It’s 4 p.m., and the blistering sun is just losing its sting over Reeves Field. The American University track and field team is wrapping up practice for the day as runners take their last laps around the track.
Among those left are junior Colin Eustis and senior Erin Koch, the male and female breakout runners of the year.
Both just completed a grueling practice in the sun, but Koch is already asking Head Coach Matt Centrowitz what she should run tomorrow. To her dismay, Centrowitz tells her to take it easy and rest up from the day’s outdoor sprints.
The two are very different runners. Eustis has been on the men’s team since his freshman year and has slowly been improving his form and times. On the other hand, Koch joined the team this semester and developed overnight.
But both share a love for running and both have a competitive drive that pushes them across the finish line before their competitions.
Eustis began running because he “had enough time” for it, he said. In seventh grade Eustis played the violin but his dad encouraged him to join the middle school track and field team to fill his open weekday afternoons. However, it was not until his sophomore year of high school that Eustis began to take running more seriously and started getting better times, an accomplishment that sparked his desire to run in college.
A self-proclaimed “glorified walk-on,” Eustis said he had a slow start as a recruit at AU.
“I wasn’t a walk-on in the pure sense,” Eustis said. “I called, and I asked if I could be on the team. And [Centrowitz] said yes.”
Without seeing tape of Eustis or coming to a meet, Centrowitz let Eustis join the team, warning the young runner that he could not guarantee success, only improvement.
“Colin has been a slow work in progress,” said Centrowitz. “He has had steady growth.”
Eustis learned how to manage his time better under Centrowitz, opening up new windows for extra workouts. Eustis said Centrowtiz’s training method works well for him.
The method is based on five training principles, which include moderation — pushing yourself hard one day and resting the next; variation — running on different surfaces; callus and effect; and progression — pushing yourself harder each practice. Eustis follows each of them equally, believing that they are all important.
“I think they just work,” Eustis said. “They are very simple, they are very basic. I guess everybody uses them but we just do them very well.”
Eustis enjoys running cross-country, which takes place in the fall, because “it is a grind the whole way,” he said. However, he has had his most recent success in the 3,000 meter, which he won at the Maryland Invitational in March. Also, at the 2010 Patriot League Championship in February, Eustis placed second in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:33.72. His time stands as the fourth fastest time in school history.
With one more year left in his track career after this season, Eustis has his eyes on more wins and time goals.
“I really want to take back the cross-country championship,” Eustis said. “I would also really like to win a couple of track championships ... this year and next year.”
Centrowitz sees a bright future for Eustis because he is innately competitive. For Eustis, crossing the finish line in any place but first is unacceptable.
When you click on Erin Koch’s name on the women’s track and field roster online you find statics about soccer. Koch played on the AU women’s team all four years of college. However, she is leaving her mark on AU track as a competitive senior walk-on who joined the team in order to stay in shape at the end of the soccer season.
“I have always been very competitive since I was little,” Koch said. “I wanted to help the team out. I know the girls always need numbers.”
Koch ran track in high school and rediscovered her competitive drive this season with the help of her boyfriend. A heavy off-season for soccer prevented Koch from joining the track team prior to this year.
Centrowitz calls Koch a “middle-distance standout” and has been impressed with her progress since December.
“She is just getting better each and every week, and each and every workout you can see her getting better,” Centrowitz said. “It’s very exciting to watch.”
In February, the math major won the 1,000 meter run on the final day of the Patriot League Championship. Her time on the 1,500 meter run at the Maryland Invitational the last month, 4:42.74, places her ninth on the school’s All-Time Top-10 list.
“It was awesome,” Koch said. “It was my first Patriot League first place in anything, soccer or track.”
To allow Koch to continue to develop as a runner, Centrowtiz said he hopes to avoid over-coaching, an issue many coaches fall into at the college level.
“She is a natural competitor,” said Centrowitz. “The best you can do is stay out of the way ... [I] don’t want to rob her of her enthusiasm.”
So far Centrowitz’s method is working and Koch has applied for a fifth year of eligibility, which she may be granted if she pursues a master’s degree at AU.
For the time being, Koch has her eyes set on a more immediate prize: winning a second conference title. After accomplishing that goal, Koch does not know where she will end up. But one thing is for sure: she will be running along the way.
You can reach this staff writer at kgreubel@theeagleonline.com.
