After a successful cross country running season, ending in a podium finish in the state meet, Joe Klecker, senior captain, signed with the University of Colorado Boulder (CU) for a four-year athletic scholarship.

“Originally I’d been talking to eight or ten [coaches], but then I ruled a couple of them out,” Klecker said. “Eventually I went on an official visit [at CU and the U of M] to meet the team. It came down to deciding between the two.”

The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association ranks CU as the number one NCAA Division I school for boys cross country. Klecker sees this as an opportunity to further his running career after high school.

In addition to the running program, Klecker found CU’s campus attractive due to its location in the Rocky Mountains.

In his high school running career, Klecker has lead the cross country team for the past three years. He placed third in the state meet last Saturday and will lead the section team to Nike Regionals on Nov. 9.

Although he is leading the Hopkins team, Klecker looks forward to the challenge of running for the top collegiate program in the nation.

“It’ll be different going from being the top runner on the team to one of the worst runners,” Klecker said.