Athlete of the Week

Michael Borden Track and field sprinter Height, Weight: 6'2", 155 Hometown: Calabasas, Calif. Major: Political Science Sports Idol: San Diego Charger Stan Humphries Best Yale Sports Moment: "This year's indoor New England Championships, when I was All-New England, and broke the Yale record in the 200-meter." Favorite Musician: Lionel Ritchie, "The Best Entertainer in History." Superstitions: Always wears the same blue Yale tee-shirt and Yale track sweatshirt under warmups. Favorite Food: "Dodger Dogs" and bacon Career Ambition: President of the United States

When he arrived at Yale in September 1995, Michael Borden, JE '99, wasn't looking to run track--but the track team came looking for him. "Literally the second I plugged in my phone in my dorm room in Farnam, the phone rang and it was [assistant men's track coach David] Shuehalter asking me to run," Borden said. Two of his high school classmates who had been recruited to run for Yale had recommended Borden to the Eli track coaches. Although Borden had originally wanted to write for a campus publication, Shuehalter was convincing enough to get him to begin training with the team. But practices were grueling. "I was young, out of shape, and the workouts were killing me," Borden said. "I actively avoided the track team the first semester of my freshman year."

Then, in February 1996, something clicked. Borden suddenly realized he did want to run track. He began to enjoy himself, he stopped avoiding his teammates, and practices didn't seem as difficult anymore. More than three years after this revelation, Borden has matured into one of the Elis' top sprinters, and this past weekend at Harvard, Borden came
away with wins in both the 100-meter and 200-meter races.

Borden's father and sister came all the way from California to watch him run in Boston. "They had to see the last Harvard meet," he said. Having his family in the stands was exciting enough for Borden, but the races against the Crimson were even more important because individual runners' performances would determine which of them would go to England in June to run in the Oxford-Cambridge vs. Yale-Harvard meet. Only 12 or 13 of the 46 Bulldogs would be selected for the meet, which is held once every four years.

Borden's performance indeed qualified him to go to Europe, surpassing his highest expectations. "The 100 was neck-and-neck the whole way through...we were about even at 75 meters," he said. Running into a strong headwind, Borden just beat out his closest competitor. The wind was even stronger in the 200 m race. "When I rounded the corner, I hit the wind, and I almost fell down, it was so strong," he said. But despite the elements, Borden made his family proud and came away with his second win
of the meet.

"I got healthy this year, and I've just gotten better and better every week in both the 100 and the 200," Borden said. "My senior year has been a great track year for me." Yet the Elis as a team lost the meet 89-73, which he said was "devastating," especially since the Crimson got off to a 30-1 lead at the start of the meet. "My own success was bittersweet," Borden said. "It took me two days to appreciate my own win. The team's loss made me feel like I was wounded."

Borden won't be feeling the pain of losses for much longer--he'll go on to law school next year, and the next few months will likely be his last as a competitive runner. He leaves Yale with no regrets, and admitted he's come a long way since his freshman year, when he had
to be coaxed into running. "I can wax sentimental now that I'm about to graduate," he said. "But it would've been the greatest mistake of my life not to have run track at Yale."

Photo by Julia Tiernan.

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