Biography

“Athletes like Dathan Ritzenheim are among the success stories produced in high school athletics today,” NHSCA executive director Bob Ferraro said. “He has worked extremely hard to develop his skills and has become one of the best runners not only in the state of Michigan, but the entire nation, and we are proud to be honoring him.”

A two-time Class A state champion, Ritzenheim, who will attend the University of Colorado, has not lost a race in the United States in his age group the past two years. He is a two-time champion in the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships. In the prestigious Penn Relays this spring, Ritzenheim finished second in the Olympic Development 5-kilometer race when he ran a time of 13:51.69, the second-fastest time ever by a high school athlete.

The only prep athlete to better that time, Gerry Lindgren, ran the event in 13:44 in 1964. Ritzenheim won a bronze medal in the World Junior Championships in Belgium this spring.

Records

Ran the second-fastest time ever by a high school athlete in the 5K

Professional Achievements

2x Olympic Team Member (2008, 2012)

3X National Cross County Champion

2003 NCAA Cross Country Champion

2004 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Runner Up

Personal Honors

Attended University of Colorado at Bolder