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MIAC Profiles of Excellence: Dan Bucy, Carleton College
Rich Mies, College Sporting News
Dan Bucy
Every day, tens of thousands of Americans deal with reactive hypoglycemia, a condition of abnormal sugar metabolism resulting
in low blood sugar. Many are able to lead perfectly normal lives by monitoring their diet. While dealing with this condition,
Dan Bucy of Carleton College has still been able to become one of the nation's premier distance runners in Division III as
well as thrive in a challenging academic environment.
I need to monitor my eating habits, making sure I don't overdo it on things that raise my blood sugar level, said Dan.
If I'm not careful, the low blood sugar level affects my energy level. It can cause dizziness, fatigue, faintness and blurred
vision.
Dan grew up in Sioux Falls, SD. He is the middle of three siblings. My brother Nick graduated from Carleton, said Dan.
My sister Meghan is a freshman at Montana State, where she's involved in track. They both were runners in high school and
Meghan was also in gymnastics.
Like his siblings, Dan attended Lincoln High where was very active in the band. I played the trombone in the jazz band,
the marching band and the concert band, said Dan. He was also active in the National Honor Society.
It wasn't until his junior year that he got involved in athletics. I had run in middle school but didn't in high school
because I didn't think I'd have time, he stated. My brother ran track and cross country and he talked me into coming out for
track in my junior year.
In track, Dan ran the 800, 1600 and 3200 meter runs and was part of the Lincoln 4 x 800 meter relay team. My junior year
I did OK, but wasn't fast enough to qualify for State in any of my events, he said. The following spring, Dan qualified for
the State in the 1600 and 3200 meter runs. The Lincoln 4 x 800 relay team made State as well, as did the sprint medley relay,
which Dan added to his repertoire. He finished in the middle of the pack in the 1600, and took home All-State honors with
a sixth place finish in the 3200. Both relay teams placed eighth, earning All-State honors as well.
The fall of his senior year, Dan decided to run cross country. He had a spectacular season and was ranked in the top fifteen
runners in the state and qualified for the State Meet. However, the season took a disappointing turn. I wasn't able to finish
the Conference Meet, Dan said. I had to stop because of medical reasons. His blood sugar level had plunged during the race,
leaving him dizzy, disoriented and unable to finish the run. At the State Meet I ran the best 4700 meters of my season and
leading the race, but the race is 5000 meters. I had to drop out before the finish as my reactive hypoglycemia kicked in.
Basically, I ran myself too hard, causing my body to release more glucose that it needed.
The incidents scared off any would-be recruiters, which didn't faze Dan. I had pretty much made up my mind that I was
going to Carleton, he stated. I was very familiar with the school through my brother. I had visited him a few times when he
was here and fell in love with the school and the campus. Carleton had what I wanted academically. It is a small school with
a great academic reputation and a strong Biology program. I applied early her. In fact, Carleton was the only school to which
I applied, although I did briefly consider Colorado College and Macalester. Once I found out I'd been accepted at Carleton,
I stopped looking.
Dan has learned to pay close attention to what he eats and to avoid foods high in carbohydrates. He eats small, frequent
meals and snacks throughout the day and exercises regularly. At Carleton, Dan has run distance races on the indoor and outdoor
track teams as well as running cross country. He has developed into one of the nation's better steeplechase competitors.
In the indoor track season, Dan runs the 3,000 and 5,000 meter runs. I haven't qualified for the National meet thus far,
he said. But that's one of my goals for this winter.
As a freshman, Dan finished 11th in the 5,000 meter run and 13th in the 3,000 meter race. The following year, Dan improved
to third place in the 5K and fourth place in the 3K, earning All-MIAC honors. Last year, he finished second in the 5K, again
taking home All-MIAC honors. I didn't place in the 3K, because I lost a shoe when someone accidentally stepped on it, he said.
In the outdoor season, Dan ran the 5,000 and 10,000 meter runs. As a freshman, Dan took seventh in the 10K but did not
place in the 5K at the MIAC Meet, but did not qualify for the NCAA Meet in either event. His sophomore year, Dan took fifth
place at the MIAC Meet in the 10K, winning All-MIAC honors. He did not compete in the 5K at the MIAC Meet that year. Last
spring, he took second in the 10K and ninth in the 5K, capturing All-MIAC honors again.
In the outdoor season of his sophomore year, Dan decided to try the steeplechase. I had never tried it before, said Dan.
We had two good steeplechasers that year. The coaches thought I'd be good at it, and so I decided to try it. My first race,
I ran one of the best times in the conference. I guess I had a knack for it.
