Joe Klecker

Photo by: Dan Madden

Photo by: Ben Ennis

Photo by: Dan Madden

Position:
Distance
Height:
6-0
Class:
Graduate Student
Hometown:
Minnetonka, Minn.
High School:
Hopkins

ALL-AMERICAN (9)
2016 All-American Cross Country (28^th)
2017 All-America First Team (Indoor 3,000)
2017 All-America First Team (Outdoor 5,000)
2018 All-American Cross Country (8^th)
2019 All-American First Team (Indoor 3,000)
2019 All-American First Team (Indoor 5,000)
2019 All-American Cross Country (2nd)
2020 All-America (3,000)
2020 All-America (Indoor 5,000)

PAC-12 CHAMPION
2019 Cross Country

ACADEMIC HONORS
Academic All-MPSF (2017)
USTFCCCA Academic (2017)

CU HONORS
CU Record Holder Indoor 5,000
2nd CU History Mile
2nd CU History 3,000
4th CU History Outdoor 5,000
7th CU History 1,500

2019 Male Co-Athlete of the Year
2020 Male Co-Athlete of the Year
2020 Male Career Athlete of the Year

NCAA QUALIFYING (11)
2016 Outdoor 5,000 (Preliminaries)
2016 Cross Country (28th)
2017 3,000 (4th)
2017 Outdoor 5,000 (7th)
2017 Cross Country (67th)
2018 Cross Country (8th)
2019 3,000 (3rd)
2019 Indoor 5,000 (2nd)
2019 Cross Country (2nd)
2020 3,000 (Canceled)
2020 Indoor 5,000 (Canceled)

NCAA SCORING
2017 (I) 3,000-meters, 4th (7:58.90)
2017 (O) 5,000-meters, 7th (14:38.03)
2019 (I) 3,000-meters, 3rd (7:54.34)
2019 (I) 5,000-meters, 2nd (13:42.79)

PAC-12 SCORING
2016 5,000-meters, 6th (13:44.23)
2017 1,500-meters, 8th (3:56.48)
2017 5,000-meters, 2nd (14:01.17)

MPSF SCORING
2017 5,000-meters, 1st (13:56.15)
2019 Mile, 2nd (3:58.51)

2020: Indoor: Kicked off the season by breaking the Colorado soil mile record in 4:01.00 at the Colorado Invitational on a solo effort ... Ran the second-fastest 3,000 in school history with a second-place finish in the Millrose Games ... Won the Husky Classic 5,000 in a school record 13:34.10 ... Was entered in the 5,000 and 3,000 before the NCAA Indoor Championships were canceled.
Outdoor: Canceled (Coronavirus)
2019: Indoor: Competed in various events throughout the season ... Opened the season with the fastest indoor 3,000 in Colorado history at 8:01.68 ... Followed that performance up with a school record in the indoor 5,000 at the Husky Classic ... Placed second at the MPSF Championships in the mile just because he wanted to run sub-4 minute without conversion, which he accomplished ... Was the national runner-up in the 5,000 and third in the 3,000 at the NCAA Championships, the most points scored by a CU male athletes at any track championships.
Outdoor: Klecker competed in the 1,500 at altitude, running 3:45.11 ... Ran 13:35.95 in the 5,000 at Bryan Clay before his season was cut short due to injury.
2018: Indoor: Did not compete.
Outdoor: Klecker competed only in two non-collegiate races during his outdoor season. His first race was at the Portland Track Classic in June where he earned fourth place in the men’s 5,000-meter run for a time of 13:30.09. He also competed in the 5,000 at the USATF Champonships later that month where he finished in ninth place and clocked in at 13:41.65.
2017: Indoor: Klecker had an outstanding indoor season. His 3,000-meter time of 7:51.43 at the Husky Classic was the team indoor best for the 2017 season and was the fourth fastest indoor 3k in school history. He ran the mile in 4:01.72 at the Colorado Open, which earned him a second-place finish and an impressive time at elevation. Klecker earned his first conference title at the MPSF Championships, finishing the 5k in 13:56.15. He went on to compete at the NCAA Championships where he placed fourth in the 3k to earn his first All-America honor in track.
Outdoor: As a sophomore, Klecker competed in the 1,500-meter and 5,000-meter events. His first 5k of the season was a personal best as he ran 13:42.64 at the Cardinal Classic (4/21), which also doubled as the fastest time by a Buff in 2017. The following week, he ran in the 1,500 at the Oregon State High Performance Meet (4/29) and set another PR (3:41.69). At the Pac-12 Championships, Klecker raced both events. He was second in the 5k (14:01.17) and eighth in the 1,500 (3:56.48). Klecker went on compete at the NCAA West Preliminary Round in the 5k, finishing third overall to punch his ticket to NCAAs. At NCAAs, Klecker raced to a seventh place finish to earn All-America honors.
2016: Indoor: Klecker ran a pair of 3,000-meter races for the Buffs as a freshman. His debut in the event, a 7:59.77 performance at the Husky Classic (2/13), was the second fastest time run by a freshman Buff in their debut race. Klecker clocked in at 8:02.33 at the MPSF Championship two weeks later, placing 11^th overall.
Outdoor: Klecker had another great season for the Buffs, competing mainly in the 1,500 and 5,000-meter runs. He ran his 1,500 season best at the Bryan Clay Invite, clocking in at 3:44.55. At the Pac-12 Championships, Klecker raced both the 1,500 and 5,000. He finished the 1,500 preliminary round on Saturday in 3:52.57 (20^th overall). On Sunday, Klecker came back to place sixth in the 5k, finishing with a season best 13:44.23. That time was good enough to qualify him for the NCAA West Preliminary round.

