Men's Cross Country Signs Two
December 18, 2001 | Men's Cross Country
Two athletes have signed national letters of intent to attend the University of Wisconsin, men's cross country coach Jerry Schumacher announced today. Bobby Lockhart from Winchester, Va., and Simon Bairu from Regina, Sasketchewan, will compete with the Badgers starting in the fall of 2002.
'We're very excited about Bobby and Simon joining our team next year,' said Schumacher. 'They are both extremely experienced nationally and internationally in competition and will no doubt make major impacts on the Badger squad for many years to come.'
Lockhart is a 14-time state champion from Handley High School. He won four state AA cross country titles and won three titles in the 1600 and 3200 meters at both the indoor and outdoor state championships. Lockhart recently finished second in the 2001 Footlocker Corss Country National Championships. He also finished 13th as a junior and 16th as a sophomore at the championship. One of the top prep distance runners in the country, Lockhart won the 1600 meters at the 2001 Penn Relays and the 3200 meters at the 2001 Arcadia Invitational.
Bairu recently won the Canadian Junior National Cross Country Championship. He competed in the 2001 World Cross Country Championship for Canada finishing 30th overall, aiding his team to a sixth-place finish. Bairu also competed in the 2000 World Championship. He qualified for the 2001 world meet by finishing second at the 2000 Canadian Junior National Championships. A member of the Regina Harriers Track Club and coached by Wisconsin alum Steve Gersten, Bairu finished first in the 5000 meters and 10,000 meters at the 2001 Canadian Junior National Championships. He also won the 10,000 meters in 2000 and finished fifth in the 5000 meters. Bairu holds numerous provincial records frm 1500 to 10,000 meters.
