Athlete of the Week

Ryan Barrows, MC '01 Track Hometown: York, Neb. Pre-race superstition: Wears the same pair of socks for each race (but washes them first). Pre-race music: Rage Against the Machine Favoride pro sports team: Chicago Cubs Oscar Pick: Being John Malkovich, Best Screenplay Role Models: His parents Age when he started running: 13

When he was a seventh grader in his hometown of York, Neb., Ryan Barrows, MC '01, wanted to be a basketball player. He was tall for his age—he stands 6'5" today—so he thought he would be a natural on the courts. He began running in order to get in shape for basketball season, and soon discovered that he was a natural, but not at shooting hoops. He belonged on the racetrack.

Though he got his start by chance, Barrows went on to have a record-breaking high school track career. And no matter how much the Eli basketball team might have wanted him for his height, by the time he got to Yale, Barrows knew that track was his sport. Last weekend at the Harvard-Yale-Princeton meet (H-Y-Ps) in Cambridge, Mass., he had his best performance yet as an Eli, winning the 800-meter race for his fourth win in a row, and in his fastest time ever—a time which also qualified as the third fastest in Yale history.

Did Barrows do anything special before this race to prepare? He claimed he did not, but that there was a special feeling in the air before the meet began. "At H-Y-Ps there's always extra excitement," he said. "This is like the equivalent of the Yale-Harvard football game." Head Coach Steve Bartold was not surprised by Barrows' performance. "His workouts have proven that this was coming," Bartold said. "It was just a matter of time."

Barrows has had to work twice as hard this season in order to rebound from a case of mononucleosis that kept him on the sidelines during spring 1999. "The hardest thing about running track is motivating yourself to put in the miles in practice," Barrows said. "The workouts are short and sweet. It's the days you have to go out and run five to eight miles that are tough." But according to Bartold, Barrows' practicing has been paying off. "He lost a whole season, but he's worked very hard," he said. "He's a very talented person, and now is about the time he should be coming into his own."

Indeed, Barrows is peaking at just the right moment. "Right now I'm trying to make it to NCAAs, but I have to drop a second and a half off of my time," he said. This may be a reasonable goal for Barrows—his coach feels that the best is yet to come. "[Last weekend's time] was his best ever indoor or outdoor, so he certainly could do better outdoor—and the indoor season isn't even over yet," Bartold said.

What does life after Yale hold for Barrows? When he graduates, he will still have one more year of eligibility because of his missed season, so he is considering returning home and running for the University of Nebraska for a year. After that, the sky is the limit—he is considering running track professionally. But for now, Barrows can enjoy the respect of his coach and his teammates, in addition to continued success on the track. "We think he's very special," Bartold said. After last weekend, the Yale record books will confirm that statement.

Photo by Julia Tiernan.

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