From the mile to the 10k, Blankenship finding success

Ben Blankenship holds the school record in the mile, and coaches have always considered him an elite middle-distance runner who also runs cross country.

Now even he doesn’t know what to think.

In what became a mad dash to the finish line, Blankenship took third in the Big Ten Championships on Halloween, finishing within a second of first place.

“Ben really may have put himself in a different level in terms of his cross country at the Big Ten meet,” head coach Steve Plasencia said, calling it the best cross country race of Blankenship’s career.

The finish had other cross country coaches in the conference talking about Blankenship’s versatility, Plasencia said. It also raised the question: What the heck is he?

“I’ve always seen myself as more of a ‘tweener guy who goes in between groups,” Blankenship said. “I guess I haven’t really figured out my event. Maybe it’s the mile; maybe I’m a 10K-er at heart.”

Blankenship, a senior, even joked that he may just try steeplechase this outdoor track season.

While it’s rare for a runner to get to senior year entirely undecided on what specific event best suits his or her abilities, it’s worked so far for Blankenship. The Stillwater-native once advanced to regional action in the five-kilometer and 800-meter run in the same week.

But considering how abruptly he’s arrived in the upper-echelon of cross country runners, it will take a strong showing at Saturday’s NCAA Midwest Region Championships to prove he belongs.

“I hate to be superstitious but it could go away,” Plasencia said. “What he did in Madison [at the Big Ten Championships] should give him confidence going forward.”

Only two teams from each region receive an automatic bid to nationals, and the Midwest region contains No. 1 Oklahoma State and No. 8 Oklahoma.

Barring an upset, the Gophers also have a chance at one of the 15 at-large bids, which go to teams that have beaten other top teams throughout the season. The Gophers have, but also had an ugly 12th place finish at the pre-NCAA meet, missing an opportunity to bolster their resume.

“If we can get in the top two, then we’ve got an answer,” Plasencia said. “If we can’t get in the top two, we’ve got to put ourselves in the best possible position.”

Even if the Gophers didn’t qualify for the NCAA Championships as a team, runners like Blankenship and teammate Mike Torchia would have a chance to advance individually. Plasencia declined comment on Blankenship’s individual chances because he is focused on the team advancing.

And Blankenship and the team are riding high after their showing at Big Tens. Plasencia noted that it was only the first leg of the “cross country triple crown,” and now all that matters is the second.

“When you go from the [Kentucky] Derby to the Preakness,” Plasencia said, “It doesn’t matter anymore what happened at the Derby because the Preakness is the race that you’re about.”