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.

One of the most-improved athletes in Toledo history has to be Ebba Stenback. Over the course of her career, she improved from an 80th-place finish at the MAC Cross Country Championships as a redshirt freshman to finishing third as a senior and being named First Team All-MAC. In addition, she finished 17th at the NCAA Regional Cross Country Championships as a senior, earning NCAA All-Region Team selection.

As much as she improved in cross country, her improvements on the track were even more impressive. In 2006, Stenback established herself as one of the top women distance runners in Toledo and Mid-American Conference history.

During the indoor track season, Stenback ran personal-best times of 9:40.32 for 3000-meters and 16:49.57 for 5000-meters, which rank her No. 3 and No. 4 all-time in Toledo history and in the Top-15 all-time in MAC history. At the MAC Indoor Championships, she was MAC Runner-Up in both the 3000-meters (9:48.49) and 5000-meters (16:49.57). Her 5000-meter time is the sixth-fastest in MAC Indoor Championship meet history.

The outdoor season is where she really came into her own, though. Stenback was the Mid-American Conference Champion in the steeplechase with a time of 10:14.55. She also finished fourth in the 5000-meters at that meet with a time of 16:51.94. Her steeplechase time is the second-fastest time ever run at the MAC Outdoor Championships.

At the NCAA Regional Championships, Stenback won the Mid-East Regional Steeplechase Championship in a time of 10:04.33. She became the third Toledo woman in four years to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the steeplechase. At the NCAA Championships, Stenback advanced to the final by winning her semi-final heat in a time of 10:11.38. She finished eighth in the finals and earned All-American status with a time of 10:08.68. 

In the weeks following her All-American performance, Stenback returned to Sweden and won the Swedish National Championship in the the steeplechase with a World Ranking time of 9:53.12, the second-fastest time in Toledo and Mid-American Conference history. That time also earned her a spot at the European Track and Field Championships, where she finished 14th. She finished the year as the No. 25 ranked woman in the World in the final IAAF points rankings.

“From where Ebba started to where she finished her career is incredible," Hadsell said. "She was on a continual improvement pattern her entire career. She helped continue a tradition of great steeplers at Toledo that is one of the top traditions in the country. She was a huge part of that.”