ATHENS, Ohio — For Ohio cross country coach Clay Calkins, the questions were clear. The answers, however, were not.

Could a pair of runners not even on the 2003 roster lead the 2004 Bobcat cross country program to one of its best seasons this decade? Could Ohio—not listed in either the men’s or women’s preseason Mid-American Conference poll—compete with the best the conference has to offer?

After two months of competition, those uncertainties have become clear. The answer to Calkins’ questions: yes.

Yes, Jason Linton (Vincent) and Carime Reinhart (Bascom)—not members of the 2003 squad—were able to take their respective teams to new heights.

Linton was the team MVP and co-captain in 2002, but didn’t run a race in 2003. He made it apparent early on in the 2004 season that not only could he bounce back after a one-year hiatus, but he could catapult himself into an elite group of the MAC’s top runners.

“Jason was just a huge asset to our team this year,” Calkins said. “Having him out last year really hurt us and took away from our depth. For him to do as well as he did this season after not even competing last year is just fantastic.”

Beginning Sept. 17 at the Malone Invitational, Linton set off on a streak of six straight top-25 finishes. In that span, he’d collect an individual title at the Ohio Invitational, a MAC Runner-of-the-Week award and a ninth-place finish at the MAC Championships. After the MAC meet, Linton was named to the All-MAC second team. The honor was the first for a member of the Ohio men’s team since five Bobcats earned the accolade in 1996.

Linton’s consistently high finishes put the Bobcats in contention for team titles week in and week out. After kicking off the season with a win at the Bobcat Invitational, Ohio posted back-to-back third-place finishes at the Mel Brodt and Malone Invitationals. At the Mel Brodt, junior Austin Schiele (Hudson) proved the Bobcats were not a one-man show. Schiele ran away from the competition, winning the individual title.

“The combination of having Jason healthy this year and the rest of the team coming back in shape was great for us,” Calkins said. “The depth this year was a lot better than last year. That’s the turnaround. Our guys trained really hard in the off-season and it showed throughout this year.”

The Bobcats then returned home, claiming the top prize at the Ohio Invitational in Athens. In addition to Linton’s individual crown, the Bobcats featured six of the race’s top eight finishers to run away with the team title.

The success didn’t stop there for Ohio, though. At the 59th running of the MAC Championships in late October, Ohio nabbed fourth place, its best finish since 1996.

Of the men’s preseason MAC poll, five of the projected top six teams finished in the top-six at the MAC Championships. Only Ohio, not listed in the preseason poll, crashed the top-six party. As it turned out, yes, it could be done.

“It was great. We really opened a lot of eyes,” Calkins said. “The guys did better than we expected. Anytime your team does that, it’s a great thing to see.”

With eight conference championships in the trophy case, the Ohio women have the strongest resume of any women’s cross country program in the MAC. 2004 became a mission to seek improvement, in hopes of returning a conference crown back to Athens in the near future.

The Bobcat women finished the 2003 MAC Championships in last place and desperately needed a boost in 2004. That boost came in the form not of a veteran, but of a freshman from Bascom, Ohio, Carime Reinhart.

Not only did Reinhart stake her claim as one of the best young runners in the region, she emerged as simply one of the best competitors around, regardless of age.

“I think she even surprised herself,” Calkins said. “Just to see a freshman come in and make a step like that is phenomenal.”

After teaming with Steph Knous in a relay format to claim first at the Bobcat Invitational, Reinhart captured ninth place at the Mel Brodt Invitational. Next up was a trip to the Notre Dame Invite, where the toughest field of Reinhart’s career awaited. She showed her worth at the event, finishing fourth overall and ahead of all other freshman runners.

With her control of the freshman class apparent, Reinhart turned her sights to the MAC. At the All-Ohio Championships, she took home third place, crossing the finish line before any other MAC competitor. That performance earned Reinhart the MAC Runner-of-the-Week award, as she teamed with Linton to complete a Bobcat sweep of the conference awards for the week of Oct. 12.

Reinhart claimed another top-ten finish at the NCAA Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, Ind., then went on to cross the finish line in fifth place, ahead of all other freshman and sophomores in the field at the MAC Championships. Her standing earned Reinhart a spot on the All-MAC first team, a feat that has not been achieved since 1999 in the Ohio program.

“She’s on her way for super-stardom. She has the potential to be a first team All-MAC runner four years in a row,” Calkins said. “Not too many people do that. I don’t want to jinx her, but if she keeps her training going, she can do it.”


Ohio used Reinhart’s slew of top-ten finishes to make significant improvements in just one year. Ohio took tenth at the MAC Championships, three spots better than its 2003 standing. The Bobcats moved up one place at the Ohio Invitational, claiming second place on the strength of a third-place finish from sophomore Andrea Maas (Cincinnati). Ohio made its biggest jump of the season at the All-Ohio championships, finishing 13th—five spots better than 2003.

“The women really did better than we expected and made great improvements. We really think they’re well on their way.”

Calkins is pleased with the way his squads answered the critics’ preseason questions, but he won’t be satisfied until a MAC crown returns to Ohio.

“We want to win,” he said. “Our goal is ultimately to win, but there’s a path to winning and we’re on that road.”