Back injury forces All-American Hantau to stop running at LCSC

04-22-08

Lewis-Clark State College senior Calin Hantau, a two-time NAIA All America selection in cross country and the Frontier Conference’s Runner of the Year in 2007, has decided to end his running career at the college because of an injury. 

Hantau had been running track this spring, but a back injury that started in the cross country season continued to plague him and cause him pain, especially running. The only way to heal the injury is for rest. 

“He has been running with a lot of pain this winter and spring,” LCSC coach Mike Collins says.  “As a coach it has been very tough for me to watch him run with that much pain, something most people would not have even realized he was suffering through.  I care about my runners a lot and it was hurting me to watch him like this.” 

Hantau qualified for the NAIA Indoor National Championships, but decided to forego the meet because he felt he wouldn’t be able to run at the level he wanted to in order to be competitive at the meet.  

He was hoping to qualify and run in the steeplechase at the NAIA outdoor meet this spring, but the back injury hampered his efforts. 

Hantau, who is from Sighisoara, Romania, is the most decorated LCSC male runner in the history of the cross country program. He placed 10th at the national meet in 2006, which is the highest finish among any LCSC male or female runner at the national meet. He also placed third in the Region I race that year. In track, he qualified for the 1,500 and 5,000 meter runs for nationals, and this past season, he won the Region I cross country race and was the Region I Runner of the Year, along with the conference honor. He is a two-time NAIA Academic All-American in cross country and is expected to earn the honor again in track this spring.  

Hantau holds the school records in the 6K and 8K for cross country, in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters for outdoor track, and in the mile and 3,000 meters for indoor track.  

Hantau still has one more semester left before he will graduate and has agreed to assist the cross country team in the fall. 

“His experience in racing will undoubtedly help us as we use it with our returners and new runners in the fall,” Collins said. “He has already come in to talk about the summer training that the teams will be doing and to put some input into that as to where he thinks it can be improved. 

“I don’t think he has put running completely out of his mind as he mentioned something about running in our home meet this next fall.  Something tells me that somebody is going to have to run pretty well to beat the two time defending champion of this race.”