Photo courtesy of Spencer Allen
LAWRENCE, Kan.—Utah Valley University sprinter Nicholas Taylor qualified for the NCAA Track and Field Finals in Eugene, Ore. in both the 100m and 200m dash Saturday. Taylor is the first sprinter from UVU to qualify for the finals in Eugene, and the first track athlete in school history to qualify for multiple events. Taylor finished with times of 10.31 seconds in the 100m and 20.66 seconds in the 200m.
“It has been a long, long five years and people don’t see everything I did before, the losses and the hard work and the strain it’s been to get to this point,” said Taylor. “So it’s all accumulated over a long period of time, it didn’t happen overnight. But I’m here now and I’m enjoying it while I can.”
Taylor has come a long way since tearing a tendon in his hamstring two years ago. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to run again, but a strong effort from Taylor and his coaches has gotten him to the level he has reached.
“Everyone was involved in that process of getting him back being healthy,” said sprints coach Paul Smith. “That plays into him being healthy and being able to understand his body. A lot of athletes are very stubborn and they think that they can run through pain. That was one thing that it took a while for us to overcome, but he knows now that when things don’t go right it’s better to cut things off than to push through it.”
Despite his success at the West Preliminary, Taylor knows he has some work to do if he’s to build on his success in Eugene.
“I have to clean up a lot of stuff, especially my start,” said Taylor. “Just, you know, a good solid week of practice will do a lot for a body and coming in fresh and mental preparation and to keep my normal routine going, nothing out of the ordinary, and I’ll be ready to go. I’ll be just fine.”
The NCAA Track and Field Finals will take place in Eugene, Ore. from June 8-11.
