Leuenberger almost perfect at Grove City

GROVE CITY -- Andrew Leuenberger unpleasantly recalled the A-minus grade he received last year that has since prevented him from achieving a perfect 4.0 grade-point average at Grove City College.
"In the spring of 2005 I attended a conference on poverty that was course-related and I didn't do as well as I should have on the final. I got an A-minus and that was a blow, but I have been able to overcome it," explained Leuenberger, a distance runner who will be a senior on the Wolverines' track and cross country teams this coming school year from West Middlesex High.
That minor setback for Leuenberger and his adverse reaction to are perfect examples of the high standards he has set for himself and his strong quest for excellence, which has become the hallmark of his academic and running careers at Grove City.
Not only has Leuenberger helped the Wolverines to win five Presidents' Athletic Conference championships in both track and cross country combined, he also owns a 3.99 cumulative grade-point average in molecular biology and has become an academic All-American.
He has been named to the College Division Academic All-American third team for both sports by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and ESPN The Magazine.
And he has received the Naegele Award, which is presented to the junior biology major with the highest academic achievement.
Helped team win titles
Leuenberger placed fourth overall at the PAC Cross Country Championships last season to help the Wolverines win their third straight PAC title. He also was selected to the All-PAC first team.
And in track this spring, he placed third in the 5,000 meters and fifth in the 10,000 this spring to help Grove City win its second straight PAC track crown on April 29.
Leuenberger thrives on setting goals and reaching them. He plans to graduate in the spring of 2007 and then pursue a medical career.
"After [graduation] I am planning to go to medical school [in 2007], and I am in the middle of that [application] process," said Leuenberger. He said he has applied to "a variety of Northeast schools."
Double-duty role
Leuenberger was gratified by his double-duty role that helped the Wolverines win the PAC track title this year.
"At the PAC Championship meet, I ran the 10K and 5K in one meet. It is a lot of work for one guy to do. We have two guys that did it on our team," recalled Leuenberger. "You definitely aren't capable of running your best time in [each] race [when you run both]. It comes down to if you can help the team if you run. That helped us to win."
He said he ran especially well in the 5K (16:42), and that he usually runs the 10K only in PAC championship meets.
"It was not my best time (16:42), but I definitely feel that it was my best 5K race for the season," said Leuenberger, whose best 5K time is 16:32. "Mainly, I emphasize running the 5K."
Best 8K at Penn State
He said he had his best time in the 8K cross country event last season at The Spike Shoe Invitational at Penn State.
"My time was 28:00, which is my best time for the 8K," he said.
Leuenberger is looking forward to a strong senior finish at Grove City.
"I would like to just continue to do well personally and see if I can provide leadership," said Leuenberger, who plans to keep running after college. "I'll definitely run independently but not competing, just training on my own. Running is a sport that you never graduate from. You just keep on doing it."
Family team at Grove City
Leuenberger, the son of James and Pamela Leuenberger, also enjoys being part of a family affair at Grove City. His father is an assistant track coach there while brother Josiah is a junior member of the track and cross country teams.
"[My dad] coaches distance runners. He coaches my brother and I," said Andrew. "[Josiah] has been injured about a year. He actually is the best runner in family but he hasn't been able to compete. He won't come back for cross country but should make a full recovery for spring track."
Andrew also has a younger brother and sister also involved in running. His brother, Sam, is a sophomore at West Middlesex High and his sister, Grace, is a seventh-grader at West Middlesex Middle School. Both are runners.
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