North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: Hill Ready to Compete Against Nation's Best
6/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Track
RALEIGH, N.C. –"Running with the big boys" sounds like an awful cliché, but that's literally the way NC State freshman Ryan Hill views his preliminary race tonight at the USA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.
After a spectacular first season with the Wolfpack, in which he won All-America honors in cross country and in track and field, Hill will see how he fares against the top professional and amateur runners in the country when he lines up for the third preliminary race in the 1,500 meters.
The Hickory, N.C., native is one of 31 runners entered in the three heats for the championship, which will be held at the Drake University track. His race will begin around 7:30 p.m. EDT. Hill has specific goals for the weekend; mainly, he wants to advance to Sunday afternoon's finals. The top two runners in each heat will advance, plus the next six best times.
Nothing is impossible for the young runner. He won All-America honors in cross country in the fall, and found his stride on the track in the spring. He set school records in both the 5,000 meters and the 1,500 meters and won All-America honors in the 5,000 at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field earlier this month in Eugene, Ore.
"I guess I have a lot of confidence coming off the college season," Hill said. "It's my first next-level race. But my strategy is going to be the same in this race: I want to get to the front, kick at the end. What I really want to do is get to Sunday's final.
"These are the best runners in the country. Many of them do nothing but train. They don't think about anything other than training and nutrition. Every detail is covered."
So, for someone just coming off his seventh-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, sandwiched between two sets of final exams, Hill knows he may not exactly be the favorite. His qualifying time of 3:40.81 ranks 21st among the 31 participants.
"At this point, for this race, I am just happy to be there," Hill said. "Anything else that happens this weekend will be great, even if I finish last in the prelim. But I don't plan on finishing last.
"This whole weekend is a learning experience. It would be great to make the finals."
Hill, recruited to NC State for his abilities as a cross country runner, was as shocked as anyone about his success on the track this spring. He still considers himself more adept at cross country, but he's enjoyed the success on the track.
"I really found my speed this spring, especially in the 1,500," Hill said. "That was a real big surprise, even though I would like to think of myself as pretty versatile. This track season has been great for that."
Hill is one of a handful of current and former Wolfpack runners who are competing in Des Moines this weekend. Freshman Andrew Colley finished second in the 5,000 meters at the USA Men's Junior Championships, which are held concurrently with the USA Championships, with a time of 14:37.28.
Freshman Erin Mercer runs today at 12:55 p.m. in the preliminary for the 1,500 meter race in the USA Women's Junior Championships.
Two former Wolfpack runners, Bobby Mack and Stephen Furst, are among the 18 entrants in tonight's 5,000-meter race.
For Hill, this is the final event before he takes the rest of the summer off. He's finishing up the first session of summer school, then plans to take time to travel with friends and family. He plans on a three-week training program in Boulder, CO, next month, to run in cooler temperature, and maybe a backpack trip with his father.
He plans to back off his training to running every other day for about two weeks, but will return to campus in August to gear up for the 2010 cross country season.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
