Metro State hurdler Darius Reed finished third at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships earlier in the summer. Photo by Rachel Fuenzalida
Metro’s cross country and track and field teams are young – in the sense that they just finished their sixth season.
Gaining respect in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is not an easy thing to do as a new team, but the Roadrunners are making an impression with accomplishments by hurdler Darius Reed and distance runner, Kylee Schuler.
Metro junior, Reed, placed third at the Division II, track and field NCAA championship. Senior 10K runner, Schuler, placed 11th at nationals.
Reed came to Metro to rebuild his track career, and with every success he gains recognition for Metro teams.
“Next year was supposed to be my comeback year,” Reed said. “I am happy about how well I did this year but I am also excited that I can be here next season to be a part of branding this team.”
“I didn’t expect to run as fast as I did this year,” Reed said.
Schuler became the first female track athlete in Metro history to compete at nationals. She was 15th going in to the race after finishing second at the RMAC Championships.
Metro State women’s 10,000-meter runner Kylee Schuler goes for a run June 12 at Auraria Field. Schuler finished 11th and the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships earlier in the summer. Photo by Rachel Fuenzalida
“I was really happy with how well I did this year,” Schuler said. “I think what we do on the track and any accomplishments we make there can bring the recognition we need to our teams.”
Reed and Schuler both came to Metro from Division I schools. They experienced firsthand the benefits that can come from having winning teams – school support.
“I saw how much we did this year with very little, and who knows what we could do with more,” Reed said.
Metro head coach John Supsic agreed that having a new track program is challenging, and that the teams need to win meets and have positive exposure to gain school support. Supsic said the building blocks for a successful team are planning, recruiting developed and undeveloped talent, and dedicated athletes.
“Even though our season is over it still takes planning toward the next season and that’s where I am at right now, ” Supsic said. “For a new team to be successful it needs to have athlete’s qualify for national meets.”
Supsic said that he is encouraged for the coming season as he has some good athletes with a lot of potential to make it to nationals – just what this young team needs to grow its brand.
Click here to read a previously written article on Darius Reed written by Angelita Foster
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