A first place finish in the men’s 800 meter run is great; however, finishing in first place while also beating the Hopkins record is incredible.
That is exactly what senior Andrew Carey accomplished this past weekend at the Bucknell University Bison Invitational. Carey’s time of 1:53.59 was his career fastest on an indoor track, and it broke the Hopkins record of 1:54.95 set in 2011.
One record-breaking performance was not enough for Carey, who would later return to the track and run anchor for the men’s distance medley relay team.
Along with senior Julian Saliani, senior Steve Hyland Jr. and sophomore Trevor Holmgren, Carey helped the team break the Hopkins men’s DMR record with a time of 10:09.38, topping the previous time of 10:11.55 set in 2011.
Hopkins finished as the top Division III team at the event and left the tournament newly ranked in the top five in the country.
Carey was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions for us as The News-Letter’s Athlete of the Week.
The News-Letter: In the 800 meter race, you broke the Hopkins record held since 2011. What does this record mean to you?
Andrew Carey: Breaking the record was very meaningful. I know the old record holder, and he’s a nice guy. But to be honest, my bigger goal this year was qualifying for nationals, and I knew I needed to run faster than the record to qualify.
N-L: At the time you finished, were you aware that you had broken a school record?
AC: After 400 meters, I pretty much knew I had it. I was feeling great and wasn’t slowing down much. It hit me at the finish line just how fast I had run. The record was run on a banked track, which is much faster. I ran a second and a half faster on a flat track, which is traditionally much tougher on your legs. So to his 1:53 this early with absolutely no help was pretty special.
N-L: You anchored for the distance medley relay team, breaking another school record at the Bison Invitational. What does this record mean for your team?
AC: It means a lot. The other legs were going nuts during my leg because they knew I had to split something absurd to get the record. I felt good and figured I had nothing to lose so I went out really just kind of hoping to hang on. Luckily, I did. In high school, I had an opportunity to set anchor the same relay to a school record. I needed a 4:40 mile. I ran a 4:45, and that was pretty disappointing. This weekend, I needed a 4:13, and I ran 4:11. Needless to say, I’ve improved a lot. It means a lot more when you have people to celebrate with too.
N-L: What do you owe your successful season to? What has sparked this record setting performance?
AC: Staying healthy and having consistent workouts. That comes down to getting my work done, eating well and sleeping. To be a successful distance runner, you really need to have good discipline.
N-L: How is Coach Van Allen keeping everyone motivated after such high success so early on in the season?
AC: By keeping our heads in the right place and reminding us that our goals should be continually evolving as we improve.
N-L: What are the goals for the team for the rest of the season?
AC: Our team goal is to win conferences by a lot and have as many people PR in the upcoming meets. I think we would like to see people who haven’t scored (at conference) to score. If people are healthy and training well, good things will happen.
N-L: What are your goals for the rest of the season? Do you have any more records in sight?
AC: My main goal is to place high at nationals and become an All American. Next weekend, my goal is to run under 4:10 for the mile, which would be a school record. However, my focus isn’t to get school records, it’s to become as good of a runner as I can. It sounds cliché, but I don’t want to be too wrapped up in accolades or records. How likeable is someone who is attached to his or her records, trophies or titles? If, by the time I graduate, I have shown other runners a tangible path to success, then I think I can rest easy.
Carey and the rest of the men’s track team will be back in competition this Friday through Saturday at the Boston University Valentine Invitational in Boston, Mass.
