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.

Going into his senior cross country and track seasons, former Ohio Division I State 3200-meter Champion Abraham Habte had been sidelined for 18 months with a severe back injury. Determined to make his senior year a year to remember, Habte taught himself how to swim and was putting in up to two hours per day in the UT Rec Center pool to rehab. Never giving-up on himself, Habte finished his career as one of the top distance runners in Toledo history.

At the 2003 MAC Cross Country Championships, Habte led the Rockets to their best-ever finish by racing to an amazing 4th place finish and earning All-MAC First Team honors. The men's cross country team had only finished higher than second-to-last at the MAC Championships once and that was in 2002. Habte led the team to an impressive 6th place showing - out of 12 teams - which was the best-ever finish in Toledo history. Habte's fourth-place individual finish is the school-record for the highest-ever finish at the MAC Cross Country Championships by a male.

Habte also holds the highest-ever finish by a male distance runner at the NCAA Regional Cross Country Championships with his 32nd place finish in 2002.

In addition, Habte earned a selection to the 2003 World Cross Country Championships for his native country of Eritrea. Habte's selection to the World Championships was a culmination of years of hard work. At the World Championships, held in Switzerland, Habte helped lead Eritrea to an eighth place team finish, only one place behind the USA.

Habte finished his career No. 2 all-time in Toledo history in both the 5,000-meters (14:26.12) and the 10,000-meters (30:13.56).

"Abe's career ended on an amazing note and he is one of the athletes I am most proud of in my 18 years of coaching at this level," Hadsell said. "He battled through adversity in his personal life, emigrating from Eritrea to the United States at 13 years old, and in his athletic career. In both cases, his determination led him to great heights. His comeback and World Championship experience are one of my top memories of the decade."