USA Distance Project
The Athletes

Talented athletes participate in each of the USA Distance Project camps. Team Running USA and Team USA Minnesota's athletes and have submitted their journal entries. Check back soon for bios and entries from these athletes.

Meghan Armstrong

Team USA Minnesota
Armstrong, 23, went to high school in Tualatin, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, and competed in track and cross country at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. The four-time All American was the 2008 Big Ten Champion in both the indoor 3000 meters and the outdoor 10,000 meters. She also holds the Iowa school record in the 1500 meters of 4:17.41 and was a two-time All-American in the mile with a best of 4:40.59. Additional collegiate achievements include a best of 33:28.00 in the 10,000 meters and a sixth-place finish in the 10,000 meters at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. After graduating in the spring of 2008, Armstrong was selected to be a member of the NACAC Track & Field Under-23 Team which competed in Mexico. At NACAC, she finished first in the 10,000. Armstrong joined Team USA Minnesota in September 2008. Read Meghan Armstrong's journal entries here.

Emily Brown

Team USA Minnesota
A four-time All-American at the University of Minnesota, Brown, 24, joined Team USA Minnesota in the summer of 2007. She is the school record holder in the 3000 meters indoor (9:27.33) and 3000m steeplechase (9:56.62). Since turning professional, Brown set a personal best indoors of 9:10.60 in the 3000 meters (previous was 9:27.33), and a best of 4:32.58 in the mile (previous was 4:44.14). She also placed third at the USA Cross Country 8K Championships to earn a spot on the U.S. World Cross team. At World Cross Country, Emily was 18th overall and the first American across the line for the fourth place U.S. Women's team. Running in her first steeplechase of the year at the Drake Relays on April 26, she posted the Olympic "A" qualifying standard and personal best time of 9:45.38 to win the event. At the Cardinal Invitational on May 4, Brown won the women's 5000 meters in a best of 15:19.57 (previous best was 16:28.24). She competed in the 5000 at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Read Emily Brown's journal entries here.

Emily Brown

Team USA Minnesota
A four-time All-American at the University of Minnesota, Brown, 24, joined Team USA Minnesota in the summer of 2007. She is the school record holder in the 3000 meters indoor (9:27.33) and 3000m steeplechase (9:56.62). Since turning professional, Brown set a personal best indoors of 9:10.60 in the 3000 meters (previous was 9:27.33), and a best of 4:32.58 in the mile (previous was 4:44.14). She also placed third at the USA Cross Country 8K Championships to earn a spot on the U.S. World Cross team. At World Cross Country, Emily was 18th overall and the first American across the line for the fourth place U.S. Women's team. Running in her first steeplechase of the year at the Drake Relays on April 26, she posted the Olympic "A" qualifying standard and personal best time of 9:45.38 to win the event. At the Cardinal Invitational on May 4, Brown won the women's 5000 meters in a best of 15:19.57 (previous best was 16:28.24). She competed in the 5000 at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Read Emily Brown's journal entries here.

Missy Buttry Rock

Team USA Minnesota
Buttry Rock, 26, is from Shenandoah, in the southwest corner of Iowa, and ran collegiately at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. At Division III Wartburg as Missy Buttry won 14 NCAA championships, including six 1500 meters (indoor and outdoor), three 5000 meters, three cross-country titles and two distance medley events, where she ran the anchor mile. While still in college, she placed fourth and then third at the 2004 and 2005 USA Cross Country Championships and was a member of the U.S. World Cross Country 4K team both years. Also in 2004, she qualified for the U.S. Olympic Track Trials in the 5000 meters and placed eighth. She concluded her collegiate eligibility in 2005. A series of injuries has kept her from competing since 2006. Buttry Rock joined Team USA Minnesota in November 2008. time of 44:12.

Ian Dobson

Team Running USA
A 2005 graduate of Stanford University, Dobson, 26, won the NCAA indoor 5000-meter title that year. He was the runner-up at the 2005 USA Track & Field Championships 5000 meters and represented the United States in that event at the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki. In 2006, Dobson exceled at a variety of distances—he won the Manchester Road Race (4.748 miles) in 21:39 and won the Big Sur Half Marathon in 62:32. Dobson’s latest accomplishment was competing in the 5000 meters at the 2008 Olympics. Read Ian Dobson's journal entries here.

