By BRIAN DULIK
Staff Writer
MEDINA — Ruben Belen never thought about competing in the decathlon until he saw his former teammate do it.
Just one year later, the Medina senior is headed to an NCAA Division I college to test his skills in the rugged event.
Belen has signed a national letter of intent to join the men’s track team at Kent State University, where he will receive an athletic scholarship and compete in the decathlon for the Golden Flashes.
“Ruben worked so hard in the indoor season, this is something that he really deserves,” Bees coach Bob Jenkins said. “His dedication to the sport and to becoming a better athlete is tremendous.
“I’m very happy for him.”
The 6-foot-4½, 180-pound Belen has been a multi-event athlete throughout his four-year career at Medina. He ranked among the Medina County leaders in the 110-meter hurdles, high jump and long jump in 2007.
This offseason, though, Belen decided to expand his horizons after talking it over with former Bees teammate — and current University of Michigan star sophomore — Frank Shotwell.
“After Frank started in the decathlon, I thought about trying it,” said Belen, who remains close friends with Shotwell. “He pushed me really hard (competitively), and we talk on-line all the time about how we’re doing.
“I had a blast being on (Medina’s) team in his senior year, and I learned so much from those guys, it’s an honor to follow what Frank is doing.”
But don’t be mistaken, Belen is carving out his own path and making a name for himself in the track world. He will compete in the pentathlon this weekend at the Nike Indoor Nationals in Landover, Maryland, which is considered the United States’ premier annual meet for high schoolers.
The pentathlon entails five very different events: the high jump, long jump, shot put, 60-meter high hurdles and 1,000-meter run. Belen recently broke the Bees’ indoor record in the high jump with a 6-foot-8 leap and posted the school’s second-fastest 55-meter high hurdle time ever at 7.68, making his odds for success very good.
“He’s had a great indoor season, and he’s following in Frank’s footsteps by going to nationals,” Jenkins said proudly. “All of those events lend themselves to the decathlon, which is why Ruben has also done some distance running to prepare for the 5,000-meter run (in college). He should have a very big senior season.”
Belen is also looking forward to his final campaign at Medina, where the list of events he could compete in is as high as the hurdles he loves to clear.
And while track is an individual sport, his continued presence with the Bees is truly a team effort. After Belen’s father Ruben accepted a job offer in their native Washington, D.C., the family made numerous sacrifices to allow him to finish his high school career where it started. He lives with his mother Trish in Medina, while Ruben Sr. returns from the nation’s capital many weekends.
The soft-spoken star also has a strong support system here in Jenkins, Bees assistant coach Tom Fasko and local physical trainer Mike Caza, as well as the entire Medina track program, which has gone above and beyond the call of duty to make Belen feel at home.
“I can’t wait to get started with the season,” he said. “The two feet of snow we got last week got me down a little bit because we couldn’t practice outside right away, but it won’t be long before we’re getting it done every day.”
Dulik may be reached at brisports@hotmail.com or 330-721-4059.

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