COLLEGE STATION, Texas — May is coming to an end and so is track season here in Aggieland. Missing out on a year, two Aggie track stars return one final time for a chance to qualify for the NCAAs.
Devin Dixon was the favorite to win the 800-meter race at the NCAA indoor championships last season, but he never got the chance to run.
“You spend all week, two weeks, getting your mind prepared for it, and all of a sudden right when you’re about to warm up and get ready for a race…boom, stuff like that, it’s an experience,” said Dixon.
The NCAA cancelled its championship meet due to covid-19 concerns and the pandemic also wiped out the ensuing outdoor season.
“To be there, it was kind of surreal because they had never just cancelled a track meet before…the damage had already been done. Cancell[ing] not only the national meet but the entire outdoor season was kind of ridiculous,” said Carlton Orange.
The NCAA granted all athletes an extra year of eligibility because the pandemic cut their seasons short and Dixon and Orange took advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime offer.
“I wanted to chase a dream and I didn’t really have any pro offers last year. I got two this year so I’m able to train, so I thought this was the best opportunity for me to run the best I can into the Olympic year,” said Orange.
Dixon saw an additional year as a ticket to get to where he wanted to be in his collegiate career.
“It gave me another opportunity to really start this season off the way I wanted to. For what it’s worth, give it my 110% and so I thought that if I get another year, I can train hard enough to get that last year I want,” said Dixon.
Off-season for a year, both Dixon and Orange have been training independently to stay in shape for the season. However, returning has not been an easy feat.
“It’s like starting a car that hasn’t been tuned for a year. I’m still trying to turn the key and get the car going, but it’s definitely going, definitely getting my training in. Definitely trying to get back to the old me so that I can surpass that me when I get to it,” said Dixon.
Racing again presents additional challenges after a year off.
“It’s hard because I just forgot how to race. Right now, I’m learning all the mechanics again, race strategy. But I’m getting back into it, my body is still kind of fighting me a little bit,” said Orange.
It hasn’t been the ideal return to the track for these two who haven’t won a single race all spring, but they’re running faster each week and putting themselves in a position to reach their ultimate goals.
“My motivation is to go to the Olympics, I really want to be fit enough to make the Olympic team, go to Tokyo, and represent Texas A&M, my family and God in the Olympic games,” said Orange.
For Dixon, finishing his last year stronger than the seasons before and doing the absolute best he can is his driving motivation.
“I want to run [the meet] knowing I gave my absolute best. Times aside, whatever time I get, 110%. Like my dad says, 90% mental, 10% physical. [I’ve] given a quarter of my life to track, I really want to give something worthwhile out of it,” said Dixon.
With the prelims just a week away, Dixon and Orange are leaving everything they got out on the track.