|
SDSU runner led cross country to national title in '81
By Ron Hoffman
rhoffman@argusleader.com
PUBLISHED: November 16, 2006
The greatest women's cross country runner in South Dakota State history is no longer a runner.
Kristin (Asp) Schoffman says her body can't handle running anymore. Instead, she walks, does yoga, rides bike, swims and
plays soccer with her 9 1/4-year-old daughter, Bridget.
"(Bridget) enjoys track and soccer. She's a big soccer player," said Schoffman, who lives in Eagan, Minn. "She
also does karate. She has the same competitive spirit that I had. It's fun to watch that in her."
Schoffman's competitive spirit was evident early at SDSU. As a freshman in 1981, she won the North Central Conference
title and finished third at nationals, helping Coach Scott Underwood's Jackrabbits repeat as NCAA Division II champions. SDSU
had a perfect score of 15 at the NCC meet and set a record for low score at nationals (24). Seven of the top 14 runners at
nationals were from SDSU: Vicki Coyle (2), Schoffman; Audrey Stavrum (5), Nancy Gieske (7), Lori Bocklund (9), Cindy Sargent
(12) and Laura Gleason (14). It was the last time an NCC school won that title.
"It was all new and very exciting," said Schoffman, who was a prep standout at Lamberton, Minn. "It was
the first time for me running against schools from all over the country. Cal Poly-SLO were a tough team. They were a team
we knew we had to beat. We had such a great team. We all worked so hard. We all wanted it, so we all had the desire and the
drive to work hard and give it our best shot."
Schoffman was a three-time NCC champ, finishing second as a senior to North Dakota State's Nancy Dietman. Schoffman never
finished worse than eighth all four years at nationals, helping the Jackrabbits to runner-up finishes in 1982 and '84.
"To be honest, after 25 years, all the years kind of blend together. It's hard to remember which year was which.
I do remember one year. Nationals were at St. Cloud. We had a snowstorm, a foot of snow. I remember in the van going from
Brookings to St. Cloud not even knowing if we'd make it. Cal Poly beat us that year. They went to the beach and trained in
the sand. Who would have thought they would have beat us that year, us Minnesota and South Dakota girls."
Besides cross country, Schoffman excelled at track. She was a Division II champ in the 3,000 in 1984 and still holds school
records in the 1,500, 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000.
Schoffman was in the health care field for many years, mostly as a dietitian. Now she and her husband, James, own their
own business and do financial management for real estate investments.
She keeps in contact with many of her teammates. She saw Coyle, Sargent and Carolyn Burnison in August in Sioux Falls.
"It's been eight years since I've been back to Brookings. We keep planning that Black Hills vacation. We hope to
drive through on our way to the Black Hills."
Want to know what happened to past area athletes? Reach Ron Hoffman at 331-2303 or e-mail him at rhoffman@argusleader.com
|
