May 27, 2014
VERMILLION, S.D.--Friday will not be the first time senior Jeff Mettler toes the line at the NCAA West Regional track meet. Mettler qualified in the 3000-meter steeplechase in both 2012 and 2013, but a bit of bad luck caused him to trip over one of the barriers both years. That experience has prepared Mettler for his last chance at center stage.
"I'm confident going in to the meet this year because I think I can run fast enough to make it to the next round," said Mettler. "But I have fallen the last two years, which reminds me that you can't take anything for granted because you could fall again. It's important to be mentally prepared going into the race, so that's what I'm trying to do."
In a field where 12 competitors advance to the national meet in Eugene, Ore., Mettler's qualifying time of 8:51.05, ran at the Drake Relays earlier this year, ranks 13th. A second faster would have ranked him ninth.
The preliminary round comes two weeks after the Summit League Outdoor Championships, where Mettler earned Track Championship MVP honors by scoring 26 points in four events. In addition to winning the steeplechase, Mettler won the 5,000-meter run and competed in the 800 and 1500.
"When running multiple events at a conference meet, I try to focus on the present," Mettler said. "But that's hard to do because in the back of my mind I know I still have three more races after I finish this one. Going into regionals, I can put all of my focus on the steeplechase and give it everything I have."
His performance at the outdoor Summit League meet would not have been predicted last August. Mettler was diagnosed with bursitis in his right heel at the beginning of cross country season. The injury prevented the high volume of training he had grown accustomed to, but anti-inflammatories have kept the swelling down, allowing him to continue competing. If anything, Mettler believes his injury could have been a blessing in disguise by shortening the strenuous yearlong training cycle of a distance runner.
"By this point of the year in years past, I was hobbling into the finish trying to hold on for as long as I could," Mettler said. "Instead, I'm feeling physically fit right now and I think it's because of my slow start."
Whether or not Mettler qualifies for the semi-finals in Eugene, this will not be the last race for him. While pursuing his master's degree in kinesiology and health promotion at the University of Kentucky in the fall, he plans to continue training to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Trials in the steeplechase. The qualifying standards have not yet been set for 2016, but in 2012 the provisional "B" standard was 8:45, six seconds off of Mettler's career best. In addition to training for the trials, Mettler will spend time in Lexington working with a faculty member on biomechanics research of chronic running injuries.
Mettler graduated earlier this month with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and sports science, maintaining a 4.0 through all four years. As a Coyote, Mettler won nine conference titles, holds three school records and was the Summit League Scholar Athlete of the Year for 2012-13, impressive feats for a farmer's son from the small South Dakota town of Eureka.
So how did the University of South Dakota become home for the Class B high school state champion?
"Fitz [USD distance coach Dan Fitzsimmons] jokes that I was his easiest recruit, which I'm sure I was," said Mettler. "He had called to ask if I wanted to run for South Dakota and after thinking about it for a minute I told him `yes.' And that was it."
Mettler will race at 8:50 p.m. Friday at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Ark. Live meet results can be found here or for those traveling to Fayetteville tickets can be purchased online here.
