What was it like to win indoor nationals vs. I saw myself there and just went after it, but I don’t want to discredit any of the athletes. There was definitely a spot to be taken this season. I always viewed him as a little out of reach. I viewed Michael Saruni as, dang, obviously, he’s the college record holder. Did you feel like there was a void open this year?
BRYCE HOPPEL AGE PRO
photo: courtesy University of Kansas Athletics In the past few years, a lot of the top-ranked 800m runners in the NCAA (Donavan Brazier, Michael Saruni, Emmanuel Korir, Isaiah Harris) have turned pro early.
It’s a lot harder than working with a group of guys. I can’t remember the specific intervals I was doing, but the aspect of being alone made me get into my thoughts and dig down. It was getting tough once it was coming up to. Is there a key workout that gave you confidence before NCAAs? My favorite thing to do is 800m-600m-1000m interval work with Coach Whittlesey on the track, but we also work in tempos here and there to build strength. I do come from the strength side, doing cross country. I’m on the lower end of mileage-usually at 55. My fitness has always been around the same ballpark, but adding extra dedication and focus is what drove me to be better and better. That was the big jump… I always had my goals and got the feel of being at that level my sophomore year. Bryce Hoppel NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships / photo courtesy University of Kansas Athletics You were an All-American last year (8th at NCAA indoors, 4th at NCAA outdoors), but made it to another level this year. We gave Hoppel a call in Lawrence last week to catch up on his whirlwind season and whether or not he’ll break Ryun’s school record before he turns pro. Not bad for a kid from the west Texas plains. He’s run faster than the world and Olympic standards, and could very well qualify for the national team with a consistent showing at USAs in July. Outside of the NCAA, Hoppel is the second-fastest American this year and the sixth-fastest man in the world. 5 on the all-time collegiate list and just a tenth of a second off Ryun’s school record. The Midland, Texas, native has not lost an 800m once in 2019, indoors or outdoors, racking up an astonishing 19-0 year record, two NCAA titles and a shiny new personal record of 1:44.41-which ranks him No. And by year, we mean not just this outdoor season-we literally mean the entire year. In what is one of track and field’s most notoriously brutal events, Kansas junior Bryce Hoppel launched an undefeated campaign this year.
Ryun’s 1:44.3 hand-timed collegiate record in the 800m stood for 50 years before three men eclipsed it in the past three years, led by UTEP’s Michael Saruni last year in 1:43.25.Ī fourth man isn’t far off. Jim Ryun, the first prep sub-four miler, set world records and earned an Olympic silver medal as a student-athlete in the late 1960s. Billy Mills, the only American to win Olympic gold in the 10K, helped KU to back-to-back national championships in track and field in 19. The University of Kansas is famous for developing track and field legends.
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