Wyoming assistant track coach Scott Dahlberg was recruited out of high school as a basketball player.

But a twist of fate allowed him to find a gift he didn't even know he had, and now he's helping the Cowboy distance runners realize their vast potential.

That distance group will be part of the Cowboy and Cowgirl track team when it hosts its only home meet of the season Friday.  The event, which will include teams from Air Force, Colorado State the University of Colorado and Northern Colorado, begins at 11 a.m.

Dahlberg is nearing the end of his first season as Wyoming's assistant in charge of cross country and distance events.  The native of Peyton, CO, a little town east of Colorado Springs, has pushed his distance runners to accomplish personal bests in virtually every race.

"He's a great communicator for one thing," says Daniel Hintz, a sophomore from Tauranga, New Zealand, "and he's so positive, always clarifying things for us.  Honestly, when he set goals for us at the start of the season we thought he was nuts.  We couldn't see our potential, like he could. But he is helping us reach that potential."

Dahlberg's charges have certainly taken those goals to heart.  Here is a sampling of what they've done this year:

• notched nine UW all-time top-10 marks already this season (six indoor, three outdoor).
• Hintz ran the fastest outdoor 1,500 meters since 1969, and fastest indoor mile for the Cowboys since 1996.
• Christopher Henry has the fastest outdoor 10,000 meters since 2012.
• both Christopher Henry and Michael Downey posted PR's in the indoor 5,000 meters.
• six of seven Cowboys who ran the mile indoors this season posted PRs; and every Cowboy who has run the 1,500 meters, 3,000 meters, 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters or 3,000-meter steeplechase during this current outdoor season has posted personal bests.

Remarkable.

"Every time we think about complaining, we think about what he accomplished at Western State (Gunnison, Colorado) with a higher altitude, and with probably zero budget," Hintz says. "We are in awe of him, he is inspiring."

Let's revisit Dahlberg's collegiate career for a moment.  He was recruited as a basketball player, and chose Western State because it was the only school that would allow him to compete in two sports. While he loved basketball, he also wanted to compete in track. After a redshirt year, he did play one season of basketball but his coach left, and things did not work out between he and the new hire.  He turned his attention to track.

"I was a middle-distance guy," says Dahlberg, "but one day our coach (Duane Vandenbushe) had us do a seven-mile time trial.  I did pretty well because after the trial he told me, 'you are running cross country'.  So that's what I did."  All Dahlberg did was become a two-time cross country All-American, and a three-time track and field All-American.

"I was all set to coach and teach high school math," he says.  "But I was riding in the same van with our head distance coach (Jen Michel) after my last national meet.  She said, 'why don't you stick around, train, and be my assistant'.  It never occurred to me to coach on the college level, but I accepted her offer."

The rest, as they say, is history. After his stint at his alma mater, Dahlberg moved on to coach at Colorado State for five seasons. While there he helped elevate the Rams' distance and cross country units to national prominence. He also was the recruiting coordinator.

Wyoming Head Coach Bryan Berryhill hired Dahlberg from Colorado State after watching him coach at meets in which both schools competed. "I loved how he interacted with the kids," says Berryhill, who himself came from CSU.  "I knew how he had trained as an athlete at Western, at altitude, and knew he could train kids at this altitude. When he got here, he hit the ground running.  It was a smooth transition."

Dahlberg was intrigued by Berryhill's offer. "When Bryan approached me, I was certainly interested," Dahlberg says of Berryhill's offer to coach at Wyoming. "I knew there was a lot of potential here, and Laramie reminded me of Gunnison. There were just a lot of things that transferred for me."

"We clicked really well," Berryhill says, "I think, in part, because we both competed in other sports. "He loved basketball, and I loved football, but both of us were 'pushed' into distance events. In the beginning I don't think either one of us loved running.  But at the end of the day, we both wanted to compete, and when you have that fire, you'll find a way to be successful.  I think Scott and his wife (Kristen) enjoy the environment here.  Like the rest of our coaching staff, he is a great fit. I'm very proud of him, and the staff we have."

Dahlberg's style is definitely upbeat.  'I try to emphasize the positive," he says.  "I believe the goals I set for these guys were reasonable, difficult maybe, but reasonable.  What really helped me initially is that a few guys bought in, and set the tone.  They didn't really question, they believed in what I was saying, and they believed in what they could do.

"One of the special things about this group, with the exception of Ricky (Faure) who has one more year, it is still a very young team.  They have the ability to make the NCAA's.  They need to stay healthy and as hungry as they are now, and they can do that."

While considered "track", cross country and track and field are totally different enterprises, according to Dahlberg.  "I like coaching both cross and distances, but they are a little bit different.  Cross is a team sport in its purest form.  It really doesn't matter who is number one, and who is number five.  They run their best for the team concept. Track is really divided more into groups.  While it's team, it's more about those four groups."

About a month ago, the lives of Scott and his wife Kristen changed dramatically for the better.  They became proud parents of a daughter, Brecklyn Lee.  "It's a huge change for sure," says dad.  "But my wife is so awesome that she makes it easy, and the guys on the team have been amazingly supportive.

"Wyoming has been a great move for us," Dahlberg continues.  "Bryan is so supportive, and has made our transition very smooth.  We have outstanding student-athletes who are willing to get better, and we can continue to attract quality recruits to this program.

"Coach Vandenbushe once told me that as a coach you recruit character, academics and athletics, in that order.  As long as you do that you will be successful, he'd say.  We have that here, and I'm happy to be a part of it."