Marked man
UNM track star Josh Kerr knows he’s the man to beat heading into the NCAAs
Josh Kerr has proven he can excel as either a hunter or the hunted.
The University of New Mexico’s standout middle-distance runner has effectively dominated NCAA men’s 1,500-meter competition over the past two years, winning three national titles (two indoors, one outdoors) and establishing an NCAA record in the event in April. His blazing time (3 minutes, 35.01 seconds) set at April’s Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif., bettered a 37-year-old standard and put Kerr squarely in opponents’ crosshairs for this week’s NCAA Men’s Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Lobos track and field coach Joe Franklin may have best summed up the challenge Kerr is facing.
“Josh is the fastest 1,500-meter runner in the history of the sport,” Franklin said, “and he has his work cut out for him.”
Kerr, a junior from Edinburgh, Scotland, is one of seven UNM athletes competing in the national meet and he’s not the only one with a chance to medal. Ednah Kurgat, who won the NCAA women’s cross-country individual championship in the fall, has the top posted time in the 5,000 meters, while UNM teammate Weini Kelati’s is third best. Senior Alice Wright will compete in her fourth consecutive national meet in the 10,000 meters and has the season’s second-best time.
Still, Kerr knows he’ll start Wednesday’s semifinal
heats (the final is Friday) with what amounts to a cherry and silver target on his back. It’s been there all season.
“It definitely took some time to adjust to that pressure,” Kerr said, “but having the other guys think I’m the guy to beat is really a good feeling. It just makes it that much better when you’re able to pull off a win.”
Kerr is not at all the type to take anything for granted. Attention to detail and relentless effort, after all, played major roles in getting him this far.
In addition to his training regimen, Kerr studies his opponents’ strengths and tendencies and takes a specific game plan into every race. Some are more tactical than others and neither Kerr nor Franklin have finalized their strategy for nationals.
“Josh sticks to the plan,” Franklin said, “but the plan is fluid.” Kerr agreed. “Every race is different,” he said, “and Eugene is a lot different from most places we compete. We’ll see what the weather’s like and how I feel after my first run, maybe reassess things, I don’t know. I just want to make it exciting.”
Franklin does not expect that to be a problem. The men’s 1,500 field includes several strong competitors, including Syracuse’s Justin Knight, Mississippi’s Robert Domanic and Oregon’s Sam Prakel, who will be running on his home course. All three posted times under 3:37 at the Bryan Clay Invitational where Kerr set his national record.
Also in the 1,500 field is UNM’s Ian Crowe-Wright, who raced in the same heat as Kerr at the recent NCAA West Preliminary meet in Sacramento, Calif. Kerr won the quarterfinal heat and Crowe-Wright finished fourth, with the top five advancing to nationals.
“Having Ian advance with me is fantastic,” Kerr said. “He’s been kicking my butt in training and I’ve been kicking his. We have our go-rounds but I definitely feel we’ve made each other better.”
Such “go-rounds” are part of what make Kerr a world-class runner, Franklin said, though his off-the-track persona gives little away.
“He’s pretty low-key and kind,” Franklin said, “but Josh also comes from a family of rugby players and he’s hypercompetitive. He’s the kind of guy who gets mad if he loses a coin flip. Thank goodness we don’t have coin flips in track and field.”
Charlotte Prouse (women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase) and Carlos Salcido (men’s 400 meters) round out the seven-member UNM contingent at the national meet, which runs through Saturday. The Lobos have had at least four qualifiers for nationals for 12 consecutive years.
“Seven is such a great number,” Kurgat said. “I think it gives me extra confidence just knowing I have that support.”
Kurgat said she’s familiar with most of the competitors she’ll see in the women’s 5,000 meters, having beaten many of them on her way to a cross country national title. She’s not sure it’s an advantage.
“I’m racing the same people I do in cross country but the way we prepare and the way we compete are so different,” Kurgat said. “I just get inspired knowing I’m in a fight and that God gives me the opportunity to compete at this level. It’s exciting.”