Andy Tate feels a sense of urgency entering the 2001 Big 12 outdoor track and field championships.
“I want to get that conference title. I’ve never had one,” said Tate, Kansas University’s senior 3,000-meter steeplechaser from Lake Elmo, Minn.
Tate’s best finish in the league steeple was a fifth-place showing a year ago.
He’s come a long ways since then, however, recording an NCAA qualifying mark of 8:38.01 at the recent Mt. Sac Relays in California. He’s emerged as a national-caliber runner, qualifying for this summer’s USA championships in Eugene, Ore.
“Physically I’m ready,” Tate said of Saturday’s steeple. “Mentally I better be ready. I’ve had several years of practice for this.”
He enters second-best in the league in the steeplechase. Steve Slattery of Colorado beat Tate by less than a second at Mt. Sac. Texas A&M’s Juan Pevastos is a full nine seconds behind Tate.
“He is the real deal,” Tate said of Slattery. “If I beat him, it won’t be a token victory by any means. The kid from A&M is from Spain and hasn’t been here long.
“You never know if he’s still getting in shape or has already had his P.R. I’ve definitely got to keep an eye on him.”
Tate says he feels some pressure to score some points for KU, considering Scott Russell, Andy Morris and Charlie Gruber are red-shirting this season and won’t be on hand to tally points in the weight and distance events.
“I feel pressure and hope some of the other guys do, too, so we can get a top-eight finish,” Tate said. “We’re a little thin this season, so top eight would be a realistic goal.”
Tate made a big sacrifice for KU back in April, giving up a spot in his final Kansas Relays. He elected to attend Mt. Sac in California, where he’d face stronger steeplechasers and have a better chance of recording an NCAA qualifying time.
“It was tough. That was probably the hardest thing I’ve done this season,” Tate said. “I’m graduating without a watch at the KU Relays. That will always bother me, and my friends will always remind me of that,” he added, with a grin.
Seriously though … “I understood we need representation at nationals. Our coaches can only do so much with the talent we have on the team,” Tate said. “The first priority is to reach nationals and I was able to do that against a stronger field at Mt. Sac. The Relays went on without me.”
Tate is hoping for a strong finish to the track season. His future in the sport depends on how he finishes at Big 12, NCAAs and USA Nationals.
If he doesn’t fare well, he’ll embark on his career as a financial adviser for Northstar Resource group in Minneapolis.
“I love it up there. It’s my home state,” he said. “I interned there last year and was offered a job last summer. That took a lot of pressure out of my life, knowing I had a job when I graduated.
“I’d like to continue running. It all depends how I do the rest of the summer. We’ll wait and see how fast I get.”