Matt Griego '05 runs a lot. He trains a lot. He also wins a lot. Not only is he a member of the so- called "Five Hundred Club," having run well over 500 miles last summer, but he also just happens to have the potential to be one of the best runners in Brandeis history.Last year, Griego won first place in the UAA Cross Country Championship hosted by Emory University in Atlanta with an incredible time of 25:08 on the 8k course. He was the first freshman ever to do so and the first Brandeis student to win since 1988. However, he did even more during that amazing season. Not only would he compete in New Englands, but he amazed yet again in the NCAA Division III qualifier for cross country, finishing 54th in the nation.

In a sport in which the best runners are usually juniors and seniors, Griego has already left his mark. Returning this year, the sophomore still has three seasons ahead of him, and says he plans to set his sights even higher.

"Brandeis has a long tradition of excelling at distance running. With Matt, I think it will continue," Coach Jean Cann said. "He had an injury in the spring, so it'll be great to see what he can accomplish when he's healthy all year."

Griego hails from Blackstone, Mass., a town closer to Providence than to Boston. Even at a young age, he enjoyed running competitively. He was a member of his schools' cross country teams in the eighth, tenth, 11th and 12th grades. Two things were a given at all of Griego's meets: His family was always there cheering him on, and there were always mini-bagels.

He also participated in track and field starting in the eighth grade. Keeping in step with the long stretches required by cross country, he concentrated on the two-mile. By the end of high school at Blackstone-Millville Regional, his personal record was an astounding 9:37.

In general, running just one mile in under five minutes is an accomplishment; running two in the row at the same rate is astounding. As a result he was All-District in track and made it all the way to the All-State meet. Unfortunately, due to heavy rain at the meet, he finished in last place during the final heat. Griego also went All-State in cross country.

"I saw him run twice in high school and was impressed by what I saw," Cann said. "I'm also impressed by how quickly he adapted to the five mile distance. In our first race he was our number one runner."

While cross-country may be his specialty, Griego has also been an important part of the Brandies's spring track team as well, running the five-thousand meters. Despite an injury towards the end of the season, he placed seventh at the UAA track and field championship last April at Emory.

For Griego, "being a student still comes first." He is thinking of majoring in either political science or economics, a decision that was helped by taking Robert Reich's (HS) Wealth and Poverty class last year.

Fully recovered from last spring, he ran trails - 70 miles a week all summer - and acting as a counselor at a running camp.

Griego is revved up for a new cross country season. And, in a sport where there are sometimes running prima donnas who consider themselves the next best thing since running shoes, Griego shows himself to be a team player.

"We have a really good team this year and a shot at making nationals. Last year we were really young, and this year we have a lot more experience," Griego said.

With mental toughness, dedication and practice six times a week, it looks as if that may come to pass. This year, the team itself is comprised of incredible amounts of talent, and it plans on capitalizing on that when the time comes.

In the end Griego only has only one goal for this season. "This year I'm hoping to place in the top 20 in nationals," Griego said. And, hopefully, when he crosses the finish line, Brandeis will see him there.