T&F: UNI Sends Two To U.S. Olympic Trials, July 1-10

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Billy Mills once said, "Every passion has its destiny." He went on to win the Olympic Gold Medal in the 10,000 meter run at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Former UNI track and field standout Alex Wilson and assistant pole vault coach Jeff Coover have that passion. And they are both looking to obtain their destiny as they compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. July 1-10.

For fans that followed Wilson as a Panther, they are used to seeing her name at the top of the leader board in the 800 and 1,500 meters. But on Monday, July 4, she will tackle a new event, an event that she has been training for since graduating in 2015.

"Moving to the 3,000 meter steeplechase was something Coach Dave Paulsen and I had talked about for a while," Wilson said. "When I was in college, the 1,500 was going really well, so we didn't want to mess with things, but after I graduated, we figured we might as well give it a shot."

And what a shot she gave. Wilson has shined on the professional circuit since graduating from UNI, running personal-bests, including her Olympic qualifying time of 9:50.01 at the Hoka One One Middle Distance Classic in Los Angeles, Calif.

Her PR time didn't come easy though. Wilson has been training in Cedar Falls and all over the country, quickly learning the difference between collegiate track and professional training.

"It is a lot different training as a professional rather than a college athlete," the Lisbon, Iowa native said. "You have to be a lot more self-sufficient because there are going to be times when you don't have a coach at your workout and you don't have a set practice time with your teammates every day."

Luckily for Wilson, she got to learn how to coach herself this past year after being hired as an assistant for the UNI track and field program. Being a coach for her alma mater gave her a whole new perspective on the sport and the UNI program as a whole, something she will carry with her forever.

"I definitely gained an even better respect for UNI athletics as a whole this year," Wilson said. "Everyone in the athletic department does a lot with a little and that is something you don't always realize or appreciate when you are on the student-athlete side of things."

Part of Wilson's insight into coaching was helped through Coover, who is in his fourth season as an assistant coach with the pole vaulters at UNI. Coover graduated from Indiana University in 2010 after winning the 2009 Big Ten title in the pole vault, also earning two All-America honors.

Since graduating, Coover has been on the pro circuit, competing all over the country and the world. Meets in Reno, Nev. to Mexico City and Beijing have been preparing him all for the competition he will enter on July 2.

"I really enjoy the challenge of competing against the best guys in the U.S. and the world any chance I can get," Coover said. "I find that the more time I spend around guys who are jumping a little better than I am, the more confident I get about my own abilities. Just having the experience around all of those guys helps me to stay calm when the pressure is on at big meets like the Olympic Trials."

Coover has found his niche here in the Cedar Valley as not only a coach, but an athlete. While being a professional athlete takes a lot of self-motivation, Coover believes a lot of his success comes from the student-athletes he works with and the coaches he surrounds himself with on a daily basis here at UNI.

"Coaching here at UNI has helped to show me what it takes to really improve and I can really thank the student-athletes for that," Coover said. "I see the athletes out there on the team working their butts off day-in and day-out in the fall and winter, and it gives me a refreshed feeling of motivation to do the same."

He has another source of motivation in the Cedar Valley, his coach and current UNI pole vault coach Anthony Bertoli. Bertoli, also a graduate of Indiana, has been coaching Coover along the way of his professional career, something Coover is grateful for.

"Coach Bertoli is a perfect fit as a coach for me," Coover said. "He keeps me calm when I get too riled up and is always quick to remind me when I'm more prepared than I want to believe. He has a fantastic ability to focus on improvement even when I'm jumping really well, which helps me to never settle."

Like Coover, Wilson has gained a new passion for the sport through coaching, but her true passion will always be with competition. Wilson has had the opportunity to compete against some of the best runners in the country after running at meets like the Drake Relays, the Stanford Invitational and the American Track League meet in Atlanta, providing invaluable experience that will prepare her for Eugene.

"Being able to go to big meets against great competition can be a little scary at times, but in a good way," Wilson said. "Knowing you are lining up next to such great competitors is really thrilling."

For athletes at any level, being a competitor can be thrilling, as Wilson likes to describe it, but what can prepare you to compete for a chance to appear in the Olympics? Wilson and Coover are hoping to find out.

"I'm telling myself I can compete with the best of them," Wilson said. "I have to trust in all the work I have put in this year."

Whether it is as an athlete or a coach, the chance to compete for the United States and UNI at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil would be a dream. A dream that Wilson is excited to achieve.

"It is pretty hard to imagine," Wilson said. "Then again, four years ago, running professional would have been pretty hard to imagine. So I'll never count myself out."

The U.S. Olympic Trials begin on July 1 and run through July 10. Coover will begin his journey on July 2 at 12:30 p.m. CT while Wilson will take on the 3,000 meter steeplechase on July 4 at 6:03 p.m. For more information on the meet, visit the Olympic Trials Central Page for TV information, schedule of events and ticket information.

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