Joe Driscoll

Joe Driscoll, 29, resident athlete at ZAP Fitness for five full years, continues to train as a ZAP satellite team member in Portland, OR. In his five years at ZAP, the University of Portland graduate has improved significantly at every distance from 5000 meters to the marathon. Driscoll qualified for USATF Outdoor Championships in the 10,000 meters in '05 and '06 and was top 10 at the USATF Cross Country Championships (12K) in '05. he also qualified for the World Road Championship Team 20K as a result of his 59:54 20K at New Haven. Driscoll had the finest year of his career in 2007 / 2008 running the Olympic Marathon Trials in NY (2:18) and following that up with his best track campaign to date - PRing to win the Oregon Relays 5000 meters (13:48.11) and a 10,000 meters PR at the Cardinal Invitational (28:29.96). Look for Driscoll to take a low key fall '08 and return to action on the track in 2009 spring. ZAP Fitness
Read Joe Driscoll’s journal entries here.

Matt Gabrielson

Team USA Minnesota
A four-time state champion in Iowa, Gabrielson, 29, won five Missouri Valley Conference titles while at Drake University. He joined Team USA Minnesota in 2001.  He was third at the 2003 USA 10K Championships, and third at the 2004 USA 5K Championships. He finished as the runner—up at the 2005 USA Half-Marathon Championships in his debut at the distance, and went on to qualify for his first IAAF World Cross Country Championships one month later. Gabrielson finished sixth in the 12K at the USA Cross Country Championships in 2006 and again competed for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He ran his debut marathon in 2006, at the ING New York City Marathon, finishing in 20th overall with a time of 2:19:53. In 2007, he finished 12th at the USA Cross Country Championships, again earning a spot on the U.S. world team. Gabrielson has an Olympic Trials qualifier in the 5000 meters of 13:30.68. For 2008, he was ninth at the USA Half-Marathon Championships, 10th at the 15k Championships, and 8th at the USA Olympic Trials in the 5000 meters. At the USA Marathon Championship, Gabrielson placed second and earned a spot on the 2009 U.S. marathon team that will compete at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Berlin in August 2009. Read Matt Gabrielson's journal entries here.

Allison Grace

ZAP Fitness
Allison Grace, 27, comes to ZAP having performed extremely well her last two years at the University of Kentucky in distances from 1500 meters to 5K. Grace ran her first ever track 10,000m race in November of 2007 and came away with an Olympic Trials Qualifying time of 33:29.3. She followed that up by qualifying for her first ever USATF National Championship indoor (3,000m) in the winter and was selected to her first US Team (Yokohama Ekiden) in February as well. Grace's spring was equally impressive as she knocked another 12 seconds off her 10,000 meters PR at the Border Duel (33:17.1) which qualified her for the 2008 Olympic Trials - her first (17th place). Grace finished her 2008 by winning the USATF-NC 5K Road Championships. In the spring of 2009, Grace will be emphasizing 1500 meter/5000 meter races before the 2009 USATF Nationals in the 10,000 meters. Read Allison Grace’s journal entries here.

Ryan Hall

Team Running USA
One of the nation's most promising distance runners since his high school days in California, Hall, now 26, won the 2005 NCAA 5000-meter title in his final race for Stanford University. He represented the United States at the 2005 IAAF World Championships in the 5000 meters, and won his first U.S. title at the USA Cross Country Championships in New York City in February 2006. In 2007, Hall won the USA Half-Marathon Championships, breaking the American record in a time of 59:43. At the Flora London Marathon, Hall ran a time of 2:08:24, the fastest debut time by an American-born runner. At the USA Olympic Team Trials – men’s marathon in November of 2007, on a slow and very difficult course, Hall broke the Olympic Trials record with his winning time of 2:09:02. In the spring of 2008, Hall placed fifth at the Flora London Marathon, with a PR of 2:06:17. At the 2008 Olympics, Hall placed 10th in the marathon. Read Ryan Hall's journal entries here.

