Dobuol Ruon, the 2008 MIAC cross country champion and a two-time cross country all-American at St. Olaf College, is playing soccer this fall instead of running cross country.The Northfield News wrote about Ruon's decision, HERE, in its Wednesday edition.
Ruon (pictured), a senior, played soccer and ran cross country while a student at Northfield High School. As a freshman at St. Olaf, he played soccer before running cross country during his sophomore and junior years.
Ruon, a midfielder on the pitch, has started all three of St. Olaf's matches this season, and has two shots on goal and an assist for the 1-1-1 Oles.
Ruon's return to soccer comes in the context of a distance running career beset by a tenacious lower back problem that often attacks him while racing.
"I just didn't get the job done," St. Olaf men's cross country coach Phil Lundin told DtB, referring to finding a solution for Ruon's back problems. "We just weren't able to resolve it. [Dobuol not running cross county] is a blow to us, but I can understand his decision. If he's happy, then all the better."
The St. Olaf men's cross country team is currently ranked #16 nationally in the NCAA Division III poll and is pegged as the #1 team in the Central Region. It will open its season in earnest next weekend at its home invitational.
"We still have a strong core unit of kids," Lundin emphasized. "and a lot of depth."
Photo courtesy of St. Olaf College.
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