Senior Jesse Villines and junior Drew Thompson have seven years of combined experience on the Idaho track and field team.
“We all love track,” Villines said. “I think the reason we love it because you’re out there everyday and it’s you against yourself.”
The pair said they have a passion for the sport because of it’s focus on self-betterment.
“It doesn’t matter about what everyone else thinks, I am always going to be my hardest critic,” Thompson said.
The junior said he did not initially intend to participate in collegiate athletics, but reconsidered after a strong senior season in high school. Thompson said he contacted Wane Phipps, the former track coach at Idaho, to give it a shot.
“It was terrifying the first year,” Thompson said. “I felt like I had to work harder than everyone else.”
Thompson’s first-year performance with the team earned him Freshman Athlete of the Year honors from the university.
“(It) was like a validation,” Thompson said. “At the end of the day, your work pays off.”
Villines said he was also unsure about competing in college, but chose to walk on his freshman year.
“After I won the state track meet in 300 (meter) hurdles, I thought I might as well give it a shot,” Villines said.
The senior said he enjoys the challenging environment track offers him.
“When you get up to that line, it’s a true measure of yourself against another man,” Villines said. “That’s what is fun about it, and that is what’s hard about it too.”
Thompson said a strong team environment is an important component of the University of Idaho track and field program.
“There’s a great feeling of winning an event, but when you get to win an entire conference with your whole team there is no greater feeling,” Thompson said.
Villines said despite the individualistic nature of the sport, the program could not succeed without strong chemistry.
“Our teammates keep us accountable for our own goals and dreams,” Villines said. “We’re all coming out here for the same end and that is to win, and hopefully win some championships together as a team.”
The senior athlete said success in track and field comes as the result of a well-balanced lifestyle. The senior said athletes must consider their personal health and relationships in relation to athletics.
“To be truly excellent at anything you have to subjugate your entire life to it,” Villines said. “To be good at track you need to be sleeping eight to nine hours a night, you have to get your homework done on time … it’s all the little things that make you excellent.”
Villines said the duo follows strict routines in all aspects of life to ensure the two continue to improve their performances. The senior said track and field inspires him to balance life in the pursuit of excellence.
“Track is an amazing thing,” Villines said. “You sacrifice a lot to do it. I’ve spent thousands and thousands of hours getting good at this one thing that I can’t really do after (graduation). But what is the thing you can take away from track – discipline.”
Villines said he plans to move to Colorado after his graduation from the university in May. The senior said he feels prepared for the world because of the lessons he has learned from the sport. “It doesn’t matter if I win or lose, but the approach I take has to be the same,” Villines said. “I am going to put (in) as much effort as I can.”
Kevin Douglas Neighbors can be reached at [email protected]