Former Badger runner earns All-American
—Photo by STEVE CONNER<br>Former Badger Forest Braden, earns All-American honors at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships last week.
By HOWIE STALWICK
Special to The Idaho Statesman
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Forest Braden, who can be such a pain to rivals when healthy, overcame various aches and pains to earn All-America honors Friday night at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Braden, a Boise State senior from Bonners Ferry, took home his first All-America medal since 2004 after an endless array of leg, knee and foot problems subsided enough for him to place seventh in the 5,000-meter run.
"I felt like I should be in the top eight," Braden said. "I felt like I'm on the upswing."
Braden, a seven-time state cross country and track champion at Bonners Ferry High School, finished the 5,000 in 13:54.73.
That's about 9 seconds off the BSU record he set in 2004, the year he won All-America honors in indoor track and cross country.
Braden is the first BSU distance runner to win three All-America medals.
Braden said he's still working himself into peak condition after all his injuries, but he's going to run on the European pro track circuit this summer.
Braden completes his Boise State career as the most honored distance runner in the history of the program.
He is the only distance runner to earn three NCAA All-American honors in school history, picking up the other two awards at the 2004 cross country championships and in the 3,000-meter run at the 2004 indoor championships.
Only three other Broncos have earned more than three NCAA All-American awards.
Mark Hoxmeier won four in the discus and shot put from 2000-02, Jake Jacoby won four in the high jump from 1983-85 and Jarred Rome earned six in the discus and shot put from 1997-2000.
A seven-time Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Champion, Braden has also been named the 2004 WAC Indoor Championship Outstanding Performer, the 2006 WAC Cross Country Athlete of the Year, and the 2007 WAC Outdoor High Point Scorer with 28 team points.
His two most recent league titles came at this year's outdoor meet in May when he won the 5,000 and 10,000-meter runs.
He has also earned three first All-WAC awards in cross country during his career.
Braden is also the school record holder in the outdoor 5,000-meter run with a time of 13:45.44 set in 2004, and indoors in the 3,000 and 5,000-meter runs with times of 7:58.08 and 13:47.73, respectively, set in 2006.
Editors Note: A special thanks to the Idaho Statesman for granting permission to publish this article.