University of Houston Athletics
On the Track with Andrew Carruthers
5/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
May 17, 2004
Houston, Texas - Junior hurdler Andrew Carruthers is a three-time Conference USA champion who qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships last season. Carruthers won the 60-meter hurdles at the C-USA Indoor Championships earlier this season and is a two-time defending 400-meter hurdles champion heading into the Conference USA Outdoor Championships on May 13-15. He also has qualified to compete in the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships on May 28-29 in College Station, Texas. He took some time out of his hectic schedule to sit down for an interview as he prepares for the Conference USA Championships.
How has the outdoor season gone so far?
"It is going okay, but we had a lot higher expectations heading into the season. But, the year isn't over yet, and we still end the season strong at the Conference USA, NCAA Regional and NCAA Championships. We are having good practices and things are starting to come together. So, we can end the season with a bang when it really counts."
You have competed in both the Penn Relays and Texas Relays. Which would you prefer?
"To be honest, I prefer to compete in the Texas Relays, because I am a Texan and it is home. I have competed, won events and held a meet record at the Texas Relays in high school. Therefore, it is more exciting for me to compete at the Texas Relays. Having said that, it is still an honor to compete at the Penn Relays, because it is one of the cathedrals for track and field. But, Texas Relays has a special place in my heart."
How well are the relay teams running as they prepare for the C-USA Championships?
"We have been battling injuries. Carey LaCour has been injured on the 4x100-meter relay, but he is getting back to 100 percent. I have had to fill in for him and some of the other guys. Both relays have qualified for the NCAA Regional meet, and if our 4x100-meter relay team can get some consistency and start jelling at the same time, we will have some fast times. We have too much speed not to be among the top teams in the country. The 4x400-meter relay also has a chance to get it together. The main thing is we are getting over injuries in both relays right now. Whenever we get to the big stage, we will show up."
What is it like to compete in the Regional format knowing you have to do well there in order to advance to the NCAA Championships.
"I like the Regional format. It's something I am more accustomed to do after having to compete in that format in high school. Before the Regional format was set up, you had to run a certain time or faced being cut from the list. It was a do or die situation. I didn't think it was as fair. This system covers all the bases. The top four or five competitors at each regional meet qualify for the NCAA Championships. Then, there is a provision for those who may not have competed as well, but had one of the top times in the nation. They can qualify as an at-large berth. It is a good system. I would have qualified for the NCAA Regional meet had it been in place my freshman year, but I missed the qualifying mark by .15 seconds. It was a really frustrating."
What are your thoughts heading into the C-USA meet?
"I think that we are starting to become very confident because we are getting healthy. It is going to be a war, just like it always is and could come down to the 4x400-meter relay. We have some strong teams to compete against in Marquette, Cincinnati, TCU and East Carolina. Whether we have to win the 4x400-meter relay or if we have to place among the top three teams, I am confident that each of us will lay it on the line for the team if it comes down to it. I am willing to go to war with any of them, but it is going to be a battle."
Does it put more pressure on you as a team knowing it might come down to the final event of the Conference USA Championships?
"I kind of like it. It is great to have beaten the other teams so badly the 4x400-meter doesn't matter. Earlier this year at the Conference USA Indoor meet, we were winning by such a margin we decided not to run in the 4x400-meter relay race. I like to have our backs to the wall because it has its own form of excitement. It will be interesting to us have to step up and show what we have got. If we have to lay it on the line, it could help us record a time that improves our seeding in the NCAA Regional."
What is it like to have to compete in both hurdle events? What aspects of each race do you like the best?
"It is my job. I have been blessed with the ability to do both hurdle events and have been running in both since I was in high school. A lot of guys specialize in one or the other. They are two separate events- one is a sprint and the other is a thinking man's race. The 110-meter hurdles are something that I do as a hobby. In the 110-meter hurdles you get to show off your hurdling form and it is a sprint race that doesn't hurt as bad. The 400-meter hurdles race is a thinking man's race. The last 100 meters of the race shows who want to win the most. I feel that I have a reputation for being a gutsy, tenacious runner."
How excited are you to compete in the NCAA and NCAA Regional Championships in the state of Texas?
"I am more excited that the NCAA Championships are in Texas because competing in Austin is like a homecoming for me. It is 55 minutes from my house, so my whole family will be there. I have been running since my junior year in high school on that track, so it will be very familiar and I feel it will be an advantage for me to compete there.Having the Regional meet being in College Station is an advantage because you don't have to mess with the hassles of traveling in airports."
What do you feel the team goals are right now?
"We haven't had any scored meets so it hard to evaluate where we are in terms of team scoring. The athletes in the field events have done a wonderful job this year. Ron Veillon has qualified for the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon. The throwers have qualified for NCAA Regional. Our goal is to qualify as many people as possible for the Regional Meet so that we have a shot at winning the Regional meet. I will score points in both hurdles; Stanford Routt should win the 200 meters and score points in the 100 meters. Daniel Patton should score in the pole vault. We have a chance to win the NCAA Regional meet if everything goes our way. Those who have qualified for the Regional meet need to improve their marks. Once they get there, they need to concentrate on making the finals. At the Conference USA Championships, everyone just needs to lay it all out on the line for the team."
What are some of the things you enjoy off the track?
"I like spending time with my friends, playing action/adventure video games and sleeping a lot because track is so demanding on your body."
Did you play other sports growing up?
I played soccer, basketball and baseball. I wasn't so good at baseball because I was left-handed and got hit with the ball a lot of times. In high school, I played football and ran track. I weigh 150 pounds now, so I wasn't even thinking about playing football in college. I tried out for the basketball team, but I was too fast to play basketball because I couldn't dribble the ball."
What made you decide to compete in track and field?
"I ran in my first track meet when I was six years old, but started running seriously when I was in sixth grade. I ran the hurdles for the first time then and won a race. So, I have been a hurdler ever since."
Who were some of your biggest influences in track growing up?
"I grew up watching Carl Lewis, Coach (Leroy) Burrell, Edwin Moses, Flo Jo and Sandra Glover. I used to watch Edwin Moses and was amazed at his hurdling. I also watched Kevin Young. Now, I watch Felix Sanchez because he is the best hurdler in the world today and I would like to run like him. I also watch Maurice Greene."
What would you like to accomplish in your track career?
"I would like to represent my country at least one time. I would like to run in the Olympic Games and the World University Championships. If not, I want to coach track and field because there were a lot of people who helped a slow kid from San Antonio become what I have become today. I want to go give back and with the knowledge I have been given by Coach Burrell, Floyd Heard and other people along the way. I feel that I can make a positive contribution to the community."
