Dominican University of California's Josh Tegler runs for his team and his family

By David Albee, Dominican Sports Information

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - Seniors Keara Teeter, Jonathon Glocknitzer and Josh Tegeler competed in the final cross country meet of their careers for Dominican University of California on Saturday, Oct. 29, in the Pacific West Conference Championships at Estrella Mountain Park in Goodyear, Ariz.

For Teeter and Glocknitzer, it felt like a reward.

For Tegeler, it may have been a relief.

In the two years he has competed in the Penguins’ cross country program that was resurrected in 2010, Tegeler not only has supported his teammates as if they were family, but he has supported his wife and daughter as well. He has been a husband and father and a fellow runner, trying to train for competitions while pursuing a business degree.

“It’s a lot work,” Tegeler said “It’s something I had to deal with.”

Tegeler, 24, has struck a balance, whether it’s going on training runs pushing his two-year-old daughter, Abby, in a jogging stroller or sacrificing practice time to spend quality time with his wife, Tiffany. There are some days where he has risen at 5 a.m. at home in Tiburon to attend practice and not returned until 9 p.m. after his last class of the day

“His family seems quite supportive and his daughter is a cutie pie,” Dominican cross country coach Larry Schwartz said. “I'm so thrilled I was able to entice him back on the team this year as he was originally not going to be able to run because of all his obligations. However, because I allowed him to train mostly on his own, he has been able to compete for the team.  He is well-liked and goes above and beyond when he competes.”

It helps that Tegeler understands the significance of family and how to manage it on the run. His father worked for the US Department of Agriculture so Tegeler lived in five states growing up as the fourth of eight children. In high school in Arkansas, he competed in five sports and also joined the Army ROTC program for three years, the last as Cadet Challenge Leader.

Basically, Tegeler learned as a teenager how to manage his time with such a hectic schedule.

Tegeler was named Most Outstanding Cross Country Runner and Track Athlete of the Year at Valley View High School his senior year when he broke the school record in the mile. After graduating, he attended Arkansas State University before transferring to Saddleback College in Southern California. It was there Tegeler met his future bride. At their wedding, the best man was Tegeler’s identical twin brother, Daniel, and Tiffany’s maid of honor was her identical twin sister, Crystal.

The couple intended to move to Northern California and Dominican offered the path that Tegeler wanted to take with his education. His timing was perfect because Schwartz was looking for cross country runners and Tegeler, who had not competed since high school, was anxious to return to running.

“I wanted to compete at a higher level,” he said.

With a new start-up program in NCAA Division II, the Penguins’ runners stressed improved times over high finishes in the beginning. In his fifth meet, at the Bronco Invitational in Santa Clara, Tegeler clocked a personal best time of 31:49 on an 8-kilometer course, 36 seconds faster than his previous fastest time at that distance.

This year, Tegeler was waffling on whether he wanted to compete. The responsibilities of being a family man were tugging at him, but Schwartz convinced him to return to the team by accommodating his practice schedule.

Tegeler’s splits haven’t been what he had expected and his finishes haven’t been as high as he had hoped, but, given the demands on his time, the fact Tegeler has been able to compete is remarkable.

Yet, no matter how hard he tries or where he places, Tegeler knows the finish line at home is ultimately where he wants and needs to be.

Family always comes first.