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| Will Vese |
SAN ANTONIO – Will Vese knew it was bad when it happened. In his first week on campus, Vese was playing a pick-up basketball game and then disaster struck.
The date was Aug. 22, 2004, and the then-18-year-old freshman was going up for a layup and landed awkwardly on his way down. The diagnosis was the worst-case scenario. Vese had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and faced a long road to recovery.
It’s hard enough being a freshman in college, let alone having to rehab from a major injury before stepping on the track for the first time. Knowing most of his inaugural season was lost, Vese didn’t know what his future held.
That’s when UTSA’s men’s track & field head coach Aaron Fox put his mind at ease.
“After I tore my ACL, I was worried that I might lose my scholarship,” Vese said after Monday’s practice. “Coach Fox had confidence and faith that I could overcome my injury and become a legitimate hurdler at this level. He has meant so much to my career and I truly appreciate everything he has done for me.”
Now in his third year as a Roadrunner, Vese has rewarded his head coach with a 2007 indoor season to remember.
He opened the year with a career-best and NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 7.85 in finishing second at the Arkansas Invitational on Jan. 12. That mark has remained atop the conference leader board all season and it is the league’s lone sub-eight-second time. All told, Vese has recorded three provisional times this year, two of which have happened at Bill Yeoman Field House in his hometown of Houston.
Heading into this weekend’s Southland Conference Championships at Yeoman Field House, he ranks 14th nationally. Not only does Vese have his sights set on his first SLC title, but he also is looking toward the ultimate prize – becoming the fourth All-American in school history.
“Things have been going well this season,” Vese said “I didn’t anticipate running this well and consistently, but I know I can improve. I have some technical fine tuning to do and also need to improve my start out of the blocks. My motivation is to become an All-American.”
| Junior Will Vese (left) has overcome a serious knee injury and become the Southland Conference's top hurdler. |
Vese, who looks up to seven-time world champion Allen Johnson, got a taste of the best the NCAA has to offer last spring when he qualified for the national meet in the 110-meter hurdles and advanced to the semifinals.
Fox said Vese’s hard work and dedication since the injury has begun to pay dividends.
“Will started off on a bad note and I was skeptical if he was even going to make it because of the rough freshman year he had,” the 2006 SLC Indoor Coach of the Year said. “Once that season was over, we sat down and talked about what he needed to do in order to become a successful hurdler at the college level. Since then, he has come a long way in a short amount of time. He has become focused, determined and worked extremely hard to get where he is today. Will is a perfect example of someone succeeding no matter what hurdle gets in the way.”
The challenge of running against top-class athletes and running the ever-elusive perfect race is what motivates Vese to continue his hard work.
“Running the hurdles takes so much skill and I think it’s an art form,” he said. “I enjoy the challenge of trying to run the perfect race and competing against the best athletes in the country. I haven’t run my perfect race yet, but if I can correct a couple things, I think I have a good chance to do it soon.”
As for this weekend’s meet and the Roadrunners defending their first-ever indoor conference championship, Vese said it comes down to two simple things.
“If everyone can stay healthy and compete to the best of their abilities, then we have a great shot to bring the title back to San Antonio.”