NAU's Futsum Zienasellassie, #2 Returner from 2014 NCAA XC Champs, Will Redshirt This Fall 

Published By Jonathan Gault/letsrun.com September 21, 2015

Edward Cheserek‘s path to an unprecedented three-peat at the NCAA Cross Country Championships just got a little easier. Today Northern Arizona University director of track and field and cross country Eric Heins announced that star runner Futsum Zienasellassie, who finished third behind Cheserek and Eric Jenkins at NCAAs last fall, will sit out the 2015 cross country season as a redshirt along with teammate Nathan Weitz.

“On the team right now we have one fifth-year senior and Nathan and Futsum would be fourth-year seniors,” Heins said. “But when you look at our team, we’d be good this year, we’d be good next year or we could be really good next year [by redshirting Nathan and Futsum in 2015]. Looking at it, it was just kind of a no-brainer. Both those guys are going to be in school for five years and it will be great to have those guys back for the team and also get some young guys some experience this year. And then bring them back next year to go for another top-four finish [at NCAAs].”

The Lumberjacks have finished on the podium at NCAAs each of the past three years but that streak looks set to end in 2015 without Zienasellassie and Weitz (who was 118th in 2014). Heins believes that with those two back in 2016 alongside current sophomore Corey Glines, who was working out with Zienasellassie and fellow All-American Matt McElroy last fall before going down with an injury, NAU will have a formidable squad next year.