Schanaman doesn't let injury slow him down

A big factor that kept Schanaman on track, though, was his upbeat attitude.

As it turned out, Schanaman finished his collegiate career in grand fashion, as he posted one of the fastest times in his running career. Schanaman ran 14.24 seconds at a qualifying meet to advance to the Midwest Regionals.

Schanaman couldn't have been more pleased with how his senior season ended, especially since he nearly called it quits earlier in the year.

``To sum it up, I would have to say that my career was fairly successful. I didn't quite hit my career goals, but I came pretty close. My goal in high school and in college was to hit below the 14-second mark in the 110 hurdles. I missed it in high school and also in college, but I came close with a best time of 14.24.

``Qualifying for regionals came as a surprise. The mark was 14.30, and I ran that 14.24 to qualify. It was probably one of the best feelings of my career. Some other seniors and I were beginning to realize that our careers were coming to an end, so it was great to add one more track meet. Even though I didn't win our conference, it feels good to have the fastest time in the conference for the year.''

Schanaman said his running career was a great learning experience, especially dealing with injuries.

``I have learned injuries are part of being an athlete,'' the Scottsbluff High School graduate said. ``Very seldom does a collegiate athlete competing at D1 not have an injury at some point in their career. I thought that maybe after I finally got my hamstrings taken care of earlier in my running days the injuries would stop, but they just kept coming.''

 

FOr the complete College Column on Nick Schanaman, check out the Friday, June 19, Star-Herald.