In only his first year as a Duck, junior transfer Micah Harris had already tied the school record in the 110-meter hurdles.
Now, he has broken it.
And what better stage to do it on than the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field?
“This is what it’s all about,” Harris said.
Harris competed Thursday in the 110 hurdles preliminaries and finished in a new personal- and school-record time of 13.73 seconds. He came in sixth in his heat, but his time was still good enough to advance him into today’s semifinals.
It marked the fifth time in eight races this season that he has broken the 14-second barrier and the fourth time that he has run a 13.83 or better. Harris’ previous best was a 13.79 that he ran on May 5 at the Texas Invitational.
“I did the little things today,” he said. “My coach told me that this is where good things happen. This is the show.”
The junior college transfer from Tempe, Ariz., admitted that he was a little nervous before the race and that his adrenaline was at full throttle, but he said that “adrenaline plays a big part in the race.”
Now, Harris must gear up for today’s 6:40 p.m. semifinals. There will be two separate heats for the 110 hurdles, with the top three finishers in each race and the next two fastest runners after that qualifying for Saturday’s finals.
The intensity will surely pick up as the races become more important, but the two-time JC All-American from Central Arizona Community College just flashes a smile when asked about the top-notch competition.
“These are the best guys,” Harris said. “I’m just going to come out and do my best. It’s always good to get the first one out of the way and run well in front of the home crowd.
“Anything’s possible.”