Men's Cross Country | 5/18/2011 12:21:48 PM

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Although he's only run four marathons in a blossoming road racing career, West Liberty University men's and women's cross country coach Eric Laughlin is rapidly becoming a household name in the marathon world.

The 41-year-old Hilltopper coach turned in yet another impressive performance on Sunday, running away with the Masters Division (40-and-over) title at the prestigious Pittsburgh Marathon.

Laughlin wound his way through 26.2 miles of cool, drizzly Steel City streets in a time of 2:35:24. Not only was that the best Masters Division clocking by a margin of more than 2 minutes, it placed Laughlin 14th overall and made him the 10th American across the finish line.

James Hommes of Pittsburgh was a distant second in the Masters Division in 2:37:30. Michael Murphy of Chuluota, Fla. was third in 2:39:16.

A five-time NCAA All-American during his collegiate days, it hasn't taken Laughlin long to return to his winning ways on the roads.

After placing well in a pair of marathons over the past couple of years, he grabbed some headlines just before Christmas when he came out of nowhere to run away with the Tucson (Ariz.) Marathon. His time of 2:32:21 – still a personal best – on Dec. 12, 2010 was more than 9 minutes faster than anyone else in the field of more than 1,000 marathoners.

Laughlin and his racing coach – West Liberty Hall of Famer Joe Sarver – are currently preparing for the rising marathoner's next challenge.

That's coming up this summer when Laughlin competes against another international field in the Masters World Games at Sacramento, Calif. The marathon will be the crowning event of the World Games, closing out the event on July 17.

Sounds like the men and women of West Liberty's cross-country teams can look forward to some inspiring stories from the “road” when they return to campus in August.