Ben Saarel

Photo by: Ken Moreland

Height:
6-1
Weight:
null
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Salt Lake City, Utah
High School:
Park City

2015: Saarel only raced twice for the Buffs, but excelled at both meets. He was 21^st overall at the regional meet, earning all-region honors in the process. He earned his third consecutive All-American honor at NCAA with a 31^st place finish.

2014: Saarel had another great season for the Buffs. He started by placing fifth at the Rocky Mountain Shootout and followed that up with a fourth place finish at pre-nationals. Saarel earned All-Pac-12 second team honors with his eighth place performance at the Pac-12 Championships, helping CU win its fourth straight team title. Two weeks later, Saarel helped the Buffs win the NCAA Mountain Region Championship, placing 13^th overall. He also earned his second all-region honor with the finish. At the NCAA Championships, Saarel was the second Buff across the finish, taking seventh overall for his second straight All-America honor as CU won its second straight NCAA Championship.

2013: Saarel had an outstanding true freshman season for the Buffs, earning All-Pac-12 First Team, All-Mountain Region and All-America honors. He raced the Rocky Mountain Shootout unattached and took second to teammate Blake Theroux by just one second (25:35). Saarel’s first race for the Buffs was NCAA Pre-Nationals, and he took ninth overall as CU’s No. 2 scorer. In the following meet, the Pac-12 Championships, he was the fifth runner to cross the finish, CU’s third harrier, and helped the Buffs win their third team championship. Saarel continued to shine and at regionals, he was seventh overall, but he saved the best for last at the NCAA Championships where he took eighth overall and led the Buffs to their fourth NCAA Championship since 2001. Saarel became CU’s first true freshman since Billy Nelson in 2002 to record All-America honors. That year Nelson was 42nd overall.

HIGH SCHOOL: Saarel was named the 2012 Gatorade Utah Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year after winning the Utah State Class 3A Championships in 14:56.7, which was the second fastest time ever run on the course. In doing so he helped the Miners to a fourth-place team finish. Saarel placed second at the Nike Cross Nationals Southwest Regional championship before winning the Foot Locker West Regional. At the Foot Locker Championships, Saarel placed fourth in 15:13, just 14 seconds behind the winner. Saarel earned a top-20 national cross country ranking in 2012. On the track he won the 800 and 1,600 Utah state titles, both in school record time. Saarel recorded a time of 1:51.13 in the 800 and 4:07.95 in the 1,600. Saarel also won the Arcadia Invitational 3,200 (8:45.74) and the Adidas Dream Mile (4:02.72). At the 2013 Simplot Games, he won the 3,200-meters and broke the meet record with a 9:00.62 performance. Saarel won three state championships in 2012 (800, 1,600 and 3,200).

HIGH SCHOOL BESTS: 800-meters: 1:51; Mile: 4:02.72; 1,600-meters: 4:07.95; 3,200-meters: 8:45.74.

IN THE CLASSROOM: Saarel is majoring in engineering physics. He recorded a 4.00 GPA in his first semester at CU and owns an impressive 3.885 GPA. Saarel was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic First Team in 2014 and was tabbed a CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2014.

PERSONAL: Ben Saarel was born on March 8, 1995 in Cleveland, Ohio. He is the son of Doug, a former rower at Princeton, and Tess Saarell of Salt Lake City, Utah. He also has one sister, Emma, who ran at Swarthmore College. Saarel enjoys skiing and has volunteered with the Special Olympics.