MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2014
PAGE 14
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TRACK AND FIELD
Three-time All-American falls short, trains for first
JEFF JACOBSEN/KU ATHLETICS Junior hurdler Michael Stigler competes in the 200-meter hurdle event at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
BEN CARROLL sports@kansan.com
Junior track team member Michael Stigler finished in second place in the 400-meter hurdle for the second straight year last week in Eugene, Ore. Although Stigler fell short of his ultimate goal of first place, the speedster was able to accomplish a feat not Jayhawks have before.
The second-place finish during the NCAA championships at Hayward Field made Stigler an All-American in the event for a third consecutive year, which marks the first time since 1980 a University male has earned the honor in track on three different occasions.
"It's a humbling experience to say that I've done that for the University of Kansas and for myself." Stigler
said. "For me, I'm just blessed and thankful and this shows that my hard work does pay off."
Going into the final race last Friday, Stigler, who is from Canyon, Texas, said he had a lot of confidence still built up from his semifinal race where he clocked his season-best time of 49:34 — nearly half a second quicker than the rest of the field.
During the final race, he found himself racing against the only man to beat him so far in 2014, Nebraska senior Miles Ukaoma, who beat him in the West Preliminary race just two weeks before.
The two got off to equal starts, running neck-and-neck for the first 300 meters. It wasn't until the final turn when Ukaoma was able to create separation between the two and crossed the finish line just before Stigler.
Stigler said he was able to keep calm and try to get himself back into it, but the finish line just happened to come a little bit too early.
"The race started and I'm in the mix, tied with Miles Ukaoma," Stigler
MICHAEL STIGLER
Junior
Junior
said. "Between hurdles nine and ten, I kind of broke down a little bit and I let him get away from me and it pretty much cost me the race."
Stigler said that it wasn't the way
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he wanted it to end but was still thankful for the opportunity. He said he will continue to fight to improve himself. Though finishing second was phenomenal, he said it just made him hungrier for next year, and he can't wait to get back to work.
"I can just say thank God, thank the University of Kansas and my coaching staff for all the support," Stigler said. "I really couldn't have done it without everybody."
Stigler has worked hard in track since the seventh grade. However, it wasn't until high school when he realized he could have a career running track.
His coach, Adam Cummings, who Stigler said acted as a dad outside of his home, told him he had the ability to run in college.
"He's the one who actually got me hurdling." Stigler said. "He's worked with me and improved me to become a better athlete. He's stayed on top of me, was a big motivator and a big support system for me."
Once Stigler got to college, he learned quickly that the training process is intense and that he has to be ready to workout and practice everyday. He clocks nearly 25 hours a week in training and watching film to see where he can improve his time
He plans to keep training with his coaches and hopes to win the NCAA championship race for his senior season.
If the opportunity to run professionally comes to him, Stigler said he'll gladly accept it. He said he will keep training and do everything in his power to make that a reality.
"I plan on running and staying with my same coaching staff," Stigler said. "It's something I love to do and it's something I'd like to stick around doing for a while."
Michael will compete next week in the USA Championships In Sacramento, Calif.
Edited by Kaitlyn Klein
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