The steeplechase requires the runners to complete 7½ laps of the course. There are five wooden barriers positioned along
the route, 50 yards apart. The last of the barriers has a pond of water right after it. The runners need to clear the barriers,
much like hurdlers. However, the barriers are much more stationery than those used in hurdle events. If you catch your foot
on one of the barriers, you'll probably end up eating track, said Dan. The water hazard adds to the challenge of the race.
It is nearly impossible to clear the pond, so you make the best of it.
Dan broke the Carleton College school record in the steeplechase his sophomore year and then eclipsed his own mark last
spring. He won the steeplechase at the MIAC Meet both his sophomore and junior year to earn All-MIAC honors. He qualified
for the NCAA Division III National Meet both years. His sophomore year, he finished sixth, winning All-American honors. Last
year, he entered the NCAA Meet with the second-fastest time of the year, but finished 12th.
Each Fall, Dan has run cross country for the Knights. His freshman year, Dan placed 18th at the MIAC Meet, taking home
All-MIAC Honorable Mention as Carleton finished second. Dan missed All-Conference honors by five seconds. At the Region Meet,
I was neck and neck with my main rival, Kelly Fulton from St. Olaf, recalled Dan. He beat me by ¼ of a second to get the last
spot to go to Nationals.
His sophomore year, Dan placed fourth at the MIAC Meet, winning All-MIAC honors, helping Carleton to the Conference championship.
At the Regional Meet, Dan was battling a bad cold and finished 21st, and the Knights failed to qualify for the National Meet
as a team. They tied archrival St. Olaf for the final team slot but lost out on a tiebreaker. Dan was named Academic All-America
by the NCAA Division III coaches association.
Dan took fourth place at the MIAC Meet in his junior year as well, repeating as an All-MIAC honoree. Carleton finished
second in the conference At the Central Region meet, Dan finished sixth and Carleton took sixth in the team competition. Dan's
finish earned him a berth at the NCAA National Meet, where he finished 62nd.
This fall, Dan finished third in the MIAC Meet, leading the Knights to a second place finish behind St. Olaf. At the Central
Region Meet, Dan brought home a second place finish, helping Carleton to a second place showing as a team. That gave the Knights
their first berth in the National Meet as a team since 1996. At the Regional, he defeated Fulton by ten seconds. At the Nationals,
Dan placed 12th, the highest individual finish by a Knight since 1991. He helped the team to an eighth place finish, their
best showing as a team since 1981. By finishing in the top 15, Dan was awarded All-America honors.
Bill Terriquez, Dan's coach, has enjoyed the pleasure of having Dan around for the past four seasons, and will miss his
presence next fall. Some athletes lead with their personalities, Dan definitely leads by example, said Terriquez. He's not
a rah-rah sort of person yet he's one of the most respected athletes I have ever had on a squad. He's one of those no nonsense,
get it done type of people, who will be successful in whatever he decides to do. We at Carleton are very fortunate to have
a student athlete like Dan.
In addition to his leadership on the field, Dan has represented men's running on the Carleton Student Athletic Advisory
Committee since his sophomore year. SAAC looks out for the interests of the student-athletes on campus and works to promote
interest, support and attendance at home events and games.
He has worked as a Teachers Assistant in the Biology Department his junior and senior years. For a work study job, I've
helped professors in the Biology Department on various research projects, he said.
Dan is a Biology major with a 3.60 GPA. He will graduate this spring. He has designed a program that puts him on track
to get into a School of Veterinary Medicine. I'm planning to take next year off from school and work, preferably at a veterinary
clinic to gain some practical experience, Dan stated. I plan to go to a Veterinary Med School. My wish list includes UC-Davis,
which has a great program, Colorado State and Minnesota, but there are other schools I'm looking at as well. At this point,
Dan is pretty certain he will be dealing with small animals like dogs and cats rather than large animals like horses and cattle.
I love California, and could see myself living in the Bay area, he said. But it's all a matter of what comes along in terms
of job opportunities.
Carleton has been the right fit for Dan from Day One. It has an incredible academic environment and great athletic programs,
Dan stated. It is located in an incredible town. Its small school environment lets you get to know everybody, even the professors,
on a first name basis. For me, Carleton has been a great place to learn and compete.
[The photos are taken by Sarah Rubenstein and are used courtesy of the Carleton College Sports Information Office.]
* * *
The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) is widely respected as one of the premier conferences in nearly
every sport competed in Division III. Year after year, the MIAC produces teams and individual student-athletes who excel in
their given sport. At the same time, the MIAC schools maintain a reputation of commitment to academic excellence. This article
is one in a series of spotlights on some of the young men and women who represent the league's commitment to excellence, both
in the classroom and athletics during the 2004-05 academic year.
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