From Dec. 23 - Jan. 1, Kevin Hadsell, the director of track & field and cross country, shares with utrockets.com his list of the Top-10 cross country and track memories of the last 10 years. Hadsell is in his 12th year as the head men's and women's cross country coach and has guided the women's track team since 2004.

In their final season, the 2003 men's track and field team had an amazing run that closed out the program in style as one of the top men's track and field programs in the country. Loaded with talent, the Rockets were a well-balanced program with one of the top sprint and jumps crews in the country.

Competing in their final appearance at the MAC Championships, the Rockets were led by the 1-2 sprint punch of Xavier Darden and Rhoan Sterling. Darden won the 100-meters with Sterling finishing second in 10.36 and 10.45, respectively. Their roles were reversed in the 200-meters, with Sterling winning in a time of 20.93 and Darden taking second in 21.06. All of those marks were NCAA Regional Qualifying times.

The highlight of the meet came when Darden and Sterling teamed-up with Corwin Collier and Jak Taylor to win the 4x100-meter relay in a school-record time of 39.91. It was one of the fastest-times in the country and only .03 off the all-time MAC Record. Their performance was voted by the league's head coaches as the "Performance of the Meet."

Taylor was also another individual star for the Rockets as he won the 400-meters in 46.47 and was fifth in the 200-meters in 21.47.

The 4x400-meter relay was third in 3:13.22.

Sterling went on to represent Canada at the World Track and Field Championships.

"That men's sprint crew was one of the top men's sprinting crews in MAC history," Hadsell said. "That was an exciting MAC meet to watch and was definitely one of the most memorable moments of the decade. Taylor, Darden and Sterling all went on to become NCAA Division I All-Americans."

Contact: Scott Miles
scott.miles@utoledo.edu