Airola Reaching His Potential during Senior Season
2/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field, Cross Country
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - University of Alabama senior Matt Airola was born and raised in California, never stepping foot on an indoor track until joining the Crimson Tide. Now, with two indoor seasons under his belt, Airola is running some of the best indoor mile times in school history. Along with sophomore Robbie Farnham-Rose, Airola is closing in on the school's 16-year-old mile record.
"Matt has really become a savvy racer," said Alabama head coach Dan Waters. "He did not have a lot of experience running indoors when he came to us, but he has put in an enormous amount of effort to be where he is today."
Waters says that Airola has the combination of two talents that signals a great miler: foot-speed and the ability to hang on at a fast pace.
"He would be in the mix at whatever pace is set," Waters said. "I think that attests to his mental strength, as well as his speed on the track. He understands what it is going to take for him to reach the finish line and he executes that in every single race."
So far this season, Airola's ability has landed him two runner-up finishes in both mile races he has entered - with both wins going to fellow Farnham-Rose, his Alabama teammate. The two are working together to break Tim Broe's school-record mile time of 3:59.38. Both Airola and Farnham-Rose understand the goal and what it will take to achieve it, Waters said. They are there for each other, whether it means ensuring the pace is set during a competition or they need to motivate each other on days that aren't so great.
The duo's success has been evident so far in 2015. The two ran fast mile times at the first meet of the season (the Auburn Invitational on Jan. 17), running close to their respective personal bests. They went back into training, emerging three weeks later better and faster. Both Farnham-Rose and Airola secured personal bests at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational mile, earning the top two spots in the race. Airola's time of 4:01.66 is the fifth-best time in Tide history. It also put him in contention to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championships.
"One of Matt's goals is to qualify as an individual for the national championships," Waters said. "To do that, he's going to need to run a low-end 3:59, but he can do that. What kept him from running a sub-four minute mile in Lincoln were the extra tenths of a second that accumulated each lap. He's built up a big enough engine, so to speak, that we can eliminate those fractions of a second."
Over the three years he has been with Alabama, Airola has gained strength, consistency and, most of all, experience. The senior's improved knowledge of indoor racing has led to tactical techniques that have pushed him to the front of the strong fields of racers he has faced so far this year. It has also put him on the cusp of running a mile in less than four minutes.
"He's been consistent and worked hard since he's stepped foot on campus," Waters said. "He has truly committed to this program and achieving his goals, and the sacrifices he's made to be where he is are starting to really pay off. Something very special will happen for Matt when everything we have worked on comes together."
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