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GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The path that has led
Clay Reynolds to Division III track & field's biggest stage has not been easy.
Dogged by what he could only describe as extreme “fatigue in his legs,” he nearly stopped running completely for most of the summer, sitting out three full months in a last-ditch effort to regain the strength needed to complete an already-impressive collegiate distance-running career.
The time off cost him half of the cross country season, but Reynolds has come back with a vengeance. The senior will cap off what has been an equally incredible and improbable indoor campaign when he lines up among the nation's elite this weekend at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. He is one of 12 athletes who will compete in the mile.
Two preliminary heats of six runners each will be held in the event on Friday at 5:50 p.m. The top three finishers in each heat, along with those running the next four-fastest times, will advance to Saturday's final at 4:55 p.m. The top eight finishers in the final gain All-America status.
“Since my freshman year, getting to nationals has always been my goal,” said Reynolds. “I remember Adrian [Macdonald] and I, while we were running, would always talk about getting there. It seems kind of unreal to actually qualify, even though I know I earned it. It's up there with the four-by-eight [relay, at the 2010 Centennial Conference Outdoor Championships] last season. The four-by-eight might still be a little more special since it was with the team and with friends, but this is definitely up there.”
The trouble started midway through last indoor track season when Reynolds says that, due to the fatigue he was experiencing, he was unable to finish certain workouts that he was able to complete as a sophomore. Though he was never officially diagnosed with a specific injury, the most likely explanation was that he had overtrained leading into his junior year of cross country.
His frustrations in practice belied his performance in meets. In the 800-meter run, he set the school record in 1:55.52 and was the Centennial Conference (CC) indoor champion. Outdoors, he turned in a thrilling race at the CC championships with his anchor leg of the aforementioned 4x800 relay, bringing the Bullets from behind to win the event in a school- and conference-record time of 7:43.42. His top time in the 800 – 1:52.36 – was the 25th-best in the nation, and he just missed going to outdoor nationals.
But the fatigue did not subside. However, choosing to focus on track despite his considerable talent in cross country (he was an all-region performer in 2009), he sacrificed a summer of training in an attempt to regain the form that allowed him to thrive on the oval. In addition, he credits the Gettysburg College athletic training staff in his ongoing road to recovery.
“They've been awesome,” said Reynolds. “They do all sorts of things for me. They've taped my knees, put me in ice baths, massaged me, stretched me out. They've done a lot of great things that have been helpful.”
After missing the first four cross country meets of the season, he returned for the team's last four races, including promising performances at the Centennial Conference Championships (36th, 26:41) and the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional (48th, 26:33).
Reynolds parlayed his strong finish in cross country into an outstanding indoor season. More of an 800 specialist in the past, he has emerged in the mile and has chipped an amazing seven seconds off his best time from last season. After taking a close second in the 800 and placing fourth in the mile at the Centennial Conference Championships, he saved his best for the Columbia University Last Chance Meet at the Armory in New York City this past Saturday. In a fast race consisting mostly of Division I and post-collegiate competitors, he finished in 4:12.21 to nip the school record by 0.57 seconds set at the same meet one year earlier by Macdonald, now an assistant coach at Gettysburg. The previous record (4:16) set by Bill Geating '79 had stood for 33 years.
Reynolds' time – converted to 4:13.21 to account for the advantage of a banked track – made him the 19th-fastest miler in Division III this season. He enters the meet with the 10th-best qualifying time (certain qualifiers chose to compete in other events).
Reynolds has heeded the advice of those who have competed at a national meet and says he will not take it for granted.
“Coach [Ed] Riggs talked about it, and I've talked to kids from other schools who have been there, and they all say to just really soak it in,” said Reynolds. “I'm not a sophomore or freshman, so this really could be my last chance at going to nationals, so I've really taken that to heart.”
According to interim head coach
Aubrey Shenk, Reynolds will be well-prepared to face whatever kind of race he will encounter.
“At nationals, it's difficult to predict whether it will be a sit-and-kick type of race, or whether someone will really take it out,” said Shenk. “Whichever occurs, Clay will be able to handle it because he's a very smart racer. He is able to determine early in the race how it will go, and his closing speed is outstanding. So what he will need to do is set himself up so that he is in the top portion of the race on Friday to make the final on Saturday.
“If he runs his race, he has an excellent chance to advance.”
Despite the roadblocks he has encountered, Reynolds has persevered, realizing his ultimate goal.
“During the first track meeting in the fall, I wrote down 'Do what it takes to get to nationals' as my individual goal,” he said. “I definitely thought I could do it, but I knew it would probably come down to that last meet at Columbia. I knew I would have one shot, and I'm glad I took advantage of it.”