Sara Hall

Team Running USA
Since 2006, Sara Hall, 26, has been concentrating on the mile. In 2008, Hall was an Olympic Trials finalist in the 1500 meters. Also in 2008, Hall nearly won the women’s mile at the Millrose Games; she placed second with a time of 4:36:11, 8/100ths of a second of from Kar Goucher’s winning time. She was second at the New Balance Games in 2007 in 4:32.68. She was fifth in the 1500 meters at the outdoor 2007 USA Track & Field Championships in 4:08.99. In 2006, Hall won the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile as well as the USA 5K road championships. A two-time PAC-10 Conference cross country champion, Hall was a three-time NCAA Championships runner-up in the 5000 meters. She led her Stanford University team to the NCAA title with her third-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2003. As a high school student, the former Sara Bei was the first Californian ever to win four state cross country championships before capturing the 2000 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships national title to close out her prep career. Read Sara Hall's journal entries here.

Mike Hanlon

Team USA Minnesota
Hanlon, 24, went to Huron High School in Ann Arbor where he was a member of the track and cross country team. He had bests of 4:23 in the 1600 and 9:13 in the 3200. In college at Colgate University, he was a three-time Patriot League champion on the track, a three-time Patriot League top five in cross country, and an NCAA individual qualifier in cross country and in track at 5000. His college bests include 3:48 in the 1500, 4:07 in the mile (indoor), 8:04 in the 3000, 13:55 in the 5000 and 29:46 in the 10,000. Since graduating in 2007, Mike has run 23:26 at the USA 8K Championships for a 14th place finish. Mike joined Team USA Minnesota in September 2008. Read Mike Hanlon’s journal entries here.

Deena Kastor

Team Running USA
One of the greatest American distance runners ever, Kastor, 35, holds USA records at 10,000 meters, 5K, 8K, 15K, 20K, half-marathon, and marathon, and has earned two individual medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. The 2004 Olympic Games bronze medalist in the marathon, Kastor broke her own American Record at the 2006 Flora London Marathon, becoming only the eighth woman in history to crack the 2:20 barrier. London was the second major marathon victory in her career; she also won the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in 2005. In 2008, Kastor was the national 15K and marathon champion and competed in the Olympic marathon. Read Deena Kastor's journal entries here.

Jason Lehmkuhle

Team USA Minnesota
An All-American at 5000 and 10,000 meters while at Drake University, Lehmkuhle, 31, had an outstanding 2005 season, representing the United States at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, IAAF World Championships Marathon, and IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships. In 2007, Lehmkuhle finished in the top five at the USA Half-Marathon Championships, the USA 15K Championships, the USA 10K Championships, the USA 20K Championships, and the USA 10 Mile Championships. To top off 2007, he finished fifth in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials- Men's Marathon in New York City with a PR of 2:12:54, on what was considered to be a very difficult course. In his first race of 2008, Lehmkuhle finished second at the USA Half-Marathon Championships in a PR time of 1:02:32. Lehmkuhle is one of the original members of Team USA Minnesota, joining in 2001 Read Jason Lehmkuhle's journal entries here.

Michelle Lilienthal

Team USA Minnesota
Lilienthal, 26, is from Iowa City where she was a seven time state champion in track and cross country for Iowa City High School and was a sixth place finisher at the Foot Locker Cross Country championships in 1999. In 2000, she set the Iowa high school 3000 meter record of 9:47.53. At the University of Wisconsin, she earned All-Big Ten honors and recorded personal bests of 9:35 in the 3000, 16:47 in the 5000, and 35:53 in the 10,000. She graduated in 2005 with a double major in communications and Spanish and moved to Philadelphia to attend graduate school at Drexel University, where she majored in higher education administration. She also worked full-time as an assistant in Drexel’s sports information department. Lilienthal made her marathon debut in 2005 when she finished third in the Philadelphia Marathon in 2:49:22. At her second marathon, she finished 16th overall and was the second U.S. finisher at Boston in 2006 with a time of 2:40:23. At Twin Cities in the fall of 2006, which was also the site of the USA Marathon Championships, she posted 2:35:51 for a fourth place finish and an “A” qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. So far in 2007, she ran a personal best of 1:12:46 at the USA Half Marathon Championships for third place, and was third in a time of 1:29:53 at the USA 25K Championships. She competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Women's Marathon Trials. She joined Team USA Minnesota in August of 2007. Read Michelle Lilienthal's journal entries here.

