Cross-Country and Track & Field
Dan Virnig was the leader of the powerhouse Carleton cross country teams of the mid-1990s and was also a force in the middle distances in track and field for the Knights during that time. Virnig led Carleton to a pair of conference titles in cross country in 1994 and 1995, as the team qualified for the NCAA Championships each of his four seasons, placing 11th and 1993 and 9th the next season, his sophomore campaign. He is Carleton’s only four-time All-MIAC cross country runner. In track, he enjoyed great success in the 800 and 1,500 meters, earning all-conference honors in both events during both the indoor and outdoor seasons all four years of his career. He was named the outstanding athlete after the 1997 MIAC Outdoor Championships after winning the 800 and 1,500. The 800-meter performance was also voted the meet’s most outstanding by the conference coaches. Virnig graduated with the 800-meter school record and earned a total of six All-America citations in track and field, five as an individual and a sixth as part of a relay; he also won numerous track titles, including back-to-back 1,500-meter crowns at the 1996 and 1997 MIAC Outdoor Championships. After completing medical school at the University of Utah in 2004 and an internal medicine residency in Salt Lake City earlier this year, Virnig is returning to Minnesota to start a gastroenterology fellowship.