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LeDuc finishes 9th at NCAA Div. 3 indoor nationals

NEW LONDON, March 10 – Canton’s Mike LeDuc, a sophomore at Connecticut College in New London, finished ninth at the NCAA Division III indoor track national championship meet in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:40.55.

Mike LeDuc of Connecticut College

LeDuc qualified for the meet by taking second at the ECAC championships in New York with a school-record time of 14:33.17, breaking his own record by five seconds.

“Mike ran an incredible race at the ECAC Championships knowing he had to improve his previous best time and his standing on the National list which at that time was 16th,” Connecticut College coach Jim Butler said. The top 13 times qualify for the national championships.

“Once again, he showed why his teammates and I refer to him as ‘Big Meet Mike’, displaying an amazing kick to place second in the race, and as it would turn out, running a time which would result in his grabbing the 13th and last NCAA national championship qualifying spot,” Butler predicted before the event. “It would not surprise me at all if Mike places in the top eight on Saturday, and earns All-American honors for the second time in his career at Connecticut College.” LeDuc was 12 seconds behind the eighth place runner at the NCAA Division III meet.

Last spring, LeDuc earned All-American honors in the 3,000 meters steeplechase to finish sixth at the NCAA Division III outdoor track and field championships.

Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.

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