KXLF

Posted: Mar 9, 2010 9:38 PM
Updated: Mar 10, 2010 7:18 AM

It's difficult to find many words that just "say it." So I always use "Wow." I have no idea who the first person was to say it, or why it caught on to precede and follow so many comments relating to sports. For example, "Wow, Patrick Casey is fast. He can run a sub four-minute mile.... Wow." That example was taking the easy route.

It's said quite often in relation to Patrick Casey.

Casey, a sophomore from Laurel, running is his first season of indoor track and field, has intentions to do something that will have me repeating the word, further whithering me into a babbling bystander if he were to return a champion. It's either Casey or 15 other kids from across the country. The odds could be a lot worse.

The NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships are this weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas and you don't have to rub your Steve Prefontaine poster to know that an appearance in the national championships means Casey and a combination of other competitors form the tip of the sword when it comes to fast, fast, runners.

But for Casey, it's right where he belongs, because he has been looking for company at the top for a very long time.

Before he jumped into the blue and gold, Casey won every race he entered as a senior in high school with the Laurel Locomotives, including a State A title. And most races were not even close. But now as a qualifier at MSU, he takes the national stage. And he'll do it as the tenth best runner in the nation as determined by the NCAA.

Casey's season best 3:59.17 mile is less than 2 seconds behind the best mile time belonging to the nations top ranked runner. In fact, for all the 16 runners competing this weekend, less than 2 1/2 seconds is all that separates the season bests belonging to each athlete. So basically, anyone can win. 

And Patrick Casey's just hoping to not feel too much pressure in representing the Treasure State by himself.

"Yeah I kind of feel like that," said Casey. "I'm the only athlete going from the track and field team so I just want to go out there and do my best and hopefully I represent Montana well." 

Casey's coach Dale Kennedy says the pressure to represent the Treasure State is real, but his athletes have historically handled it well, using Elly Rudy, MSU's best pole vaulter to ever perform for the Cats, as an example.

"People always want to talk to us like, 'montana. Is that in this country?!' I mean we're such a novelty almost at the national level but we keep coming up with a kid every so often that can do it and I think Casey's the next guy," Kennedy said.

Almost prophetic in his reference to the future of Patrick Casey, Kennedy seemed to drift away in thought for a split second, as if to imagine the feeling of coaching a national champion. He unknowingly let a small word escape to describe the image: "Wow."

Casey will participate in trials on Friday at 3:55 p.m. The final is Saturday at 5:15 p.m.