Daschbach Gives Us A Brief Look At His Senior Season

Aug 30, 2019

Leo Daschbach has been crushing it as a cross country and distance superstar since he threw down the gauntlet and clinched his first state title as a sophomore two years ago at the AIA Cross Country State Championships. Since then, he's taken six more state titles on the track including a state-record performance as an anchor for the Highland Hawks 4x800. Though he hasn't run in a national cross-country championship, he makes it clear that he's ready to perform at the national level and will give it everything he's got. MileSplit has him ranked 13th on their MileSplit50 Individual Countdown, but we could very well see that change in the next few months.

This fall, the 4:03 miler will take visits to the University of Oregon, University of Colorado - Boulder, UCLA, and the University of Washington. Have a look at the programs and what they offer.

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University of Oregon (Eugene, OR)

This one's a no brainer. Oregon's rich history, facilities, and storied training grounds make any runner jealous. He won't get a chance to run at Hayward Field this weekend, but we hope he gets to enjoy a run on Pre's Trail. According to FloTrack's Kevin Sully, the Duck men have "proven themselves in the past track season posting impressive personal bests over 3km and 5km." Among other mid-distance talent like Reed Brown, Cooper Teare, Cole Hocker, and Daschbach would make a great addition to a UO distance squad on the rise.

University of Colorado - Boulder (Boulder, CO)

We've seen talent like Dani Jones, Jenny Simpson, and Joe Klecker thrive in the 1500m and 5,000m under legendaary coach Mark Wetmore. In the shadow of the Flatiron Mountains, CU Boulder is surrounded by endless trails to get lost on a long run. No matter how big the graduating class, the Buffs always have a competitve roster and Daschbach would join other prep talent like Kashon Harrison and Austin Vancil in hopes of growing the program into national contenders once again.

UCLA (Los Angeles, CA)

After not qualifying for NCAAs last year, the Bruin men will look to rally hard for an Nationals bid with a strong senior class. UCLA also produced some solid performances in the 1500m led by Robert Brandt (Sr.) and Chris Morzenti (Jr.), and saw a lot potential from freshman DJ Lawson and Munir Kabarra, who could welcome Daschbach as a core piece to a miler's program. Outside of athletics, UCLA has a beautiful campus reasonably close the beach and several running trails.

University of Washington (Seattle, WA)

Daschbach ran the race of his life at Husky Track and he's apprently taken a real liking to the school. Though Andy Powell had no expectations for his first season as Washington's Head Coach, the Huskies ended the season 6th at the NCAA Championships. "The allure of a city like Seattle and the academic reputation of Washington, combined with the excitement surrounding the coaching change, has helped the school land several top recruits," says Sully.

Summer - Back To School