Piekarski Prepared for NCAA Championship
6/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
June 5, 2006
Matt Piekarski doesn't practice or compete in any single one of the disciplines in track & field - sprinting, hurdling, throwing, jumping, vaulting or distance running.
He does them all. In a two-day span.
Starting on Wednesday, Piekarski will go up against the best that the NCAA Division I ranks has to offer at the national championship, held in Sacramento, Calif. on June 7-8.
And as the senior standout closes out a remarkable four-year career at Marquette, he leaves an indelible mark on the track team and the entire community of Marquette student-athletes.
On a typical day of practice for the Golden Eagles at the Melvin "Bus" Shimek Memorial Track and Field Facility, you would see sprinters working on their technique out of the starting blocks, while the hurdlers were doing much of the same while clearing a string of 36 or 42 inch barriers.
The middle-distance runners might be running hard 400m intervals, while the long-distance pack is clicking off mile repeats. The jumpers are carefully tracking their steps down the runways before taking off and landing in a sand pit. The throwers might be spinning through the circle, trying to get the most distance from the shot put or discus. But Piekarski has a system in which he works on his proficiency in each event, each and every day.
"I generally practice 2-4 events each day. I try to coordinate it with the other athletes, for instance if it's my day to run a 400m workout, I get in with the other 400m runners." Piekarski explained. "It's a 'come early/stay late' thing with me. But usually, I split it up so that one day, I'm doing sprints and jumps, followed by a day of throwing, then some jumping and hurdles."
Already Marquette's school-record holder in the decathlon, the Waukesha, Wis. native sat in first place at the completion of day one of the 10-event competition at the BIG EAST Championship on May 5.
"I had a great first day, while Sean Berg (University of Connecticut) really did well on day two." recalled Piekarski. "I struggled a bit in the javelin and was down heading into the 1,500m. I was nervous, but (Assistant coach) Nick (Newton) reminded me that it is seven points for every second, so I just went out there and gave it my all."
"Nick said 'If anyone is going to beat you, make them earn it...' so even though I was really feeling it after the nine events, I gutted it out."
Piekarski trailed Berg by 59 points heading into the final event - the 1,500m. The "metric mile," which is 3 3/4 laps of a 400m track, is the decathlon equivalent of kicking someone when they're down. Even for some of the finest athletes in the world, event number 10 out of 10 is a nightmare.
"I'd say every decathlete dislikes the 1,500m." Piekarski said. "After two days and nine events, knowing that you're going out there to run for four-and-a-half minutes is not fun. Many of the decathletes have their basis in the sprints and jumps, so the 1,500m is not their specialty."
No matter to Piekarski. He blazed to an easy win in the 1,500m, clocking 4:36.59 and besting his closest competitor by seven seconds. The 702 points he earned in the event pushed him to a total of 7,236 - good for the BIG EAST title - while placing him among the nation's top multi-event athletes.
"Everything came together for Matt at the BIG EAST meet. With his excellent winning score of over 7,200 points, we felt confident that he would get in to nationals." said MU head coach Dave Uhrich. "Matt has had a very good couple of weeks of training and he is ready to improve upon his conference performance. This is a great way for Matt to finish up his Marquette career."
A standout prep athlete at Catholic Memorial, Piekarski was a three-sport athlete competing in football, basketball and track. His all-around athleticism drew him to the multi-events when he arrived at MU. As a freshman, he set a new school-best in the indoor heptathlon, compiling 4,182 points en route to a sixth-place finish at the Conference USA Championship. His successes continued from that point, finishing sixth in the decathlon at the C-USA Outdoor meet, with a personal-best 6,405 points in his second year with the blue and gold.
As a junior, after a third-place finish and school-record performance in the indoor heptathlon, he set his third new Marquette standard (6,852 pts.) at the prestigious Drake Relays and posted another top-three finish at the conference championship.
But Piekarski had a bigger goal in mind - earning a spot in the field of the national championship in 2006, held at the state-of-the-art track facility at the A.G. Spanos Sports Complex in Sacramento, Calif.
"Qualifying for nationals was the goal all year and way I did it at the BIG EAST championship was exciting." Piekarski said.
Along with Nick Newton, Piekarski traveled to the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, which were held in Sacramento.
"We spent 11 days out there, watching some of the best athletes in the world, so I'm very excited for my chance to get out there and compete." he stated. "I'm also very familiar with the area and the facility. It's important to know what to expect ahead of time - for instance, the relay zones are a different color on the track. Little things like that can throw you off if you're not prepared for them."
