ARCATA — If it were a relay race, the handoff from one former Humboldt State track star to another couldn’t have been better.
New Humboldt State track coach and former Lumberjack Scott Pesch announced Tuesday the signing of distance runner Jonathan O’Connell to a National Letter of Intent. O’Connell comes to HSU from a College of the Redwoods’ program led by another ex-Jack standout, head coach Reed Elmore.
“Jonathan is not only an outstanding runner, but he has great character,” Pesch said. “He has big meet experience, and knows when to run fast. I’m excited to have him on our team.”
O’Connell, who finished seventh overall in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the state JC meet while representing the Corsairs, should have an easy transition in coaching styles. At CR, Elmore, a former HSU steeplechase All-American, directed O’Connell’s rapid progress. At HSU, he moves into a program recently taken over by Pesch, who was a national-caliber steeplechase runner during his own career at HSU.
“It’s ironic that both Reed and I attended HSU and both ran the steeplechase,” Pesch said. “We also ran together with the Humboldt Track Club, so we have very similar philosophies for training and coaching. Having Reed coaching at CR gives us a great local connection.”
“It should be a seamless transition for (O’Connell),” Elmore said. “Both of his collegiate coaches were steeplechasers, and he gets to stay here and train in familiar surroundings that are the best place in the world to be if you’re a distance runner.”
This spring’s competition marked a huge breakthrough for O’Connell, who won the Golden Valley Conference championship in the steeplechase. He went on to capture the Northern California JC Championship in the same event, clocked in 9 minutes, 15.92 seconds, an improvement of 18 second over his previous best time.
O’Connell will also be counted on to contribute to the Jacks’ cross country team in the fall. A state qualifier at CR in 2009, The Eureka High graduate is expected to immediately impact HSU’s top-five scoring pack.
““He’s a machine,” Elmore said. “He goes into a race with confidence and he aims high. He wants to be the best at whatever level of competition he’s racing.”
Local running enthusiasts will have the opportunity to catch O’Connell and both coaches’ squads in action on Sept. 11 when the two local colleges co-host the Humboldt Cross Country Festival at College of the Redwoods. Elmore and Pesch will collaborate on what they hope becomes an annual event, featuring high school, JC and four-year college races.
Humboldt State’s track and field program has a long tradition of excellence in the steeplechase, dating back to the 1960’s when the Jacks were directed by legendary coach Jim Hunt. This spring, HSU senior Megan Rolland set and re-set her own school record in the women’s steeplechase, eventually winning her second California Collegiate Athletic Association title in the event and going on to claim All-America honors with a sixth-place finish at the national championships.
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