Quigley aiming for Olympic Trials
His focus is still on the next race, but how can Sean Quigley not look ahead to the NCAA Division 1 championships in June and the Olympic Trials three weeks later?
The Archbishop Williams grad continues to collect All-America honors and top finishes as a senior at La Salle University, where is he one of the most accomplished runners in program history. He fell short of capturing national titles in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters during the indoor season, but frustration only served as motivation once the Explorers began the outdoor season.
The Braintree native will return to the Bay State on Saturday to compete in the Atlantic-10 Championships at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His home state has been good to him. Competing at the Boston University Terrier Invitational earlier this season, he set a school record in the 3,000 meters with a time of 7 minutes 52.47 seconds.
"It should be pretty cool to have my family there," Quigley said, but other than that, the event will be like any other.
Quigley won the 10K at the Stanford Invitational this month with a time of 28:03.72. He shattered his own school record, set a year ago, by 26 seconds, and the time was the fastest by a runner from the East Coast in 25 years.
"I felt real good that day and the conditions were perfect," he said.
The pack started at a slow pace, but once the pace picked up, Quigley said, he was able to take off.
His time qualified him for the Olympic Trials, which will be held in Eugene, Ore., from June 27 to July 6. The top three finishers will represent the US at this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing.
A six-time All-American, Quigley said thoughts of the trials are never far from his mind. First, though, he will compete in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships June 11-14.
"I'm still taking it race by race," Quigley said. "Everything I'm doing is shooting for that last race."
The indoor season ended with Quigley's third-place finish in the 5K (13:54.05) and a seventh-place finish in the 3,000 meters (8:05.20) at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Track Championships.
After the NCAA Championships, Quigley said, "I made a few tactical mistakes in both races that may have cost me a few spots, but overall I'm happy to be one of the top guys."
His indoor season achievements included the 2008 Atlantic 10 Indoor Track Championship Performer of the Meet award after winning the 5K (13:52.66) and helping the distance medley capture a win in 10:10.42.
William & Mary finished third overall in the tournament with a 54-hole total of 914, setting a school record.
A family and fan skate will be open to the public at 1:10 p.m. Saturday, and the championship game will follow at 8 p.m.
Weekend passes are available for a suggested donation of $10. Children 12 and younger are admitted free. More information can be found at campbelltourney.com.
The event will raise money for leukemia research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The tournament was started in memory of Rob Campbell, a 1982 Whitman-Hanson graduate who died from complications of acute myelogenous leukemia in 1985 at age 21.
Nominations for the upcoming class will be accepted through June 6. Nominations are kept for three years if an individual was nominated previously and not yet chosen for induction.
Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com.
