Oct. 28, 2004

By Julie Goldberg The Post

Athens, OH (U-WIRE) -- Even though freshman Carime Reinhart is only two months into her collegiate cross country career, she already has four top-10 finishes under her belt and is looking for more during the upcoming championship meets.

Reinhart teamed with Stephanie Knous to win the Bobcat Invitational, recording the fastest mile lap with 5:48. She also finished ninth in the 5K race at the Mel Brodt Invitational.

At the Notre Dame Invitational, she was the first freshman to finish, placing ninth. Reinhart also placed third at the All-Ohio Championships, finishing before every other Mid-American Conference runner. She placed ninth in the 6K open race at Pre-Nationals (22:08). For her efforts, Reinhart, who is from Bascom, Ohio, received her first MAC Runner of the Week award Oct. 12.

"I am so impressed with how I have done this year," she said. "I have done better than I expected."

Assistant coach Mitch Bentley said her training during the summer has paid off this year.

"She is real independently motivated, and she has made an easy transition," he said. "Hopefully, we can keep it going at the improvement rate she has enjoyed the past six months here, if we can."

Coach Clay Calkins said Reinhart has made an easy transition from high school to college running this year.

"She has done a great job," he said. "As far as coaches are concerned, we look at the first year as a building year and for her, she has come in and been an impact performer her first year."

Reinhart started running in seventh grade and continued during high school at Hopewell-Loudon, where she ran four years for the varsity cross country team. Her most memorable run there, she said, was during her senior year.

"It was my last two-mile race in high school, and I ran that race for everything my high school coach did for me during my career there," she said. "It was great."

Reinhart said she came to Ohio because of the speech pathology program, but also for running. Her teammates and coaches have made the atmosphere much better.

Reinhart said she would love to be named MAC Freshman of the Year.

"It's a good goal," she said. "If it doesn't happen, I will still be satisfied because I have really impressed myself with the season I have had."

Calkins said Reinhart has the key components to being a good runner: good work ethic and self-motivation.

"She is very determined, not only as a student-athlete, but as an academic student as well," he said. "Whenever you have an athlete like that, it rubs off on the other athletes. And she is a freshman, but she's a role model for our athletes to follow."

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