Jason Bigelow has been named to the Hollie L. Lepley Hall of Honor class of 2020. Bigelow was a member of the Oakland track and field team from 2005-10.

A native of Clio, Mich., Bigelow was named a NCAA Division I All-American honorable mention, and a four-time all-conference honoree. 

Bigelow became the first student-athlete in program history to qualify for the NCAA Championships where he finished 23rd in the 1500 meter..

At the prestigious Notre Dame Mayo Invitational, Bigelow won the one mile race in a (then) school record, 4:06.43, a record that stood for seven years.

Bigelow holds the school record in the distance medley relay and sits second in the one mile, 800 and 1500 meter.

What does being inducted to the Hall of Honor mean to you?
I'm very excited to be joining the hall of honor with all the great athletes that have come through Oakland. I can't thank Coach Rice and Coach Behnke enough for molding me into the runner I became. Oakland is still such a big part of my life and I'm grateful to Coach Rice for giving me the opportunity to run at OU.
 
What does Oakland mean to you?
Oakland to me means growth. I was a member of the very first track team in 2006 and to see how much the program has improved since then is amazing. In 2006 our team was doing workouts in downtown Pontiac at 8 am on a public track. Indoor track was added in 2008 and a track was added on campus soon after I graduated. Campus looks like a completely different place vs when I started and it is great to see.
 
I also grew so much as a person at OU. My wife was a swimmer at OU and many of my best friends were on the track team with me. The lifelong friendships made are some of the best memories one could ask for.
 
What is your favorite Oakland memory?
There are so many great options to choose from but if I had to narrow it down it would be winning the DMR at the Summit League Indoor Championship in 2009 with Mike Flemming, Joe Goike, and Dave Magnotte. I think it helped springboard our middle-distance group to a great couple year run with the crew we had.
 
My other favorite memory would be qualifying for NCAA Nationals in 2010, which was the culmination of all the hard work our group put in over the previous few years. It was an unbelievable moment for me and something I'll never forget.

What does your sport mean to you?
Running has changed for me over the years. In college, it was an obsession. Becoming the best runner I could was 100% of my focus during my college career. Running meant testing the limits of my body, which I may have pushed too hard a few times.
 
These days, running is a form of meditation. It's perfect for exploring new towns or just getting lost in the woods.
 
What did you do after your Oakland experience?
After graduating from Oakland I went and trained in Ann Arbor with the "Very Nice Track Club" coached by Ron Warhurst and Tim Broe. Ron has coached multiple Olympians including Nick Willis who has 2 Olympic medals. It was a very humbling experience training with some of the best runners in the world and I learned quite a bit!
 
As far as a career, I have worked in IT since 2010 in the Automotive industry. In my spare time, I started a small company selling running apparel and I also do race timing for road races and cross country events (including the Golden Grizzly Open).

This year's induction ceremony will take place on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020 at the Auburn Hills Marriott Pontiac. The event is open to the public, and those interested in attending can register here.