Burkstrand, Finan, and Stack Newest Members of Team USA Minnesota

Team USA Minnesota has added three up-and-coming distance runners – Eric Finan, Travis Burkstrand and Dani Stack – to its training group.The athletes, who are recent college graduates, will officially be on board September 1.

Finan is from Ohio and a graduate of the University of Cincinnati.  Burkstrand and Stack are native Minnesotans with Burkstrand running collegiately at the University of Minnesota and Stack at Iowa State University.  Among them they hold eight All-America distinctions in either cross country or track.

“Eric, Travis, and Dani are great additions to our grou, and I’m really looking forward to working with them,” said Dennis Barker, Team USA Minnesota coach.  “Eric already has good range and potential from the mile up through the half marathon, Travis will be a nice complement to our highly-ranked mid-distance women, and Dani has the talent to be a top distance runner.”

At New Richmond High School in Ohio, Finan was a standout prep athlete in cross country and track.  At Cincinnati, the two-time All American set school records in the 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m and was the Big East Cross Country Champion and the Big East 5000m Champion.  In 2011, he was 25th at NCAA Cross and 10th in the 5000m at NCAA Outdoor.  He debuted on the roads at the 2013 USA Half Marathon Championships in Duluth with a time of 1:04:42.  He has a BA in mechanical engineering and an MBA.

Burkstrand is a 2008 graduate of Eastview High School where he was a four-time all-state performer in cross country and track and also lettered in hockey.  At Minnesota, he was a four-time All American, a six-time Big Ten Championship medalist, a six-time Drake Relays Champion, and set four school records.  His specialties were the 800 meters and relay teams including the 4x800m and DMR. He was a two-year member of the U’s cross country team.  He expects to receive his MA in graphic design from the U in 2014.

Stack competed at Loyola Catholic High School in Mankato where she holds the school record in the 800 and 1600 meters, placed fourth in both the 1600m and 3200m at the Class A Minnesota State Track meet, and qualified for the State Cross Country meet three times.  At Iowa State, she was a two-time All American and nine-time All-Big 12 competitor in track and cross country.  She twice competed in the 10,000m at NCAA Outdoor and was a member of two cross country teams that competed at the NCAA Championships.  She has a BA in dietetics and journalism.