Sophomore runner draws raves from Miami coach

Jarrod Eich will be among competitors at Miami Invitational this weekend.

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer 12:41 AM Friday, April 8, 2011

OXFORD — As a seventh-grader Jarrod Eich had planned to play football, but a neighbor convinced him to try cross country instead.

Eich didn’t think he was anything special as a runner. “I was all right,” said the Miami University sophomore. “I just liked the camaraderie, and I had a really good coach.”

It turns out that Eich is something special. He proved it last fall with a strong cross country season and also over the last two weeks in track. He’ll be taking his legs out for another spin this weekend at the Miami Invitational.

Eich will run the 800- and 1,500-meter races in the two-day track and field event, most of which is scheduled for Saturday. He will have lots of company.

“We have 46 men’s and women’s teams and a massive number of athletes, 962, the most we’ve ever had,” Miami coach Warren Mandrell said.

Two weeks ago Eich scored a double victory at the Vanderbilt Black and Gold Invitational, winning the 800 in 1:52.98 and the 1,500 in 3:51.43. Both were meet records.

“He won both of those races in the last 40 yards, just coming from behind and digging,” Mandrell said.

A week later at the University of Cincinnati’s Oliver Nikoloff Open, Eich ran the 5,000 for the first time and finished second in 14:41.63.

“It was just a chance to get a taste of something else,” Eich said.

“It was an exceptional time for a first-time runner,” Mandrell noted, “and he came very close to winning that race.

“Any time a person has pretty good leg speed and good distance capabilities, it increases his potential,” the Miami coach said, “because they can race in a relaxed way and still at a pretty good pace.”

Eich ran track and cross country at Marlington High School in Hartville, a town located in northeast Ohio.

“My sophomore year I didn’t really know much about cross (country), but I had a semi-decent season,” he said.

By Eich’s definition of “semi-decent” was that he qualified for the Division II state meet.

“I passed a guy right at the end (at state) to finish 15th and I didn’t even know that got you on the podium,” he said. “When I found out, that was pretty cool.”

He got well acquainted with that podium. He was the state runner-up as a junior and won the state title as a senior.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.