Jimmy O'Brien

By Gary Petit

ADA — Junior Jimmy O’Brien (Pemberville/Eastwood) continues to rake in the awards as he was named Ohio’s Division III Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year as well as OAC Male Runner of the Year in voting conducted by the Ohio head coaches.

In addition to O’Brien, ONU Cross Country coach Jason Maus was named the Ohio Division III Men’s Coach of the Year along with the OAC Men’s Coaching Staff of the Year.

The Polar Bears (126-30), led by O’Brien’s individual OAC Championship, captured the school’s first OAC Team Championship after missing by a single point last season.

Northern kept the momentum rolling and finished second at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional to qualify for its second straight NCAA Championship appearance.

At Nationals, O’Brien, the reigning indoor and outdoor 800-meter national champion, became the first Polar Bear since Mike Becraft in 1978 to earn All-American honors with a 34th place finish. As a team, the Bears finished 17th in the 32-team field.

“The guys really put a lot of hard work into this season,” said Maus. “After last season, coming so close and being disappointed at Nationals, it was easy to motivate these guys and they really stayed focused throughout the year. Things clicked for them and they just really had an extraordinary season.”

O’Brien also was the first Northern runner to win the OAC Individual Title since Becraft did it back-to-back in 1977 and 1978.

“Jimmy excelled at the right time,” said Maus. “He had a ton of confidence at the end of the season and really ran well. He has had experience in some really big races and he has that little something extra come championship time. That is what is so special about him.”