Julia Lucas

Team Running USA
Julia Lucas, 24, showed promise as a collegiate runner for North Carolina State. She placed fourth at the 2007 NCAA 5000-meter Championship and fifth at the 2006 NCAA Cross Country Championships. In her first national championships race as a Team Running USA member, Lucas placed ninth in the USA Cross Country Championships with a time of 27:13. In 2008, Lucas was a U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier in the 5K. Read Julia's entries here.

Chris Lundstrom

Team USA Minnesota
Holding a marathon personal best of 2:17:34, Lundstrom, 33, was third at the 2001 USA Marathon Championships, and qualified for his second Olympic Trials with his 16th place performance at the BAA Boston Marathon in April 2006. He also was fourth at the 2006 USA Marathon Championships. In 2007, Chris posted 1:05:33 at the USA Half Marathon Championships in February, was 13th at the USA 15K Championships in March, and posted a personal best of 23:37 at the USA 8K Championships. Chris ran the 2007 Boston Marathon and was selected as a member of the U.S. marathon team for the 2007 Pan American Games. He also competed in the U.S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trials. Read Chris Lundstrom's journal entries here.

Katie McGregor

Team USA Minnesota
McGregor, 31, won three NCAA titles at the University of Michigan, and joined Team USA Minnesota shortly after its formation in 2001. She won the USA 10,000-meter and 10K titles in 2005, the former qualifying her for the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, where she finished 14th. In 2006, she was the 10K road champion, and ran her debut marathon at the ING New York CIty Marathon, with a time of 2:32:36 to place ninth. In 2007, McGregor was the national champion in the USA 25K Road Championships, was third in the 10,000 meters at the national championships, and was second in the 10K Chamionships. She has a best in the 10,000 meters of 31:21.20 and was a member of the 2007 U.S. World track team. She also qualified for her sixth consecutive U.S. World Cross team with a fourth- place finish at the 2008 USA Cross Country Championships. On March 8, she was runner-up in the USA 15K Championships. . At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, she placed fourth in the 10,000 meters. In the fall, she was second in the USA 8K Championships and second in the USA 10 Mile Championships. Read Katie McGregor's journal entries here.

Mike McKeeman

Team Running USA
A native of Pennsylvania, McKeeman is Deena Kastor's daily training partner, and helped pace her to her 2:19:36 American Record clocking at the 2006 Flora London Marathon. Read Mike McKeeman's journal entries here.

Jessica Minty

ZAP Fitness
Minty is a native of Concord, MA, and brings an excellent resume to team ZAP Elite. Minty is a 2006 Colby College graduate where she excelled in events from the 800 meters to the 10,000 meters. As a post collegian this past year Minty ran 9:17 for 3000 meters which placed her seventh at the USATF Indoor National Championships, and she was seventh at the USATF Club Cross Country Championships. Minty has also run 4:24 for 1500 meters and 16:27 for 5000 meters. Read Jessica Minty's journal entries here.

Josh Moen

Team USA Minnesota
Moen, 26, grew up in Northeast Iowa and is a graduate of Wartburg College, where he was a 10-time NCAA Div. III All-American, and five-time national champion. Since graduating in 2005, he has been a three-time member of the U.S. Chiba Ekiden team, posted a best of 28:31 in the 10,000 meters (2008) and placed fourth in the 2008 and 2005 USA 10K Road Championships. He has raced distances from the 5K up through the half-marathon, posting a half-marathon time of 1:04:37 in 2007. Moen made his marathon debut at the 2008 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, where he finished in 15th place with a time of 2:23:16. Moen joined Team USA Minnesota in August 2008. Read Josh Moen's journal entries here.

