. Saarel did just that as he was an All-American in cross country then took the 2016 Olympic year to redshirt and train. Saarel focused on the 1,500, breaking the CU record set by Alan Culpepper in 1996 with a 3:39.67 performance at the Hoka One Middle Distance Classic. Not quite an Olympic Trials qualifying time, Saarel took to the track again at the Portland Track Festival, lowering his record to 3:48.40.
Saarel went on to compete at the US Olympic Trials, but pulled out of the 1,500 semifinals due to an injury.
PAST TOP RACES:
2015: BUFFS TAKE BOTH NATIONAL RUNNER-UP TITLES
2012 (OLYMPIC EDITION): COBURN & KIPP MAKE OLYMPIC TEAM TOGETHER; REPRESENT CU AND USA AT LONDON GAMES
2012: KIPP CARRIES ON COLORADO LEGARY WITH A PAIR OF STEEPLECHASE TITLES
2011: COBURN WINS FIRST NCAA & U.S. TITLES; BUFFS MAKE STATEMENT WINNING INAUGURAL PAC-12 CROSS COUNTRY TITLES
2010: COBURN AND KIPP BECOME STRONG 1-2 IN THE STEEPLE; DODSON SPRINTS TO A STRONG FINISH
2009: BARRINGER BREAKS 6 COLLEGIATE RECORDS IN FINAL TRACK SEASON (VIDEO)
2008 (OLYMPIC EDITION): BARRINGER AND NELSON TAKE BEIJING OLYMPICS
2008: MEN WIN BIG 12 OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP
2007: VAUGHN WINS 3 BIG 12 TITLES; BARRINGER TURNS DISAPPOINTMENT INTO FIRST U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP
2006: BARRINGER'S STEEPLECHASE LEGACY BEGINS; MEN'S XC WINS SECOND NCAA TITLE IN THREE YEARS
2005: METIVIER WINS INDOOR 3K; SLATTERY TAKES 10K TITLE
2004: BUFFS WIN MEN'S AND WOMEN'S NCAA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
2003: RITZENHEIN RACES TO THE TITLE (FINISH VIDEO)
2002: TORRES CEMENTS LEGACY (VIDEO)
2001: CU MEN CAPTURE FIRST TITLE (VIDEO)
2000: KARA GRGAS-WHEELER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
1999: JAMES DAVIS 1999 4x400-METER RELAY ALL-AMERICAN
1998: ADAM GOUCHER 1998 CROSS COUNTRY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (VIDEO) (5,000) (3,000)
1997: ADAM GOUCHER INDOOR 3,000 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
1996: ALAN CULPEPPER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 5,000/ WOMEN'S BIG EIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
(VIDEO)
CU track and field and cross country will take a look back at every year under Wetmore and recap the best races and teams of every calendar year.
A pair of CU athletes, Ana Holland and Ben Saarel, took to the record books with three different school records in the final couple of months of the 2016 outdoor season.
HOLLAND SPRINTS TO TITLES
A Colorado-native, Holland had a fantastic redshirt-sophomore season in the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Coming off an indoor season where she became the second-fastest sprinter in the 60 with a time of 7.46, she also scored at the MPSF championships in the 200 with the second-fastest time of 23.95. She also ran at the US Indoor Championships, placing 18th in the 60 with a 7.56.
Heading to the outdoor season, it took just one race to rewrite history. At the CU Invite she clocked in an 11.63 100-meter dash performance, breaking a 21-year-old school record. She was also a part of the second-fastest 4x100 that afternoon. Holland would trim her record down to 11.61.
Her final record book reset came at the Mt. SAC Relays where she lowered her own 200 record to 23.45.
SAAREL DOWNS CULPEPPER'S RECORD
It's not often that a CU athlete runs just two races in an academic year and still finishes as an All-American in cross country and takes down a 20-year-old record from a former National Champion. Saarel did just that as he was an All-American in cross country then took the 2016 Olympic year to redshirt and train. Saarel focused on the 1,500, breaking the CU record set by Alan Culpepper in 1996 with a 3:39.67 performance at the Hoka One Middle Distance Classic. Not quite an Olympic Trials qualifying time, Saarel took to the track again at the Portland Track Festival, lowering his record to 3:48.40.
Saarel went on to compete at the US Olympic Trials, but pulled out of the 1,500 semifinals due to an injury.
PAST TOP RACES:
2015: BUFFS TAKE BOTH NATIONAL RUNNER-UP TITLES
2014: HUNSUCKER EARNS NCAA RUNNER-UP FINISH IN HAMMER THROW; MEN'S XC RACES TO SECOND-STRAIGHT NCAA TITLE
2013: COBURN FINISHES CAREER WITH PAIR OF TITLES2012 (OLYMPIC EDITION): COBURN & KIPP MAKE OLYMPIC TEAM TOGETHER; REPRESENT CU AND USA AT LONDON GAMES
2012: KIPP CARRIES ON COLORADO LEGARY WITH A PAIR OF STEEPLECHASE TITLES
2011: COBURN WINS FIRST NCAA & U.S. TITLES; BUFFS MAKE STATEMENT WINNING INAUGURAL PAC-12 CROSS COUNTRY TITLES
2010: COBURN AND KIPP BECOME STRONG 1-2 IN THE STEEPLE; DODSON SPRINTS TO A STRONG FINISH
2009: BARRINGER BREAKS 6 COLLEGIATE RECORDS IN FINAL TRACK SEASON (VIDEO)
2008 (OLYMPIC EDITION): BARRINGER AND NELSON TAKE BEIJING OLYMPICS
2008: MEN WIN BIG 12 OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP
2007: VAUGHN WINS 3 BIG 12 TITLES; BARRINGER TURNS DISAPPOINTMENT INTO FIRST U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP
2006: BARRINGER'S STEEPLECHASE LEGACY BEGINS; MEN'S XC WINS SECOND NCAA TITLE IN THREE YEARS
2005: METIVIER WINS INDOOR 3K; SLATTERY TAKES 10K TITLE
2004: BUFFS WIN MEN'S AND WOMEN'S NCAA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
2003: RITZENHEIN RACES TO THE TITLE (FINISH VIDEO)
2002: TORRES CEMENTS LEGACY (VIDEO)
2001: CU MEN CAPTURE FIRST TITLE (VIDEO)
2000: KARA GRGAS-WHEELER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
1999: JAMES DAVIS 1999 4x400-METER RELAY ALL-AMERICAN
1998: ADAM GOUCHER 1998 CROSS COUNTRY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (VIDEO) (5,000) (3,000)
1997: ADAM GOUCHER INDOOR 3,000 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
1996: ALAN CULPEPPER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 5,000/ WOMEN'S BIG EIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
(VIDEO)
Players Mentioned
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Distance
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