Carlos Trujillo
Senior
Middleton, Idaho
Pac-10 10,000m champion
Oregon Daily Emerald: Has it sunk in that you’re a Pac-10 champ?
Carlos Trujillo: Not really. I’m kinda still thinking about it. It’s just a good experience, a lot of fun.
ODE: Did you think you had a chance going into the race?
CT: I mostly wanted to score points, but I found an opportunity toward the end of the race with a mile to go when I thought, “I can actually win this.”
ODE: When did you think you had the race won?
CT: I think it was with maybe 800 to go, when some of the guys on the team were saying, “It’s OK, you have a good distance on the rest of the field, so don’t worry about it.”
ODE: How does this title compare to a high school state title (he won five Idaho state titles)?
CT: It’s a lot more different. Both required a lot of effort. In high school I had to run four events, so it’s a lot tougher, but also this was a 10K, so I guess it kinda compares.
ODE: What clicked for you this year?
CT: Just the fact that it’s my last year, so I might as well go for it and try to do the best I can.
ODE: The past three Pac-10 champs have been Robert Cheseret (who won an NCAA title in the event), Galen Rupp and now you. How does that sound?
CT: It’s pretty exciting just knowing the previous champions. I guess the work really paid off for me this time.
ODE: There are three sets of twins on the Oregon team (Carlos and Esteban Trujillo, Daniel and Diego Mercado and Eric and Matt Dettman). What’s up with all the fast twins?
CT: I don’t know. I think it’s just something new, different, to have a lot of twins on the team. It’s pretty exciting.
ODE: How do people tell you and your brother apart?
CT: I have blue contacts on and he just has his regular eyes. Also, he has a mole beside his nose, so that’s pretty much the only difference.
ODE: Have you guys ever switched identities to try to mess with people?
CT: Not currently, but in high school we did. We tried to switch classes, but they caught us right away. It didn’t really work.
Describing how he felt after crossing the finish line:
CT: The first thing I was thinking is ‘how many points did we get out of this event?’ so I just looked back to see Kenny Klotz right behind me, then both Mercados just a few spots after that. That was my first excitement, to get as many points as we can in this event to help the team out. Now I soak it in and I’m just getting prepared mentally and physically for the regional meet.
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