Thomas Morgan

ZAP Fitness
Thomas Morgan, 27, has been with ZAP since 2006. His first year at ZAP (2006) was truly exceptional. In addition to some strong road racing (seventh at US 10K Championships), Morgan lowered his 1500-meter best twice to 3:40.5, his 3000-meter best twice and his 5000-meters as well. Morgan continued improving in 2007, running a mile PR of 4:00.6, a 3000-meter PR of 7:54.4 and a 5000-meter PR of 13:36.9. 2008 was Morgan's finest - he won his first international title, the NACAC (North American) cross country title in Orlando, and ran 13:27.45 for 5000 meters as well - knocking almost 10 seconds off his 13:36.9 PR from '07. Look for Morgan to begin his drive toward London 2012 with more international racing in 2009 and a crack at the 10,000 meters on the track as well. Morgan was an All-American while at the University of Kentucky and ran the ‘04 Olympic Trials in the 5000 meters. Read Thomas Morgan’s journal entry here.

Kristen Nicolini Lehmkuhle

Team USA Minnesota
A high school standout in Maryland, Nicolini won two national titles as a prep, and captured the USA Junior Championships 1500-meter title in 1995. After an All-American career at Villanova, she joined Team USA Minnesota in 2001. Nicolini Lehmkuhle, 31, sat out 2005 with an injury, but returned to set a 5000-meter personal best in her first 5000 of the 2006 season. Taking the rest of the 2006 season to focus on rehabilitating her injuries, Kristen returned to running in the summer of 2007 and defended her title at the Cow Harbor 10K in September 2007. In October, she won the TC 10 Mile. In 2008, Kristen ran her first half marathon and placed fifth at the USA Half Marathon Championships in January with a time of 1:12:58. Read Kristen Nicolini Lehmkuhle's journal entries here.

David Nightingale

ZAP Fitness
Nightingale, 23, a Princeton University Graduate, brings both speed and strength to the ZAP Fitness team. An All American in both track (mile/5000 meters) and cross country, the Connecticut native has run 7:59 for 3000 meters as well as 13:49 for the 5000 meters. He joined ZAP Fitness in August of 2008. Read David Nightingale's journal entries here.

Kate O'Neill

Team Running USA
Kate O’Neill, 28, debuted in the marathon at the 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, placing third overall and running an "A" standard qualifying time for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Women's Marathon. O'Neill then won the 2008 USA Half- Marathon title in Houston, posting a time of 1:11:57. A 2004 Olympian in the 10,000 meters, O'Neill was a seven-time NCAA All American for the Yale University Bulldogs, including a runner-up finish in the 2002 NCAA Cross Country Championships. O'Neill and her identical twin sister, Laura, became the first two Ivy League athletes to ever run under 16 minutes for 5000 meters, as well as the only ones to run under 33 minutes for 10,000 meters. Read Kate O'Neill's journal entries here.

Jen Rhines

Team Running USA

A two-time Olympian, Rhines, 34, won five NCAA titles at Villanova University. Rhines enjoyed a fine season in 2005, with top-two finishes in the BAA Half-Mara m thon, the USA Track & Field Championships 10,000 meters, the USA 8K Championships, the USA 15K Championships, and the USA Cross Country Championships. Rhines finished fourth in the Rome Marathon in a personal best 2:29:32. In 2006, Rhines decided to return her focus on the 5K and 10K. IN 2006, she ran a PR time in the 5000 meters, a 14:55.18 in Brussels, and in 2007, she was runner-up in the 5000 meters at the USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Rhines was a 2008 Olympian in the 5000 meters (a PR time of 14:54:29) and was the fastest U.S. athlete at 3000 meters and 5000 meters in 2008. She also made the U.S. World Indoor team in the 3000 meters. Read Jen Rhines's journal entries here.

Sara Slattery

Team Running USA

Sara Slattery, 27, was a U.S. Olympic Trials 5000 meters and 10, 000 meters finalist. She was the national champion in the 8K. Slattery was the 2007 Pan Am Games 10,000 meter champion (32:54.41, event record). She was the 2006 Bolder Boulder 10K champion (led the USA to team title) and was the 2005 NCAA 10,000 meters and 2003 NCAA 3000 meters indoor champion and 10-time All-American at Colorado. She is married to Steve Slattery; maiden name Gorton. Read Sara Slattery’s journal entries here.

