Brandon Carnes: Fast Start To A Senior Campaign

By Kate Kolsrud
UNI Athletic Communications Student Intern

Six seconds. Think of all the small things you can do in six seconds. You could throw a football, tie your shoe or slip on the ice in the middle of campus. Would running a 60-meter dash be on your list? For Brandon Carnes, it would be at the top.

With 12 Missouri Valley Conference titles under his belt, Brandon is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of the University of Northern Iowa. He was named MVC Male Athlete of the Week three times and earned the title MVC Most Outstanding Male Track Athlete in the 2016 season.

He is currently the only athlete at UNI and the second in the MVC to win the 60-meter and 200-meter dash titles two years in a row since 1995. He holds UNI records in the 200 meters at 21.30 seconds and the 60 meters at 6.59 seconds. Additionally, he holds the MVC title for the 60-meter dash, breaking it again with his personal-best time this year to rank him second in the country.

Brandon was born and raised in Bradenton, Florida, where he attended Manatee High School. As a high school athlete, he always had a love for football. His brother, Brion, played at UNI, and Brandon believed he could too. However, as he started to get more success in track and field, he began focusing all of his energy on the sport and developed a love for it.

Brandon had multiple scholarship offers across the U.S. Schools like Tulsa and North Carolina wanted him to come run for them, but he thought they seemed too close to home. He explained that UNI was only the second school he visited. However, he knew it was where he belonged.

"It wasn't too big of a campus and seemed like the right fit. There weren't many distractions, which meant I could stay out of trouble," he said.

Although his brother's attendance here was an added bonus, he said it was not a part of his initial decision. As a recruited track runner, he stayed with someone from the track team during his visit and said his host had a big impact on his college of choice. This interaction gave him the right first impression of the Midwest, despite the dramatic climate change from Florida.

Brandon's humble attitude and passion for running has helped him reach his goals and achieve the status he has today. As the only athlete who remains undefeated in the conference, the pressure for him to succeed can sometimes be overbearing.

"When I'm running," he said, "I just keep thinking about executing my race. If I do things right, I can make it to the top."

Pressure comes with the people who are cheering against him. He knows people trash talk, but instead of responding he said he "lets the running do the talking."

As his senior season is about to commence, Brandon said he couldn't be more ready to compete.

"I've done the hard training. I do what the coaches tell me, and now I have to do my job," he said.

Looking back on his years being a Panther, he explained that his favorite memory is breaking the MVC record in the 60-meter dash during the 2016 season.

Track is and always will be a big part of his life. His goal is to become a professional runner and extend his career. He is majoring in graphic design and would love to eventually produce logos for companies looking to create a new appearance or brand

"UNI has been great to me," he said. "If the opportunity came, I would train here with these coaches in the future."

Among his seasonal goals, he wants to represent the purple and gold as much as he can for his last season. Overall he hopes to stay healthy, hydrated and avoid injury, but, the list doesn't end there. This year he wants to run faster, go to nationals, be a conference champion and stay undefeated.

"It's not going to be easy, but I think I'm in pretty good shape," he said.

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