CROSS COUNTRY:
(2019) Captured the individual and team Pac-12 Championships before turning to the national scene ... Was second at the NCAA Championships.
(2018) Led the Buffs to the podium with his second All-American finish. Posted his first Top-10 finish with an eighth-place finish.
(2017) Klecker continued to impress for the Buffs as a sophomore. In the season opener, he was fifth at the Colorado State Invitational, but in the first varsity meet of the season, the Joe Piane Invitational, Klecker led the Buffs with a fourth place finish. Klecker would go on to lead the Buffs in the next three races. He was ninth overall at the NCAA Pre-National Invitational and earned a runner-up finish at the Pac-12 Championships, CU’s best individual finish since joining the league in 2011. In the following race, the NCAA Mountain Region Championships, Klecker became the first Buff since Billy Nelson in 2005 to win the individual crown, crossing the 10k finish in 30:13.6. At the NCAA Championships, Klecker finished 67th as CU’s third scorer.
(2016) Klecker had an outstanding redshirt freshman season, picking up his first All-America and all-region honors. His season started at the CSU Invite where he placed fourth overall. Klecker clocked a second place finish at the Rocky Mountain Shootout, finishing just four seconds behind teammate John Dressel (who was racing unattached). The next race, pre-nationals, saw Klecker placing 24th (CU’s No. 2), before earning a 19th place finish at Pac-12s as the Buffs fifth scorer. With his finish, the Buffs were able to capture their sixth straight conference title. He really excelled when the meets moved from 8k to 10k in the postseason. Klecker led the team at regionals, placing third overall. He ended his season 28th at nationals for his first All-America honor.
(2015) Redshirt. Did not compete.

HIGH SCHOOL: Klecker captured two individual state championships his senior season and led the Royals to a third-place finish as a team at the Class AA state meet en route to earning the Gatorade Minnesota Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Klecker set a state record in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:06.54 and also took first in the 3,200 in 8:57.76. A First Team All-State selection, he earned fourth-place in the mile at the prestigious Adidas Grand Prix, crossing the line in 4:04.13, which ranked as the nation’s No. 5 performance among prep competitors in 2015 at the time of his selection. He was named to the USA Today All-America second team. In the fall of 2014, Klecker placed third at the Minnesota State High School Class AA State Cross Country Championships, finishing the course in 15:26.2. He owns HHS records in the 1,600, 3,200 and 5,000 on the cross country course. Minnesota, Furman, Georgetown and Tulsa all recruited Klecker before he chose CU.

HIGH SCHOOL BESTS: 800-meters: 1:56.44; Mile: 4:04.13; 1,600-meters: 4:06.54; 3,200-meters: 8:50.12.

IN THE CLASSROOM: Klecker is a biochemistry major and an ecology and evolutionary biology minor. He owns a GPA greater than 3.50.

PERSONAL: Joseph Richard Klecker was born on November 16, 1996 in Minneapolis, Minn. He is the son of Barney and Janis Klecker of Minnetonka, Minn. His father owns the U.S. record for the 50 mile ultramarathon (4:51:25) and his mother competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics (marathon) and won two U.S. marathon national championships. Both ran track and cross country in college. Klecker is one of six children. Three of his siblings run at college: Mary at Augsburg, John at Augustana (S.D.), and Sarah at Minnesota. His two other siblings, Elizabeth and James, are in high school.