A Florida A&M men’s 400-meter sprinter competed in the University of Notre Dame’s Alex Wilson Invitational this weekend in South Bend, Ind., to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Troy Pollard, a junior criminal justice student from St. Paul, Minn. was the only Rattler to compete in the meet.
Despite breaking his own indoor record with a time of 47.11 seconds, he missed the qualifying time of 46.75, which was only bested by six runners at the meet.
“We are really proud of him,” said men’s track and field head coach Wayne Angel. “He came to us midyear and didn’t have the full year to train.”
Pollard came to FAMU from the College of the Siskiyous in Weed, Calif. He began training with the men’s track team in January.
Pollard won the 400-meter title at the MEAC Championships last month with a time of 48.82 seconds. The win earned him a spot at the Alex Wilson Invitational.
“It was a challenging but fun experience,” he said. “It was good because I got to compete with some of the top runners in the country.”
Even though the snow made it difficult for Pollard to train while home in St. Paul, he stayed focused and found indoor tracks to prepare for this season.
Pollard’s teammate, Isaiah Smith, a freshman pre-physical therapy student from Belleview, Fla., describes him as easy-going but hardworking.
“Even though he’s faster than me, he never treats me like I’m under him,” Smith said. “When we train, he is always encouraging everyone.”
Pollard looks forward to having more time to train for next season and possibly another NCAA qualifier.
For more results from the Alex Wilson Invitational, visit http://www.deltatiming.com/results/events_byschedule.aspx?yf=2013&mf=2013-alex-wilson-invitational.