Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Double duty
UM running back now running hurdles for Hurricanes.
CORAL GABLES — Three weeks ago, freshman running back Lorenzo Lingard was taking his lumps on the football field, trying to keep pace with his veteran teammates and adjust to the rigors of the college game.
Friday night, Lingard — a former fivestar prospect and current two-sport athlete — competed in his first event on Miami’s campus, not with his football teammates but as a member of the Hurricanes’ track team, which is hosting the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend.
And Lingard, who hadn’t competitively run the hurdles since winning last year’s Class 4A state championship as a senior at Orange City’s University High, was up against some of the most experienced hurdlers in the ACC.
Lingard posted a 14.99 in his qualifying heat, which wasn’t good enough to advance to tonight’s finals, but he was still smiling post-race, knowing his first individual event as a Hurricane was in the books. Lingard, who has already competed in the 4 X 100 relay once since joining the track team, is expected to run that event today, along with one of his football teammates, sophomore receiver Mike Harley.
“It was a dream come true,” Lingard said Friday of his first individual event as a Hurricane. “Being a competitive athlete overall, from football and track, it felt good and amazing to just run full speed without having to worry about messing up with this or that. It was one straight lane, running full speed and it felt great to me. … More or less, it was the most hurdles I’ve run all [season]. I had spring [football] and then six straight hurdles. It’s just amazing to run and I could feel myself pick up speed between the hurdles.”
Making the jump from spring football to track hasn’t been the only challenge Lingard has faced since arriving at Miami in January as one of the Hurricanes’ early enrollees.
He’s had to learn how to better manage his time, juggling two sports and his classes. And he’s had to adapt to a tougher level of competition, not just on the field or the track, but in the weight room and during the rigorous mat drills that are a part of the football team’s offseason workouts.
He confessed with a smile it hasn’t always been easy, even after all his success as a top high school prospect and former state champion.
“Our mat drills [were] the worst thing I’ve ever had in my life,” Lingard said. “The workouts I had here, the first day, I threw up. But it’s a blessing to be here. It’s something I’ve looked forward to and the transition was rough [early on], but now, it’s smooth sailing.”
Added Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem of Lingard’s progress, “It’s really hard being a freshman and making the adjustment from 39-inch hurdles to 42 and we’ve only had like two weeks to really work on the hurdles with him. … He’s a phenomenal athlete. What he did here tonight, we haven’t even been over 10 hurdles in practice, so what he did here tonight shows how athletic he is and to be part of our 4 X 100 [Saturday], he’s just a great kid. He works hard, he’s inquisitive, he wants to learn. I really enjoy having him out here.”
As to how his efforts on the track will help him come fall camp, Lingard says competing in the hurdles and relays have helped him improve his acceleration