Minneapolis/St. Paul - Dec. 11, 2011 - Team USA Minnesota's Jon Grey won the open men's 10 km individual title at the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships in Seattle on Dec. 10.  His time was 29:38 for a 10 second win over the second place finisher.

Also running was Matt Llano who was 18th in a time of 30:18.  Both Grey and Llano joined Team USA Minnesota in September.

The Club Cross Country Championships were held at the Jefferson Park Golf Course on a five-lap course that was both flat and muddy.  Temperatures were in the low 40s with overcast skies.  The race was also a selection race for the Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country International Challenge, which will be contested in Scotland on Jan. 7, 2012.

Grey, a 2011 College of William and Mary graduate who was a three-time All American and 17th at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships, went to the front at the start of the race.  "Initially I planned to sit and kick, but during the race I was just running an even pace and slowly pulled away after 4k," he said.  "So I kept on the hammer until I crossed the finish line.  I was definitely surprised to run away from a field like that.

"I had a pretty rough week of training and going in was not feeling the best but obviously I had planned enough recovery coming off my trip to the USATF Annual Meeting last week.  I thought I could win it from the start because I got out really well and was never lower than fourth place."

Since joining Team USA Minnesota, this fall Grey has competed in the USA 10 Mile Championships where he placed 13th, at the Izumo Ekiden in Japan as a member of the USA University Select Team, and at the Life Time Fitness Turkey Day 5k, which he won.

"Overall, I can not believe I actually won and it shows how well I have progressed in a very short time under Coach (Dennis) Barker," said Grey.  "I am very honored to be able to get my first USA win as a Team USA Minnesota athlete.  I am also extremely excited for Edinburgh.  That was the whole reason I made this trip (to Seattle), and it means so much to me to earn my first USA team trip which will hopefully be the first of many."

About Team USA Minnesota

Team USA Minnesota is based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul.  Formed in 2001, the purpose of the training center is to improve the competitiveness of post-collegiate American distance running and to develop Olympians.  The athletes are coached by Dennis Barker, head cross country and track coach at Augsburg College in Minneapolis.  Team USA Minnesota's major sponsor is Life Time Fitness (www.lifetimefitness.com) and its silver sponsor is Twin Cities In Motion (www.tcmevents.org).  It is also supported by the New York Road Runners and the USA Distance Project.  For more information, visit the team's web site at www.teamusaminnesota.org.

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Contact:

Pat Goodwin

952-924-1081

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