c r o s s
c o u n t r y
f e a t u r e :
m a t t
m c c l i n t o c k
Making History
Sophomore first cross country All-American since 1987
By BRANDAN ALFORD
BrandanAlford@
Gmail.com
T
wo years ago, before the All-American honor
this fall, before the Big Ten Freshman-of-theYear award in 2012, before competing against some
of the best international amateurs, Matt McClintock
didn't know if he'd even have the opportunity to
race at the highest collegiate levels.
As a lightly recruited distance runner, McClintock
didn't have many options to run at the major-conference level. One school gave McClintock a chance
to compete.
"I came here because it was really the only opportunity I had to run in the Big Ten," McClintock
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IllustrateD volume 24, issue 3
Tom Campbell
McClintock chose Purdue because it was the only major
conference school that offered him a scholarship.
said of Purdue.
At the time, the Maine native was committing
to a program that had struggled mightily in recent
years, failing to consistently get out of the Big Ten's
basement. He would immediately become the face
of program, expected to lead from his first collegiate competition.
It's been a decision he's grateful to have made.
"I couldn't imagine having a better experience
any more than I have here at Purdue and loving my
teammates as much as I have," McClintock said.
"Over the past two years, I couldn't have found a
f