While a spectator to the best of the best in 2004, Piekarski joined those ranks in 2006. In Marquette's first season as a member of the BIG EAST Conference - one of the top track & field leagues in the country - he placed fourth in the conference's indoor heptathlon (5,080), while also competing in the long jump and 4x400m relays. Outdoors, he was fourth in the decathlon (6,756 pts.) at the Azuza Pacific Invitational in his final tune-up prior to the BIG EAST championship.
"I had the opportunity to face some tough competition, outdoors at the Drake and Mt. SAC Relays and indoors in the heptathlon at Northern Iowa. Mt. SAC had the best collegiate athletes, as well as some of the top professionals. The big-time competition really prepared me for BIG EAST's and for this week at nationals. There won't be any surprises."
The decathlon is a unique event, in so many ways. Aside from the many disciplines it encompasses - sprinting, jumping, hurdling, throwing, vaulting, and distance running - it is also held in its own time frame. In a traditional weekend dual meet or invitational during the regular season, the decathlon begins on Friday afternoon and often concludes before any of the individual events are contested. If there is a notion of the loneliness of the long distance runner, then the decathlete can seem marooned on a desert island.
"The decathlon is an event that many people don't know much about. We generally finish competing before the other athletes in individual events start, so the excitement you get from the fans is not really a factor." Piekarski said. "I was very lucky at BIG EAST's, my teammates came out on both days and gave me a lot of support. It is almost like the offensive line in football - they don't get a lot of attention, but their role is very important. For decathletes, the points we score go a long way at conference meets."
While often logistically difficult for others to get out to Piekarski's competition, it is not vice versa. In late May, at Marquette's annual Senior Award Banquet, he and teammate Terri Emond were honored with the Cura Personalis Award.
The award is presented by the Student-Athlete Advisory Council to the student-athlete who embodies the spirit of cura personalis (care for the person) as a participant in intercollegiate athletics. The recipient of this award is a student-athlete who is a team cheerleader, counselor and undesignated leader. He or she also goes through the routine of practice with enthusiasm and does the extra work that promotes team unity and willingly takes on extra responsibility without concern about personal benefit.
According to Amanda Sucharda, a member of the Golden Eagles cross country and track & field team from 2001-03 and a graduate assistant coach for the past two seasons, Piekarski fits that description perfectly.
"Matt is one of the best athletes and an all-around great person." she explained. "From the days of Conference USA and continuing into the BIG EAST, other coaches would always approach Dave (Uhrich) and compliment him on Matt's outstanding character."
"Not only is he fun to watch, but he lends his support to everyone else on the team who is competing. He is a terrific role model and the younger athletes all look up to him."
Piekarski has his own take on his ebullience: "Because you're done before anyone else, you don't have to concern yourself with resting, staying in the shade, hydrating, etc. So I can be out there, cheering on my teammates and even helping with the coaching, to an extent. It's important."
Along with Piekarski, teammate Michaela Courtney will also be competing at the NCAA Championship. The sophomore distance ace is in the field of the 1,500m run, having clocked the sixth-fastest time in the country at the 2006 NCAA Mideast Championship on May 27. Her 4:18.10 performance was a personal-best, as well as a new Marquette record. She capped off a fine 2006 outdoor campaign with a second-place finish in the 1,500m at the BIG EAST Championship (4:21.40) on May 7. Courtney also qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championship in the mile run.
"She's peaking at the right time and had her best race at the regional meet, but I think she has a lot more in her." explained Uhrich. "She's definitely ready to go for nationals. Michaela is seeded sixth in the country and I think she is capable of running with any other runner in the top pack."
Uhrich feels that Courtney will be going into Thursday's trial heats with both confidence and experience.
"Every race you run, you build upon your experience. This past indoor season was her first visit to the NCAA Championship on the track, so she got a feel for how that goes." he said. "With the two BIG EAST championships, you face the best in the nation - All-Americans - and it is a tactical race. Both conference meets were tactical, while Regionals was a faster race. She's learned to deal with all sorts of strategies."
Piekarski kicks off the first five events of the decathlon at Noon CST on Wednesday, taking part in the 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 400m before taking part in the 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500m beginning at Noon on Thursday.
While anything can happen when athletes toe the line and the gun fires at the NCAA Championship, two things are seemingly definite. When the 10th of 10 events is concluded on Thursday afternoon, Matt Piekarski will have given everything he has physically in one of the most demanding competitions in all of sport; and at 8:00 p.m. CST, when Michaela Courtney takes her three-step approach to the start line of the 1,500m, his tired legs and lungs will give all he has again...cheering for his teammate.
Players Mentioned
