Ashland cross country/track and field coaches Leigh Daniel and Nick Cordes were featured on the June 3 edition of NBC’s The Today Show as one of four finalist couples for “Today Throws a Wedding.”

The Ashland couple will compete in a series of challenges, and viewers will vote on a winner. The winning couple will have a wedding planned by the viewers. Voting begins this week.

Cordes and Daniel have dated for five years. They met at an Olympic Development Program, but dating was prohibited so they had to keep their relationship silent. Cordes is Ashland’s head men’s cross country coach and an assistant coach with the track and field program. Daniel is the head women’s cross country coach and is an assistant coach in track and field.

Cordes is a 2003 Ashland graduate and was a seven-time all-American. He was the Division II runner-up in cross country in 2002, the year Ashland hosted the national championships.

Daniel ran at Texas Tech. She was a seven-time all-American and won two individual national championships. Daniel won gold medals in the 10K outdoors and the 5K indoors.

For more information about the contest, visit The Today Show Web site.

-Courtesy Ashland Sports Information Director Al King.