Robert Young (second from left), a 2003 graduate of Wayland High School, is assistant coach for the Michigan Technological University cross-country team that will compete Nov. 20 in the NCAA Division II championship finals in St. Leo, Fla.
The Huskies’ fourth-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships in Evansville, Ind., Saturday earned them an at-large bid to the national meet. They were selected as one of 10 at-large teams decided on by committee.
Michigan Tech joins 33 teams selected to participate in the championship. The top three, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of eight regions, for a total of 24 teams.
The Huskies qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second time in program history. Their first appearance on the national stage was in 2019-20 in Sacramento, Calif., where Tech finished 13th. This year’s championships will be held at The Abbey Course, with Saint Leo University and Tampa Bay Sports Commission serving as hosts.
Young qualified for state in three different sports while prepping at Wayland, in cross country three times, swimming three times and track once. He went on to Grand Valley Stae University, where he was All-American in cross country in 2007 and earlier that year finished fourth in the nation the steeplechase.
He and his wife, Sarah, live in Houghton with their 3-year-old son, Corvid.
Congratulations on being the great coach you’ve become.