TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

This Friday and Saturday, your team’s lone home meet of the outdoor season, the UB Open, will be taking place at UB Stadium. How much importance do you place on an event like that since it takes place here in Buffalo?
The home meet is a great opportunity for many members of our team to post some great results. We have always competed well at our home track – and during the three years I have been here, there have been a lot of personal bests recorded at our home meet.

Obviously, we are getting closer to the Mid-American Conference Championships. So this is another important meet in preparation for that event.

During late March, you set a new school record in the decathlon with 7,019 points at the Florida Relays. What did that accomplishment do for your confidence?
That particular event was an awesome meet. There was good weather and great competition – everyone was there to compete hard.

Having achieved a personal best, I still realize that there is a lot of room for improvement. My coach, Jim Garnham Jr., always has me looking to accomplish more. That is the attitude that we have on this team.

During that performance, you placed first in only one of the individual events of the decathlon, but second in five of them. How much emphasis do you put on consistency during a decathlon?
In the decathlon it is not about winning events, but scoring points and doing well throughout the competition. You have to do the best you can in every event – there is no focus on any one event over another.

What are all 10 components of the decathlon? Which ones do you enjoy in particular?
I came to UB as a high jumper, so that’s my favorite and probably my best event. But I am slow as dirt, so I tend not to do as well scoring-wise in the running events. I still do enjoy running the 100 and 400-meter dashes, though.

Along with those three events, there are three throwing events – the javelin, discus and shot put. Being a bigger guy for a decathlete, I feel I have a small edge in those events.

The other events are the 1,500 meters, the 110-meter hurdles, the long jump and the pole vault.

How many decathletes are on your team and how often do you push one another in practice?
This year more than any other, I have felt like I am being pushed by my teammates. Carlos Williams and Todd Joki are both incredibly tough competitors. For me, I especially look for them to push me in terms of speed, which is where I need the most improvement.

When did you begin to compete in decathlons?
I came to UB strictly as a high jumper. During my freshman year, the coaching staff brought up the decathlon idea to me. I thought that it was a real exciting proposal and felt it would keep me more interested, as opposed to coming in and high jumping every day. It caught on and I still love being a decathlete – there is always something to work on and improve.

How have you been able to successfully put your accolades from last season – earning UB Male Athlete of the Year honors along with a Mid-American Conference Indoor Heptathlon Championship – behind you?
Last year I had a great indoor season, but I felt I let down a little bit during the outdoor season. This year, I have tried to pace myself better and am working towards peaking at the NCAA Championships in June.

What types of goals have you set for yourself during the remainder of the season?
I want to help our team finish as high as we can in the MAC standings. We have the potential to compete with anybody in our conference, but we need to get some confidence back. That’s what I am trying to do right now for our team.

In the UB track and field media guide, you list World Champion decathlete Tom Pappas as your favorite athlete. You also competed against and placed higher than him at the 2003 USA Combined Indoor Events Championships. What was that experience like for you?
Well first of all, I am not even comparable to Tom Pappas. The guy is a freak of nature and it was a great experience running next to him. I actually ran in the same heat as him – it was like the tortoise and the hare.

The only reason I wound up finishing ahead of him was because he dropped out of the event in order to focus on preparing for another competition the next week. It was an awesome experience and I am really looking forward to competing against him some other time in the future.

The 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece begin in August. Serving as a showcase for your sport, what effect do you feel the Olympics have on a whole for track and field in the United States?
Track and field is a sport that showcases the true talent of the human body. I would love to get the message out to people that at any chance they get, they should go out and see people compete in this sport. Certainly the more exposure there is – and the Olympics definitely provide that – the better it is for our sport.

-The "10 Questions with…" feature is compiled by Geoff Nason.