Steve Slattery

Team Running USA
Steve Slattery, 28, was a 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials finalist in the steeplechase. In 2007, Slattery posted the two fastest 3000-meter steeplechase times by an American, with the highlight coming from his career best performance at the Brussels Grand Prix, where he stopped the clocks at eight minutes, 15.69 seconds. A graduate of the University of Colorado, Slattery was a four-time All American. Read Steve Slattery’s journal entries here.

Frank Tinney

ZAP Fitness
An Ann Arbor, MI native, Tinney, 23, was a five-time All Ivy League Performer for the Princeton Tigers. Tinney has run 13:55 for 5000 meters on the track as well as 23:47 for 8K cross country and helped lead Princeton to the 2006 and 2007 Ivy League Cross Country Titles. Tinney will be focusing on events ranging from 3000 meters to the 10,000 meters. Tinney joined ZAP Fitness in September of 2008. Read Frank Tinney’s journal entries here.

Carrie Tollefson

Team USA Minnesota
A five-time NCAA champion at Villanova University, Minnesota native Tollefson, now 32, won the 2004 Olympic Team Trials in the 1500 meters, qualifying for her first Olympic Team. She won the 2006 USA Cross Country Championships 4K and USA Indoor Track & Field Championships 3000 meters on successive weekends. In Moscow at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Track & Field Championships, she placed seventh in the 3000 meters. In the 2006 World Cross Country Championships, she placed 34th in the 4K race. In Europe in July of 2006, Carrie ran a PR time of 8:44.63 in the 3000. At the 2006 USA 5K Road Championships, she placed third. In 2007, Carrie Tollefson was part of the U.S. Women's Yokohama Ekiden team that placed second. She sat the rest of 2007 out, rehabilitating injuries. In 2008, she qualified for the USA Olympic Trials in the 1500 meters. Tollefson is an original member of Team USA Minnesota joining in 2001 Read Carrie Tollefson's journal entries here.

Antonio Vega

Team USA Minnesota
At the University of Minnesota, Antonio, now 24, was an All-American in cross country and competed in three NCAA Cross Country Championships. He was also a four-time All-Midwest Region harrier and was the Midwest Regional cross country champion in 2005. In 2006, he was named the Midwest Runner of the Year. In track, he made his mark in the 10,000 meters in his senior year to run 29:04.13, which ranks him eighth on the Minnesota top-10 list in the 10,000. He was fifth in the distance at the Big Ten Championships in 2007 and third in 2005. He also competed in the 10,000 at the NCAA Championships in 2007. Antonio joined Team USA Minnesota in the summer of 2007. In his professional debut, Antonio won the TC 5K in October. Read Antonio Vega's journal entries here.

Ryan Warrenburg

ZAP Fitness
Ryan Warrenburg, 24, enters his third year as a ZAP resident athlete after an '07 / '08 filled with both success and frustration. In the winter he suffered an IT Band injury which hampered his track season. In the fall Warrenburg won and broke the 8K course record at the Appalachian State Invitational (23:45), ran a blazing 22:56 for 8K on the roads two weeks later and followed that up with both a top 10 finish at the Manchester Road Race (CT) on Thanksgiving Day and a win at the USATF Fall National Cross Country Club Championships in Ohio, which led the ZAP team to its second consecutive club national title. This was Warrenburg's first National Championship! Look for Warrenburg to bounce back with a strong winter and spring racing campaign. Read Ryan Warrenburg’s journal entries here.

Macharia Yuot

Team USA Minnesota
Yuot, 26, is one of the Lost Boys of Sudan who arrived in the United States in 2000. At West Philadelphia Catholic High School he went out for track and then ran track and cross country at Widener University Chester, PA. At Widener, Macharia was a six-time NCAA Div. III Champion and a 14-time All-American. He became a U.S. citizen in 2007. Since completing his collegiate eligibility in the fall of 2006, Macharia has run four marathons including the U.S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trials in November 2007. In 2008, he placed seventh in the USA 10K Championships, 10th at the USA 8K Championships, and 13th at the USA 15K Championships. Yuot joined Team USA Minnesota in August 2008. Read Mandi's journal entries here.