Injuries and family make this freshman unique
Freshman cross country runner, Logan Caruso, has already written his name in the St. Bonaventure record books.
The Bradford, Pennsylvania native ran the fourth fastest 5k time in Bonaventure history at the Little Three Championship on Sept. 1, finishing with a time of 16 minutes and 22 seconds. Caruso said his family being in attendance made the day much more special.
“It was a cool experience”, Caruso said. “Because I am from Bradford, a lot of my family was there. It was really nice to get it in front of them.”
Caruso joined the Bonnies as one of Bradford Area High School’s most accomplished runners in history. His honors include being a four-time cross country letterwinner, and the school’s record holder in the 1600-meter, 3000, 3200 and the mile.
However, there was a point Caruso may have never been able to run again.
During his sophomore season, Caruso began losing feeling in his right leg.
“I started off the season really well, but I progressively lost feeling in my right leg,” Caruso said. “I went through a couple months of physical therapy and it didn’t get better. I went to a specialist in Buffalo.”
The tests showed that Caruso had a birth defect, a missing joint at the base of his spine, causing his spine to slide forward. He also herniated a disk in his lower back, causing the issues with his right leg.
“I wasn’t able to move my right leg,” Caruso said. “It was kind of just dragging along.”
In the summer going into his junior year, Caruso had spinal fusion surgery in Erie, Pennsylvania, with a different, more optimistic specialist.
“The doctor in Buffalo said I may never run again, so we went to a different [doctor] in Erie,” Caruso said. “[He] said we will have you running in five weeks.”
That estimate turned out to be true. Caruso was back running in five weeks.
Bob MacFarlane, head coach of the St. Bonaventure men’s and women’s cross country teams, has known about Caruso for a while. MacFarlane, also a Bradford native, coached girl’s cross country at Bradford Area School District for six years. This led to MacFarlane having a close relationship with Bradford High School’s men’s cross country coach, Tom Tessena. It was through Tessena that MacFarlane learned about Caruso.
“The reason I became very interested in Logan is because he went to the high school that I coached at previously,” MacFarlane said. “[Tessena] has been my mentor since I started coaching 30 years ago. He has always kept me abreast with different kids he has seen or has, and he’s always said that Logan was high on his list.”
Despite this being Caruso’s first semester, Bonaventure is not new to him. He is a fourth generation Bonnie in his family. His father, Michael Caruso ‘95, grandfather Alex Caruso ‘69, step grandmother Marcia Powell Caruso ‘69 and great grandmother Florence Caruso ‘69, all attended the university. His great grandfather Henry Caruso taught as a math professor for 25 years.
Caruso admitted that the family connection was not the only reason for attending Bonaventure.
“It definitely played a factor, but I wouldn’t say it was a major factor,” Caruso said. “The cross country program was one of the main reasons and then the accounting program was the big reason. It fit athletically and academically.”
Caruso did reflect on what it’s like to attend the same school that many of his family did.
“It is nice being from a long line of alumni”, Caruso said. “I have been coming to basketball games since I was three or four months old. We have had season tickets since the Reilly Center opened. My great-grandfather was a math professor, so he had season tickets, and we still sit in those seats. It has been really neat. I know my grandparents and my dad were really happy I came here and it has been a really cool experience so far.”
Caruso’s last action was at the West Point Invitational where he completed the 7.6k course in 27:41.9, placing fourth on the team in the event. He wants to improve on his 8k discipline, as he has not raced it before.
“I was a little disappointed in my time at West Point,” Caruso said. “But I think it being my first [8k] race at that distance, it was an okay performance for me. I was just happy to be a part of the top seven [runners] who scored on the team.”
MacFarlane acknowledged a substantial difference between a 5k and 8k; a change not everyone can handle.
“He is used to a 5k and I expected that, to be quite frank,” MacFarlane said. “It is a learning curve because you go from a 5k to an 8k real quick and there is a big difference there. Some guys can handle it and some guys can’t. I think Logan is gonna do well because he is motivated. He is a good athlete and he works at it. It’s just he has to stay motivated and work hard in the offseason.”
Caruso wants to improve his 8k time. He will use his freshman year to acclimate himself more with college-level running.
“I would like to get under 27:00 in the 8k and just keep working on that”, Caruso said. “I think this year is more about just contributing to the team and trying to get used to the distance and the mileage that comes along with being a Division I runner.”
