Parker Stinson, Biya Simbassa, Katy Moen And Megan Goethals Join Team USA Minnesota

Minneapolis/St. Paul – Aug. 11, 2015 – Four up-and-coming and highly decorated collegiate distance runners have joined Team USA Minnesota, bringing the number of athletes to 11 in the long-time training group that is based in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  The recent graduates include Parker Stinson from the University of Oregon, Biya Simbassa of the University of Oklahoma, Katy Moen from Iowa State University, and Megan Goethalsout of the University of Washington.

“This is a real exciting group of young runners to bring in,” said Team USA Minnesota coach Dennis Barker.  “They have all shown the ability to compete successfully at a high level and they all competed for great collegiate programs under outstanding coaches.  They know what it’s like to win and be a part of winning programs and that’s the kind of talent and attitude we were looking for.”

Stinson, whose prep career was in Texas, was a nine-time All American at Oregon, where he was a member of three NCAA Championship teams.  He has personal best times of 13:28 in the 5000m and 27:54 in the 10,000m and was the first person to ever win three USA Junior Track & Field Championships at 10,000m, having won twice in high school and again during his freshman year with the Ducks.  While finishing his final year in college, Stinson placed sixth at the .US 12k Championships last November in a time of 34:19.

Simbassa, originally from Ethiopia who came to Houston in 2007 at age 13 and became an American citizen, is a 2015 Sooners graduate where he ran times of 3:46 in the 1500m, 14:01 in the 5000m and 28:42 in the 10,000m.  In the Big 12, he finished third at the Indoor 3000m and 5000m, fifth at the Outdoor 10,000m and second at the Big 12 Cross Country Championships.  The All-American’s best time in 8k cross country was 23:22.

Iowa native Moen, who competed at Iowa State, is a two-time All American who won two Big 12 Championships (5000m and 10,000m) and was a USATFCCCA Midwest Women’s Regional Track Athlete of the Year.  In the fall of her final year, she helped lead the Cyclones to a runner-up team finish at the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships while placing eighth overall.  She has bests of 9:08 in the 3000m, 15:52 in the 5000m and 33:09 in the 10,000m.

Goethals, who was the 2009 Foot Locker Cross Country Champion out of Michigan, was a nine-time All American at the University of Washington, where she posted personal best times of 9:08 in the 3000m, 15:33 in the 5000m and 32:52 in the 10,000m.  She was also a Pac-12 5000m champion and after graduation won the 2015 Disney World Half Marathon and the Gasparilla Distance Classic 15k.

The new athletes join a team that includes three national champions –Heather Kampf, three-time USA 1 Mile Road (2012, 2014 and 2015);Gabriele Grunewald, USA Indoor 3000m in 2014; and Meghan Peyton, who was the 2013 USA 20k champion.  Additional athletes are Jon Peterson, who has posted 13:33 in the 5000m; Josh Dedering, who has a best of 1:03:31 in the half marathon and is an Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier; Emily Gordon, who has run 2:39 in the marathon and is an Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier; and Gina Valgoi, who has bests of 15:54in the 5000m and 33:07 in the 10,000m.

Team USA Minnesota is based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul.  Founded in 2001, the purpose of the training center is to improve the competitiveness of post-collegiate American distance running and to develop Olympians.  The athletes are coached by Dennis Barker.

Team USA Minnesota’s major sponsor is Twin Cities In Motion (www.tcmevents.org).  Its silver sponsors are the Houston Marathon Foundation (www.houstonmarathonfoundation.com), the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon (www.pittsburghmarathon.com), Twin Cities Orthopedics (www.TCOmn.com), and the Zero Runner (www.zerorunner.com).  It is also the recipient of the Running USA 2015 Allan Steinfeld Development Award.  For more information, visit the team’s web site atwww.teamusaminnesota.org.