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 1999-2000, Tuula Laitinen established herself as one of the all-time greatest distance runners in Mid-American Conference history.  The MAC Cross Country Champion and all-time record holder in cross country, Laitinen cruised to a then-MAC record of 16:25.13 in the indoor 5000-meters at the Kent State Golden Flash Gala. In the final IAAF World Rankings, her time was ranked as the 18th-fastest time in the world for the year.

Laitinen was the first-ever Toledo MAC Cross Country Champion and Runner of the Year. She was also the first-ever Rocket to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships after earning an NCAA Great Lakes Regional Runner-Up individual finish to former NCAA Champion Erica Palmer from Wisconsin.

In addition to being the MAC record, her mark in the 5000-meters was also the second-fastest time ever recorded in Finnish history. Laitinen, who returned to Finland due to a family tragedy, is still the No. 3 all-time fastest performer in MAC history and No. 2 all-time in University of Toledo history.

“Tuula had the potential to be one of the top female distance runners in the World," Hadsell said. "She finished 18th at the World Junior Cross Country Championships and still holds the all-time junior Under-20 records in Finland at 5000-meters (16:21) and 10,000-meters (33:49). She was a rare talent that really was the start to all of our great history we now enjoy in women's distance."